Week One with Extension by Emily Stamper

Hello, my name is Emily Stamper. I am 20 years old and live in Boonsboro, Maryland. I am interning at University of Maryland Extension in Washington County and Western Maryland Research and Education Center (WMREC). My mentors are Jeff Semler, Amanda Grev, and Sarah Potts. This first week was full of activities. Tuesday we toured WMREC and the Extension office and got to meet some of the staff. We then went to work with a project of sheep and cows that are being put on both perennial and annual pasture. We moved them to a different pasture and then took some forage samples. Wednesday, after our weekly connection, we drove to Beltsville to the NRCS Plant Materials Distributions Center to look at forage plots and tour around the facility. After, we went to Chestertown in Kent County for a Pasture Walk at a horse farm. We assessed each pasture and gave feedback. 

Thursday I tele worked at the office and entered data and samples into Excel spreadsheets. Friday, we traveled to Clarksville to Central Maryland Research and Education Center (CMREC). We did the same thing as Tuesday except with dairy heifers.

Image: Touring the facility at NRCS Plant Materials Distribution Center in Beltsville, MD.

I am really excited to see how the rest of the summer goes. I go to Hagerstown Community College where I major in Environmental Studies. I will then transfer to Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania where I will major in Animal Science with a concentration in Environmental Studies. Being an extension agent has always been a goal of mine after college, and this internship has solidified my goals. I am looking forward to learning more about agriculture and working with new people and learning from them. 

Image: CMREC in Clarksville, MD

Image: Pasture Walk at Goose Hill Farm in Chestertown, MD