Week Three with Extension by Cole Chapman

Pictures from an hydroponic farm that we visited as a part of the Baltimore Farm Tour 

My internship has been going well since the last blog post. I teleworker on Monday because I was sick, But I had poor communication with my mentors regarding my situation. Mark and I had a discussion about improving my communication with him, Nathan, and Kelly because my poor communication had made scheduling difficult for them. The conversation was a difficult one to have but necessary for me to improve my professionalism in the future.

Despite my last-minute call for a telework day, I was able to attend the weekly WFD internship meeting. During the meeting, we discussed climate change and the importance of changing individual habits. We talked about how behavioral sciences are just as important as environmental research when it comes to stopping climate change. As a part of that, we talked about different parts of the extension that work to help change the behaviors of farmers through information and positive communication. We also talked about how programs in extension, like 4-H, work to change the view of agriculture, stressing the importance of learning through education.

During my telework day, I also completed an assignment for Nathan, my mentor at the Howard County office, which was writing an email for a client. Specifically, the email involved explaining methods of controlling cattail and duckweed in a pond, and how to manage pond silting. Writing the email helped me better understand the work extension does in communicating with farmers including researching answers to questions and practically conveying our findings.

Tuesday and Wednesday served as days for UME to gather for events and help the interns get to know different people in extension and each other. Tuesday was a conference held in Annapolis that covered topics related to extension services and new developments. One prominent topic of discussion was the dissolving of the nutrient management program within extension. Some other topics of discussion were a presentation about artificial intelligence, the use of VR in extension, and research opportunities for extension agents to collaborate on. Wednesday was a day designed for extension as a whole to tour urban farms in Baltimore and see their work. I learned a bit about urban ag when farmer Chippy from Plantation Park Heights was a guest speaker in one of my classes, but it was incredible to see how much could be grown in what seemed like so little space. It was also eye-opening to see how abandoned plots played a role in providing space for agriculture, but also created a barrier within communities.

Microgreen at a farm we visited as a part of the Baltimore Farm Tour

One urban farm we visited that stuck with me was a learning garden at a black-owned church where they talked about the importance of restoring bonds of trust within the community. The garden at the church was left open with only a sign explaining the rules, leaving it self-policed by the community. The church had also begun clearing nearby abandoned plots of foliage to improve visibility and create a greater sense of community within the area. We visited a catering company with its greenhouse, an indoor hydroponics farm, and a rapidly developing education farm. Overall it was a nice way to spend a day learning about organizations working to change their communities and the world.

Thursday and Friday were office days that gave me time to catch up with some of the grain marketing chart and my writing. We did go out into the field in the afternoon to do some scouting with various crops. Thursday provided me with my first experience scouting tomatoes and Friday provided me insight into my mentor's view of scouting fields. Instead of trying to observe changes in the current plants, I've learned that it is important to consider the past planting/treatment of the field when analyzing its condition.

Overall this past week has helped reveal areas of improvement in my work ethic and communication skills that I hope to improve through this internship.

Tomato crops and some infected with a disease that Mark and I couldn’t confirm the identity.