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| The first photo is from Spring Forward |
This week on Wednesday I took the MACAA Professional Development Tour. We went to five urban farm locations in Baltimore and two in Gambrills, including the farm I am interning on. Each location had something unique about it. The first location was Spring Forward, an indoor hydroponic farm run by the Philips School. Their goal is to create “controlled environment agriculture businesses to employ young adults with behavioral health needs.” Many corner stores in Baltimore are being supplied with fresh produce from the pilot farm we visited. The next location we visited was Atwater’s, they are a local cafe chain that produces cheese and grows their own vegetables at their main kitchen. They have two high tunnels out at the back of the facility that we visited, where they grow vegetables for all their cafes. We got to see their cheese making facilities and taste some of the delicious cheese. It takes anywhere from 10-16 hours to make their cheeses that they sell to wine companies and use at their cafes. We got to eat food prepared by Atwater’s staff on our next stop. The place we went to next was Allen AME Church’s community garden. It is a project focused on using empty lots to grow food and empower the communities.
The next farm was a flower farm that we drove past, developed out of an empty lot on 28th street. BLISS Meadows Backyard Basecamp was our next stop and is an urban, non-profit farm that aims to give young people access to outdoor education. The farm is a 10 acre plot of land that was created from an empty lot and an untouched city park. Not only do they grow vegetables on this farm but they also raise goats and chickens as well as bees. They were just beginning to plant the orchard when we arrived but they had a beautiful farm and a wonderful mission. Gambrills flower farm was the last place we visited before heading back to the Anne Arundel County Extension Office. We got to hear about how the farm got started and how it was able to be turned into a successful business. We toured the Anne Arundel County Extension Urban Research Farm last of course. It is the farm I am interning at so I have been there many times before but I still learned a few new things, like which of the varieties are placed where. Since the tour I have also finished setting up the moth traps which will get counted next week!
This week’s topic is communication, oral and written. The MACAA Tour was a perfect example of good oral communication. Being able to get the mission of each farm across and educate people on the things being grown within a short amount of time in a way that everyone would understand is exactly what this week’s topic was all about. I think everyone did a wonderful job of presenting their farms and answering questions, however I must admit that I am partial to the Urban Research Farm Tour at the end, not because it is the one I work on, but because David did an excellent job talking about the farm and I enjoyed the handout he gave everyone with the planting dates, varieties, and layout. A way that I am applying written communication currently in this internship is I am in charge of putting together a set of slides for a fun lesson on motion and energy for 4-H children at a library.
The next farm was a flower farm that we drove past, developed out of an empty lot on 28th street. BLISS Meadows Backyard Basecamp was our next stop and is an urban, non-profit farm that aims to give young people access to outdoor education. The farm is a 10 acre plot of land that was created from an empty lot and an untouched city park. Not only do they grow vegetables on this farm but they also raise goats and chickens as well as bees. They were just beginning to plant the orchard when we arrived but they had a beautiful farm and a wonderful mission. Gambrills flower farm was the last place we visited before heading back to the Anne Arundel County Extension Office. We got to hear about how the farm got started and how it was able to be turned into a successful business. We toured the Anne Arundel County Extension Urban Research Farm last of course. It is the farm I am interning at so I have been there many times before but I still learned a few new things, like which of the varieties are placed where. Since the tour I have also finished setting up the moth traps which will get counted next week!
This week’s topic is communication, oral and written. The MACAA Tour was a perfect example of good oral communication. Being able to get the mission of each farm across and educate people on the things being grown within a short amount of time in a way that everyone would understand is exactly what this week’s topic was all about. I think everyone did a wonderful job of presenting their farms and answering questions, however I must admit that I am partial to the Urban Research Farm Tour at the end, not because it is the one I work on, but because David did an excellent job talking about the farm and I enjoyed the handout he gave everyone with the planting dates, varieties, and layout. A way that I am applying written communication currently in this internship is I am in charge of putting together a set of slides for a fun lesson on motion and energy for 4-H children at a library.
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| Photo is from Atwater's. |
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