This past week was, much like the previous weeks of this internship, full of activity and learning. On Tuesday, I worked at the Washington County Extension Office, and I ended up spending much of the day assisting Jenn Burger, an extension program assistant for the Washington County 4H program. Those familiar with 4H camp will know that the weeks leading up to it are chaotic to say the least, as last-minute crafts are assembled, supplies are bought, and, as Murphy's law goes, anything that can go wrong, does go wrong.
On this past weekly connection, we discussed technology and its role in agriculture, and this was highlighted for me during the MACAA tour. The rotating milking parlor was a great example of how technology can make daily work easier for both the producer and the animal, allowing the cows to be milked much more efficiently than in a traditional milking parlor, allowing for less milking time and more daily pasture time. At Harris Seafood Co., it was reproductive technology that allows for the continued harvest of oysters in the Bay despite the presence of the same diseases which once decimated the oyster population. All across the eastern shore, producers in diverse sectors of agriculture are utilizing technology to improve their operations and their overall quality of life.
I spent Tuesday doing everything from organizing indoor and outdoor games to making a Walmart run with Jenn to buy snacks for the campers, but our day was made a bit more interesting (depending on your point of view) when we found a water leak in a back room of the extension office, and each person who learned about it responded with some variation of, "Just another day in paradise." Thankfully, maintenance was soon to the rescue, and our day continued with more camp preparations.
On Wednesday, I went over to the eastern shore with Jeff Semler to the Maryland Association of County Agricultural Agents (MACAA) tour of agriculture. We first visited Fair Hill Farms, an organic dairy farm with over 700 milking cows and a rotating milking parlor. This was the first time I had visited a farm with a rotating parlor, and the coolest thing about it to me was the fact that all the animals seemed completely stress-free, and they walked themselves on and off the machine as calmly as if they were walking in their pastures.
Next, we visited Red Acres Hydroponics, an operation
growing lettuce and herbs in a hydroponic greenhouse, supplying local restaurants and even local schools such as Washington College. The farm is also an event venue with a converted dairy barn, and an overall beautiful operation.
growing lettuce and herbs in a hydroponic greenhouse, supplying local restaurants and even local schools such as Washington College. The farm is also an event venue with a converted dairy barn, and an overall beautiful operation.
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| Red Farms Hydroponics |
We also visited Angelica Nurseries, a massive nursery operation mainly specializing in growing trees and shrubs. We were given a bus tour of their property, and along the way learned of the various sustainability measures they are taking to benefit the environment through their operation, such as planting grasses as erosion control, and allowing a reasonable number of weeds to grow up around their trees and shrubs instead of constantly spraying with herbicides.
The day ended with a trip to Harris Oyster Company, a seafood packing and distributing operation in Grasonville, Maryland. The owner of the company, Jason Ruth, gave us some of the history of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay, and the factors that led to their decline--mainly disease introduced by non-native oysters. He then explained how the oyster population in the Bay is increasing substantially, as well as how his operation contributes to conservation.
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| Jason Ruth teaching us about crabs. |
On this past weekly connection, we discussed technology and its role in agriculture, and this was highlighted for me during the MACAA tour. The rotating milking parlor was a great example of how technology can make daily work easier for both the producer and the animal, allowing the cows to be milked much more efficiently than in a traditional milking parlor, allowing for less milking time and more daily pasture time. At Harris Seafood Co., it was reproductive technology that allows for the continued harvest of oysters in the Bay despite the presence of the same diseases which once decimated the oyster population. All across the eastern shore, producers in diverse sectors of agriculture are utilizing technology to improve their operations and their overall quality of life.
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| Me, with a Blue Crab at Harris Seafood Co.! |
As we head into Week 5 of the internship, I am excited to continue to soak in all the knowledge being presented to me, and I hope to use this knowledge in my career as an extension educator.
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