University of Maryland Extension

Happy New Year! Our goal for 2021 is to continue to provide innovative educational programs in the areas of 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture, Home Gardening, Health & Nutrition, Financial Wellness and much more. We are still your "go-to" resource for unbiased, up-to-date information even though we cannot meet with you in person at this time.

Please give us a call or send us an email. We can even set up a video conference if you would like to be face-to-face with us virtually. Thank you and stay safe.

The 2021 New Year started out on a very positive note for the 4-H program. The first virtual Washington County 4-H Achievement Night was held via Zoom on Sunday, January 3. The Washington County 4-H Achievement Night is a long standing tradition in the county, and is a time for 4-Her’s and volunteers to be recognized for all their hard work and achievements in the previous year. 4-Her’s receive awards for scholarships from the Community Foundation of Washington County, Diamond Clover achievement awards where 4-Her’s complete various tasks to progress through levels of community engagement, personal growth, and life skill development, record book awards to recognize those youth who went above and beyond keeping financial and data records on their 4-H projects, public speaking awards, and several other specialty awards. Our certified University of Maryland Extension 4-H volunteers are also recognized for their contributions to the 4-H program through years of service awards.

I am very pleased to announce that over 35 families participated in the virtual celebration and 136 youth awards were received, and 31 volunteers were recognized for 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 35, 40, and 45!!! years of service. Washington County 4-H is excited for the 2021 year and all that our youth and volunteers will accomplish!

University of Maryland Extension, University of Delaware Extension, and the Maryland-Delaware Forage Council invites forage producers, grazers, livestock owners, and associated industry personnel to attend the upcoming Maryland-Delaware Virtual Forage Conference in January 2021. The virtual conference will be held over two partial days on January 14, 2021, and January 19, 2021 beginning at 9 AM each day.

The featured speakers for this upcoming conference are Drs.Chris Teutsch and Dan Undersander. Dr. Teutsch is an Associate Professor and the Forage Extension Specialist at the University of Kentucky and will be speaking on ‘Strategies to Boost Summer Production Using Warm Season Forages’. Dr. Undersander is an Emeritus Forage Professor with the University of Wisconsin and will be speaking on ‘Drying Hay When Mother Nature Doesn’t Cooperate’. Other topics will include pasture renovation, weed management for pasture and hayfields, maintaining forage stand persistence, and optimizing soil fertility for forages.

Registration is free but is required to attend. Participants are welcome to join for one or both sessions; CCA, Nutrient Management, and Private Pesticide Applicator Credits will be offered at each session.

For full details and registration information, please visit https://go.umd.edu/forage. If you have questions contact the Garrett County Extension office at 301-334-6960 or Amanda Grev at agrev@umd.edu or 301-432-2767 x339.

Annette Cormany is the Extension educator for horticulture and the Master Gardener program in Washington County for the University of Maryland gives some ideas on how to repurpose your Christmas tree.

Click HERE for ideas and more information.

In collaboration with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Dr. Jesse Ketterman offers this short video outlining some causes and consequences of farm stress and support resources available to Maryland farmers and farm families. For more information, contact Dr. Ketterman at jketterm@umd.edu or 301-724-3320.

Dr. Jesse Ketterman has teamed up with specialists from Delaware Cooperative Extension and Delaware State University College of Agriculture, Science, and Technology to offer this four-part series on Farm Succession Planning. Topics include Introduction to Retirement Planning, Health Insurance in Later Years, Business Planning, and Legal Topics including Farm Succession, Estate Planning, and Diversification.

Sessions are available online every Tuesday afternoon January 12 through February 2, 2021, from 1:00 to 2:20 PM. All sessions are free but registration is required. To register, visit: https://www.pcsreg.com/ag-week-risk-management-succession-planning

Dr. Stephanie Hutter-Thomas, our Western Maryland ROTA Educator, offers this free, online series addressing the stigma around substance use and public health approaches to the opioid crisis in Maryland.

For more information, contact Dr. Hutter-Thomas at 301-724-3320 or shuttert@umd.edu.

All sessions are free but registration is required. To register, click the image below.

The University of Maryland Extension is pleased to offer Dining with Diabetes starting in January, 2021. This national Extension program is designed for adults with type 2 diabetes to teach them skills to manage their diabetes. These classes provide important information about diabetes and showcases recipes designed for people with diabetes. This program is a great complement to other diabetes education and management programs. It includes a series of 4 weekly sessions, 1 ½ hours long, and a three-month follow-up session. In these sessions, participants will learn about menu planning, carbohydrate counting, portion control, label reading, healthy fats and the importance of fiber in managing diabetes. Individual meal planning or guidance will not be provided.

The Dining with Diabetes program is available to anyone, 18 years or older who are at-risk for or currently have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, someone who provides support for people with type 2 diabetes and anyone who wants to learn more about managing and preventing type 2 diabetes.

We will launch our first 4-week session on January 19, 2021 from 5:30 to 7 pm. The following weekly sessions will be held on January 26, February 2 and 9 at the same time. Classes will be taught by Lisa McCoy, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with the University of Maryland Extension. There is no charge for this program at this time. Classes will be held virtually to keep everyone safe at home.

You do need to register in advance of the first meeting. Follow this link to register: https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkdeyurT0pH9LJRzfpXKQcHWFpbzwcaUl7 . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. If you have questions or want more information, contact Lisa McCoy, lmccoy@umd.edu or call 301-791-1304.

In addition to providing monthly Zoom lessons to collaborating schools, Rachel Forlifer, MD SNAP-Ed Educator and Project Leader, has been working with a team to create videos for the Read for Health curriculum. Many read aloud videos have been made to reach students virtually, like I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato. The team has also created recipe and activity videos that can be used by educators to supplement live Zoom lessons. SNAP-Ed will continue to innovate new ways to reach our community with nutrition education!

Good news! Although we are currently teleworking, we are still here to serve you. Please give us a call or send us an email. We can even set up a video conference if you would like to be face-to-face with us virtually. Thank you for your understanding and stay safe.

Dr. Jennifer Bentlejewski

Area Extension Director

jthorn@umd.edu

4-H Youth Development

Ashley Travis

Agent

ashley90@umd.edu

Agricultural and Natural Resources

Jeff Semler

Principal Agent

jsemler@umd.edu

Annette Cormany

Principal Agent Associate & Master Gardner Coordinator

acormany@umd.edu

Brian Sweeney

Coordinator

Nutrient Management Program

sweeney@umd.edu

Family and Consumer Sciences

Lisa McCoy

Senior Agent

lmccoy@umd.edu

Dr. Jesse Ketterman

Agent

jketterm@umd.edu

Food Supplement Nutrition Education

Rachel Forlifer

Agent Associate

forlifer@umd.edu

Administrative Assistants

Diane Montgomery

Administrative Asst II

dianem@umd.edu

Amy Simmons

Administrative Asst II

simmons@umd.edu

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

Email: simmons@umd.edu
Website: http://extension.umd.edu/washington-county/4-h-youth
Location: 7303 Sharpsburg Pike, Boonsboro, MD, United States
Phone: (301) 791-1404