UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EXTENSION
ALLEGANY COUNTY
A message from our Western MD Director
Despite the continued challenges of the pandemic in 2021, the University of Maryland Extension (UME) - Allegany County team succeeded in making a difference in our community. We developed new and innovative ways to support the agriculture industry, protect natural resources, and enhance the well-being of youth and families. This was accomplished through offering trusted, research-based education to all residents. This outreach was further expanded through the efforts of our strong core of volunteers. Whether they were leading 4-H clubs or working as Master Gardeners, our volunteers continued to be the backbone of our programs. We are so grateful to them for their continued dedication.
All of our efforts are made possible through the solid partnerships of the UMD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, USDA, and Allegany County Government, who have been long-standing generous supporters.
I am so proud to present our 2021 annual report which is a snapshot of the myriad of educational opportunities that were made available. As you will see, our programs simply made life better in Allegany County and beyond! As always, I welcome your input, so please feel free to contact me.
Dr. Jennifer Bentlejewski
Thriving Through Uncertainty
LACIE ASHBY
4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT EDUCATOR
SENIOR AGENT
4-H has always been about building confidence, leadership skills, and positive civic engagement. While COVID-19 presented us with new obstacles to navigate, our core values did not change. In fact, 2021 gave us new ways to thrive. Allegany County 4-H youth rose to the challenge by finding innovative, and even sometimes even better, ways to serve our community.
Feature Image: Kara McCusker, an eight-year Allegany County 4-H member, at Fall Steer Tagging.
Building Opportunities
JESSICA MELLON
4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT EDUCATOR
SENIOR AGENT ASSOCIATE
In a county where less than 40 percent of students have broadband access in their homes, creating fair and equitable access to technology is critical. With that in mind, 2021 was devoted to adapting to and meeting the changing needs of our community. When remote learning was possible, virtual programs such as a statewide virtual coding club kept STEM learning in the forefront but when in-person learning resumed, a framework was established that offered fundamental coding and robotics instruction in every public school third-grade classroom in the county. Additionally, compensatory summer programming for all elementary schools and all middle and high school students with IEPs included two to six weeks of intensive coding and robotics instruction.
Feature Image: UME 4-H educator Jessica Mellon, 4-H Administrative Assistant Jody Parrish, and 4-H member William Hao purchase landscaping for the Runoff Raiders Rain Garden at Bishop Walsh School.
4-H Program Highlights
- 124 youth registered as full-time club members
- An additional 653 youth participated in six or more hours of a 4-H short term experience
- 62 adults registered as 4-H volunteers
- 126 youth received weekly lessons in our 4-H Health Rocks! Program
- 586 youth received 6 or more hours of Robotics or Computer Science instruction
- Coding and Robotics instruction in every third-grade public school classroom and in three private school programs, at Georges Creek Elementary Summer School (K-5) and at Parkside Elementary, Summer School (K-5), at Beginnings Montessori School, at Braddock Compensatory Summer Program, at Girls Who Code Camp, and in Virtual Activity Clubs across the state.
- Participation in Allegany County Robotics Sprint
- Establishment of BW Grows!: A 4-H leadership incubator program at Bishop Walsh High School
- 4-H Runoff Raiders completion of youth leadership project (Rain Garden)
- Allegany County 4-H was represented at Maryland State Horse Communications contest, National Horse Bowl Competition, Maryland 4-H Gala, at Maryland 4-H State Council, Maryland State Fair, National 4-H True Leaders in Equity Institute, National 4-H Forestry Invitational
- Allegany County 4-H member was selected for the National 4-H Council Giving Campaign and another selected as Maryland Out of School Time Youth of the Year.
4-H Community Partnerships: Allegany County Agricultural Expo, Allegany County Fairgrounds, Allegany County Public Schools, Bishop Walsh School, Beginnings Montessori School, Maryland Out of School Time Network, REACT, Inc., Allegany County Library System, Frostburg State University, and Allegany College of Maryland.
Sustainable Practices
Ashby Ruddle
Allegany County Nutrient Management Advisor
In 1998, the Water Quality Improvement Act (WQIA) was enacted to protect the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries by ensuring fertilizers, animal manure, and other nutrient sources were applied in an effective and environmentally sound manner. This requires farmers who manage 8 or more animal units (8,000 pounds of live animal weight) or earn $2,500 or more gross annual income for the agricultural operation to have an up-to-date nutrient management plan written by a licensed planner.
Our Nutrient Management Advisor, Ashby Ruddle, serves farmers in Allegany and Garrett as well as Queen Anne’s and Cecil Counties until vacancies are filled. Ashby provides advice and writes nutrient management plans that meet WQIA standards. For more information, contact Ashby at 301-724-3320 or aruddle@umd.edu.
2021 Nutrient Management Highlights
- Nutrient Management Plans were written for 98 producers in four counties (83 in Allegany, 9 in Garrett, 5 in Queen Anne’s and 1 in Cecil)
- Plans were written for 1,114 fields (751 in Allegany, 260 in Garrett, 101 in Queen Anne’s and 2 in Cecil)
- This constituted a total of 13,537.3 acres (10,092.5 acres in Allegany, 1,386.3 acres in Garrett, 2,044.8 acres in Queen Anne’s and 13.7 acres in Cecil)
Reaching New Audiences
Sherry Frick
Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator
Master Gardener Coordinator
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown has led to a worldwide resurgence of interest in home gardening and, in particular, the type of vegetable gardening our grandparents would recognize as “Victory Gardening”. Victory Gardening is supplemental gardening intended to sustain a small family through a temporary food shortage. This shift in gardening perspective has led to a multitude of new families and organizations reaching out to Extension for guidance.
2021 Ag and Master Gardener Highlights
- Frick and MG volunteers procured $1438 worth of donated seeds from Seed Savers Exchange ($187.50) and Walmart ($1250.50) to be given out freely at seed exchanges and other Master Gardener sponsored events
- Master Gardener volunteers provided 365 hours of service at a value of $11,421 for the citizens of Allegany County
- Master Gardeners made 381 contacts at information booths, demonstrations, and seed exchanges
- Ten Master Gardener Interns went through the hybrid (online and in-person hands-on classes) Master Gardener Basic Training course
- Frick taught 31 classes, making 853 contacts. Classes included the spring gardening webinar series, Ag related classes, programming for elementary school students, MG Basic Training, and demonstrations
- Frick posted 7 webinars to the UME Western Cluster YouTube Channel with 616 views
- Frick provided environmentally friendly, research-based solutions to residents’ individual problems. Frick answered 112 inquiries, providing 67 hours of consultation at a value of $4,020 (67 x $60/hr) for the citizens of Allegany County
- Frick worked together with the Western Maryland Food Council to plan its annual conference: Our Food Our Future with the goal of improving and integrating all aspects of the food system: social, nutritional, economic and environmental health. 97 people attended
Community Partners: Allegany County Board of Education, Western Maryland Food Council, Allegany Mountain Fresh Producers Assoc., Allegany College of Maryland, Allegany County Forestry Board, Allegany County Library System, Friends Aware, Hope Station, Cumberland Parks and Recreation Department, Allegany County Ag Expo, Community Cafe Steering Committee, Allegany Soil Conservation District, Jane Gates Heritage House, Gordon Roberts House, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Mountain Maryland Hemp Alliance, Community Cafe Advisory Board, and MD Agricultural Council.
Feature Image: Allegany County Master Gardener Coordinator Sherry Frick conducting a soapmaking demonstration at the Jane Gates Heritage House. Soapwort, a plant growing wild on the property, was used to make the soap and is a living legacy to Jane Gates, a freed slave and laundress, who purchased the property in 1871.
Weathering the Storm
Dr. Jesse Ketterman
Family and Consumer Sciences
Our Finance and Health Insurance Literacy programs aim to empower our clients to reduce debt, be financially secure, and make the health insurance decisions that are best for them and their families. Our Farm Stress and Farm Family Resiliency programs are expanding to serve more farmers and farm families than ever before.
Finance and Health Insurance Literacy Highlights
Participants range in age from elementary school to 65+
- Personal Finance Seminar for Professionals
- Your Money Your Goals (for Human Service Workers)
- Personal Finance for College Students
- Understanding Credit and Credit Reports
- Health Insurance Literacy
- Farm Stress Management
Community Partners: Allegany County Work Experience Program, Allegany County After-School Program, Washington County Family Self-Sufficiency Program Coordinating Committee, Allegany County Public Library, Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County, Frostburg State University, and Allegany College of Maryland.
Healthy for Life
Lisa McCoy, RD
Family and Consumer Sciences
The pandemic has changed how we serve our communities in western Maryland. Responding to new challenges, Lisa McCoy has expanded her reach through social media, virtual learning, and a growing presence in print with new newspaper and magazine articles.
Family and Consumer Sciences Highlights
- Dining with Diabetes programs (a 4-week series followed by a 3-month follow-up) reaching 24 adults.
- DASH plus (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) program (4 sessions reaching 12 adults across the state).
- Hazardous Household Products presentation to 59 Master Gardeners.
- Assisted with the 2nd Food Systems Conference held virtually reaching over 200 people across multiple states.
- Building Effective Virtual Programs that Work: a 3-session curriculum that was held 3 times throughout the year reaching 17 participants.
- Health Insurance Literacy Initiative webinars reaching 31 adults
- Print and social media:
- Healthy Living videos with 1,386 views.
- Contributed to University of Maryland Extension blog “breathing room” throughout the year.
- Co-authored “Health Insurance Claim Problem? How to Navigate the Health Insurance Claims Process” UME fact sheet.
- Contributed to virtual newsletters and social media posts for the EXCITE vaccination education and engagement project.
- Healthy Living Facebook posts (across all 3 counties): 35 posts with 392 views (WC); 65 posts with 2,309 views (GC); 65 posts with 3,000 views (AC) totaling 5,701 views.
- Wrote articles relating to healthy living for the At Home Places magazine summer, fall and holiday editions. Circulation: 7,000 print copies as well as Facebook (over 1,000 followers), Twitter and Instagram posts.
Community Partners: Awakenings Recovery Center, Washington County Commission on Aging, Herald Mail media, Meritus Health, Western Maryland Food Council, Washington County Agricultural Economic Development, Washington County Public Libraries, Hagerstown Lions Club, and Washington County Health Department.
Teamwork that Works
Mandy Hawkins
SNAP-Ed Project Leader
Shirley Guinn
Healthy Food Access Faculty Assistant
Shayla Hitchens
SNAP-Ed Project Assistant
Mandy Hawkins
SNAP-Ed Project Leader
Shirley Guinn
Healthy Food Access Faculty Assistant
Shayla Hitchens
SNAP-Ed Project Assistant
In many ways, the challenges of 2021 gave us an opportunity to enhance how we serve our community. We developed alternative methods of delivering service and we were able to reach out to new customers and new collaborators who were also navigating this difficult year. When schools closed, we worked with Allegany County Public Schools to deliver instruction via their online learning platform and acclimating to a virtual classroom gave us a chance to re-examine older curricula, update our lesson plans, and create new, interactive resources that were fresh for students and collaborators alike. 2021 was a challenging year but the Allegany County SNAP-Ed team is proud of how we rose to the occasion.
Program Highlights
- Collaborations with 10 Allegany County Public Elementary Schools- total of 98 classrooms received education
- Collaborations with 12 Head Start classrooms at 6 sites- approximately 240 students received education
- Collaborations with Judy Centers-South Penn center & Beall center, now located at G.C. Elementary
- Summer in-person programming at 3 youth sites reaching over 125 students
- Distribution of 824 activity incentives/educational materials to ACPS students receiving summer meals
- Pantry training and education distribution at 3 sites resulting in volunteers pairing healthy recipes with pantry staples and procurement of fresh fruits and vegetables when possible.
- Farmer's Market education display and recipe distribution at Downtown/Frostburg Markets-12 visits and approximately 200 recipes distributed.
- Close to 6,000 educational resources shared with our Farmer's Market audience-print and social media interactions
- Participated in SNAP-EDs FaceBook Live series 3 times preparing healthy recipes for our F.B. audience
- Attended Cumberland's Night Out Against Crime Event in South Cumberland-over 200 students/parents reached with a tasting and materials
- Created Social Media schedule for a daily FaceBook presence on the Healthy Living page
- Created 6 recipe/wellness videos for use with SNAP-ED outreach and education modules as well as blog posts and educator resource development
Community Partners: Allegany County Public Schools, The Judy Centers at George's Creek Elementary and South Penn Elementary, Allegany County Head Start, Western Maryland Food Bank, Hope Station, Tri-Towns Food Pantry, PAWS Pantry at Frostburg State University, Pantry at Allegany College of Maryland, City of Cumberland
Delivering Hope
The Maryland Rural Opioid Technical Assistance (MarylandROTA) Program had an epic second year, despite lingering pandemic restrictions and uncertainty. Through the delivery of various programs targeting adults and youth, the ROTA team successfully reached 5,341 participants from across the state in year-2 alone.
In other program news, full time educator Dr. Stephanie Hutter-Thomas is stepping down from her role to lead a large study being conducted by WVU Research Corporation in collaboration with Yale School of Public Health. The good news is that she will remain involved with the ROTA project as a part-time consultant and instructor. As new funding opportunities present themselves, MarylandROTA hopes to hire another full-time educator in this region to assist with program delivery.
2021 Program Highlights
5,341 total participants in 2021
81 Mental Health First Aid workshops
157 Opioid Use Disorder related trainings and webinars
47 youth programs
15 train-the-trainer events reaching over 7,300 Marylanders during the program’s two-year grant cycle
Community Partners: Because we strive to connect the right resources with any person seeking assistance regardless of geography, Maryland ROTA has partnerships and collaborations across the state and across the country. For a list of partnerships and resources located in Western Maryland, please visit WesternMDLocalResources.
Western Cluster YouTube Channel
Did you know University of Maryland Extension Western Cluster has our own YouTube channel? Our 248 videos on nutrition, healthy living, agriculture, home gardening, 4-H Youth Development and more have been viewed by over 50,000 visitors since we launched in April, 2020. Find what you're looking for at WMDYouTube.
Keeping Connected
If you have questions, contact one of our experts to provide solutions.
Dr. Jennifer Bentlejewski
Area Extension Director
Western Maryland Cluster
4-H Youth and Development
Lacie Ashby
Senior Agent
Jessica Mellon
Senior Agent Associate
Sherry Frick
Senior Agent Associate
Ag Agent & Master Gardener Coordinator
Ashby Ruddle
Coordinator
Nutrient Management Program
Maryland SNAP-Ed
SNAP-Ed Project Leader
Shirley Guinn
Healthy Food Access Faculty Assistant
Shayla Hitchens
SNAP-Ed Project Assistant
Lisa McCoy, RD
Senior Agent
Dr. Jesse Ketterman
Agent
Dr. Stephanie Hutter-Thomas
Rural Opioid Technical Assistance (ROTA) Educator
Administrative Assistants
Jody Parrish
Administrative Asst ll
Joni Reed
Administrative Asst l
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 other legally protected class.