UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EXTENSION
ALLEGANY COUNTY
Welcome to Extension!
Our University of Maryland Extension office located at One Commerce Drive, Cumberland, Maryland, is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. We provide research-based practical education to improve the lives of families and to enhance agriculture, business, and industry. Our areas of expertise include but are not limited to agricultural production and nutrient management, water quality, natural resources, food safety, nutrition and healthy lifestyles, youth development, volunteer development, urban development, and community engagement.
For more information, contact us at 301-724-3320 or visit our UME Allegany website.
Allegany SNAP-Ed goes Facebook LIVE!
Cooking up the latest in SNAP-Ed's Facebook LIVE series, Allegany SNAP-Ed educators Tammy Humberson and Mandy Hawkins recently featured garden fresh peppers in a delicious Summer Stir Fry demonstration.
Click on the image to visit SNAP-Ed's "Eat Smart, Be Fit, Maryland" video library and view the VIDEO. For a written recipe, visit our "Eat Smart, Be Fit, Maryland" BLOG.
Financial Wellness Team offers new Your Money, Your Choice webinar
University of Maryland Extension and University of Delaware Cooperative Extension have teamed up to offer this free virtual training opportunity for Human Services providers across the region.
The Your Money, Your Goals program gives Human Services workers the tools they need to help their clients eliminate debt, improve their credit, and develop a savings plan that allows them to weather financial crises.
For more information, contact Dr. Jesse Ketterman at 301-724-3320 or jketterm@umd.edu.
Master Gardeners offer Victorian Laundry demonstration at Cumberland Heritage Days
Would you believe many Victorian women used a common garden plant as detergent? An Old World plant with delicate blossoms called Soapwort could be boiled and cooled into a liquid soap that cleaned the heavy fabrics of the Victorian age and gave the laundry a light, pleasant scent.
Allegany County Master Gardener Coordinator Sherry Frick was at the Jane Gates Heritage House this year during Cumberland's annual Heritage Days Festival to give a Victorian laundry demonstration using Soapwort as well as tours of the newly established Learning Gardens on the property.
For more information, contact Sherry Frick at 301-724-3320 or sfrick@umd.edu.
Pest Alert! Fall ArmyWorm Infestations in Garrett County
University of Maryland Extension in Garrett County received a phone call from a farmer in Southern Garrett County reporting severe damage to an established Orchardgrass field. Scouting revealed a large infestation of Armyworms.
This field was harvested in early August, followed by a manure application, which seems to be where the most damage is being seen.
Please scout your fields and call the Extension office at 301-724-3320 or email sfrick@umd.edu with questions or to report additional populations in our area.
For more information, check out our University of Maryland Extension September 2021 Issue of Agronomy News.
Lydia Vassiliadi is Maryland Out of School Time Youth of the Year
The Maryland Out of School Time Network recently honored Allegany 4-H member Lydia Vassiliadi as "Youth of the Year" at their 2021 Maryland United 4 Youth Conference on August 12 and 13, 2021.
Lydia attended the 2020 4-H Issue Forum on Water Access and Quality and was instrumental in the development of the "Runoff Raiders" team. Runoff Raiders is a youth group that focuses on environmental issues in the region, specifically water quality, and pollution as it relates to the Chesapeake Bay. Lydia and the Runoff Raiders created a website to educate the public about water runoff, led K-12 water quality programs on Earth Day, and designed and planted a rain garden at their school.
Lydia also participates in FIRST robotics, Maryland 4-H robotics, and CoderZ virtual robotics. She is a member of the Maryland 4-H State Council and she presented at the statewide leadership workshop this spring. She was selected to represent Maryland 4-H at the True Leaders in Equity Institute in 2021. Congratulations, Lydia!
Congratulations to our 2021 4-H Scholarship Award Winners!
Congratulations to our Allegany County 4-H Scholarship recipients! We can't wait to see what this accomplished group of young people does next!
For more information about the Allegany County 4-H Scholarship program, contact UME 4-H educator Lacie Ashby at 301-724-3320 or lashby@umd.edu.
Keeping Connected
WE ARE OPEN and available by phone, email and video conferencing. 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
Michelle Harman
Health Rocks Program Assistant
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Sherry Frick
Senior Agent Associate
Ag Agent & Master Gardener Coordinator
Ashby Ruddle
Coordinator
Nutrient Management Program
Food Supplement Nutrition Education
Tammy Humberson
Senior Agent Associate
Shirley Guinn
Healthy Food Access Faculty Assistant
Mandy Hawkins
Healthy Food Access Faculty Assistant
Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program
Sara Barnard
Extension Program Assistant
Family and Consumer Sciences
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.