INAG News Summer 2018

INAG News COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES • INSTITUTE OF APPLIED AGRICULTURE • SUMMER 2018

Congratulations Class of 2018!

IAA Class of 2018. From left to right: Bobby Blake, Eric Spalt, Emily Novak, Nicolas Tardif, Jessica Dumsha, Victoria Bryant, Becky Jones, Edwin Sanchez, Rebecca Bell, Conrad Mellin, Cameron Smith, Jade Loewenstein, Amy Winkler, Emily Richardson.

By Brandy Walterhoefer “No matter where you go from here— whether it is continuing on to get a fouryear degree or going out to work in your field—may the grass always be greener, the fruit always be sweeter, and may your wildest dreams always come true,” said Robert Blake, Jr., with a smile.

Blake and three of his fellow graduates, Amy Winkler, Nicolas Tardif, and Becky Jones, gave heartfelt speeches to classmates, faculty, family and friends at the pre-graduation celebration at the College Park Marriott on May 19. The pre-graduation celebration consisted of laughter, tears, and nerves along with a huge array of food and drinks.

“IAA, IAA, IAA…” chanted everyone at the celebration as Tony Pagnotti, an IAA Oral Communication lecturer and emcee for the occasion, energized the group on their big

day. His entertaining antics brought much laughter and many smiles.

The 22 members of the graduating class had shared-but-unique experiences, individual stories to tell, and plans for their future.

Twelve of the graduates plan to begin their careers in their desired field now that they have gained a certificate. Ten of the graduates are continuing their education in order to earn a bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland or other universities.

In addition, four graduates are planning weddings.

Congratulations also to lecturer Larisa Cioaca, who was awarded the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture’s Teaching Award of Merit.

The IAA is proud of this year’s graduates. (continued on page 3)

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND / FEARLESS IDEAS

In this Issue: From the Director

2

Class of 2018 Student Files Communication Turf Terps Alumni News & Note s Student Veterans Around the ‘Tute

3 4-5 6-7 8 9 10 11

From the Director’s Desk: “Being the Best”

L

ast summer several faculty and I were having lunch with Andrew Rose, Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit’s Director of Innovation, Strategy and Development.

It was my first meeting with Andrew, who is a charismatic and dynamic connector of people in Maryland’s ag community and beyond. Like all good conversationalists, Andrew asks lots of questions. In fact, he has a bushel basket of go-to questions to ask new acquaintances.

On this particular day, his go-to question was: What do you do better than any of your friends? I love engaging in these types of conversations, and I’ve been known to ask my share of questions, but for this question, I had no answer.

My first thought was, “Oh, my gosh! I’m not the best at anything.” I have friends who run marathons, play in bands, sing in church choirs, prepare stunning meals, run successful businesses, teach outstanding lessons, heal people, are accomplished seamstresses and crafters, and host fabulous parties. My second thought was, “I either

need fewer friends or less accomplished ones.”

Like so many students in my classes who do not want to answer questions, I deliberately avoided eye contact and happily allowed others to respond.

Thankfully, our food came, the conversation meandered to other topics, and I was off the hook. Yet, that question has lingered in my mind for nearly a year.

It was niggling in the back of my brain as we prepared this issue of INAG News, as we recently completed our fiveyear review of the IAA—a self-study of our accomplishments, strengths, and challenges—and as we strategically set the IAA’s goals. Within the past five years, we have done an amazing amount of work! We created Agriculture Forward at Maryland, nearly tripled the number of IAA faculty, added a new concentration in Agriculture Leadership and Communication, made it easier for IAA graduates to earn degrees at UMD, increased our enrollment, and offered more seats for undergraduate general education than any other department in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Then, it hit me. What do I do better than any of my friends? I work harder than anyone I know to make the IAA better for our students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Granted, I couldn’t do this without a hardworking team supporting my efforts, but I am diligent about improving the IAA.

Give to the IAA Enhancement Fund Farmers.

Horticulturists.

Landscape Managers.

Communicators.

Golf Superintendents.

Turf Crew Leaders.

Terps.

If you meet a Marylander from one of these professions, they likely began their education at the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA).

Your gift helps IAA students reach their career goals through hands-on learning, professional development opportunities, and scholarships.

Every donation helps Maryland continue to grow.

Donate today: iaa.umd.edu/about/giving

On the following pages, you will read about a cut flower CSA, Terrapin Tea, graduation, the Turf Bowl, IAA veterans, and outstanding students. Maybe I can’t sing, dance, draw, run a marathon, or bake a Smith Island cake, but I can work to give IAA students the best possible education and opportunities to become their best selves.

Yes, it took some soul searching, but I was finally able to answer Andrew’s question even if it took me a year. When we met with Andrew this year, he asked a new question: “What is your irrational fear?” That one was easy to answer. “I don’t have any,” I answered with confidence. Then I thought about it. Maybe I have an irrational fear of what question he will ask next year!

So what do you do better than any of your friends? I’d love to hear your answers. Shoot me an email anytime at gdhyman@umd.edu.

There’s no rush.

INAG News INAG News is published twice a year by the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA). You are encouraged to share comments, alumni updates, and ag-related news by emailing gdhyman@umd.edu.

Follow us on social media:

Instagram and Twitter: @iaa_umd

Facebook and YouTube: /iaaumd

IAA Director: Glori Hyman Graphic Designer: Randie Hovatter

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND / FEARLESS IDEAS

2 — INAG News

Summer 2018

Meet IAA’s class of 2018: Kossi Bassinan Gaithersburg, MD Agricultural Business Management Plans: Work at a federal job and help people in need worldwide

Rebecca Bell Beltsville, MD Sustainable Agriculture Plans: Work at a floral shop in Westminster, MD

Robert Blake, Jr. Jersey City, NJ Golf Course Management Plans: Assistant Superintendent at Beacon Hill Country Club in Atlantic Highlands, NJ

Frank Bohne LaPlata, MD Sustainable Agriculture Plans: Continue education in environmental health

Emmett Brew Columbia, MD Sustainable Agriculture Plans: Work at USDA dairy farm

Victoria Bryant Edgemere, MD Agricultural Business Management Plans: Complete bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and then go to graduate school

Marco Carlucci University Park, MD General Ornamental Horticulture Plans: Continue education in Urban Forestry

Jessica Dumsha Glen Burnie, MD Sustainable Agriculture Plans: Obtain a position with the U.S.D.A. and eventually start grass-fed beef operation

David Floyd Cambridge, MD Agricultural Business Management Plans: Continue education in Environmental Science and Technology

Anthony Freni Brandywine, MD Landscape Management Plans: Purchasing Manager at F & F Landscaping, Inc.

Proud IAA graduates strike a pose prior to the AGNR Commencement Ceremony.

Rebecka Jones

Edwin Sanchez

Sunderland, MD Agricultural Business Management Plans: Continue education in Agricultural and Resource Economics. Then, create a meaningful career in the agricultural field

Clarksburg, MD Sustainable Agriculture Plans: Continue education to obtain bachelor’s degree in Agronomy

Jade Loewenstein

Laurel, MD Sustainable Agriculture Plans: Continue education at UMD for degree in Environmental Science and Technology with concentration in environmental health with the ultimate goal of work in cancer research

Boyds, MD Agricultural Business Management Plans: Continue education, attend graduate school, then work in biotechnology and research

Brandon McIntyre Mitchellville, MD Sustainable Agriculture Plans: Continue education in environmental policy

Conrad Mellin Parkton, MD Landscape Management Plans: Continue education in Landscape Architecture at UMD

Emily Novak Germantown, MD Sustainable Agriculture Plans: Move up in position at current job toward management

Emily Richardson White Marsh, MD Agricultural Business Management Plans: Continue education in Agricultural Policy while working for and expanding family farm

Cameron Smith

Eric Spalt Belair, MD Golf Course Management Plans: Assistant Superintendent at MD Golf Course and Country Club and Lawn Care Business

Nicolas Tardif Laurel, MD General Ornamental Horticulture Plans: Field Manager for Ruppert Landscape

Ally Thomas Gaithersburg, MD Agricultural Business Management Plans: Continue education toward degree in Environmental Science and Policy

Amy Winkler Clarksburg, MD Sustainable Agriculture and Ornamental Horticulture Plans: Historic Site Gardener at the Riversdale Mansion in Riverdale, MD

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND / FEARLESS IDEAS

Summer 2018

INAG News — 3

- Student Files Becky Jones: IAA’s Outstanding Student and Resource Economics. After college, she intends to create a meaningful career in the agriculture industry.

Being as involved and committed in the community as Jones is certainly not easy. During the spring semester, Jones worked as a Communications Intern at Maryland Farm Bureau.

Previously, she interned at “Find your passion and pursue it.” – Becky Jones the Maryland 4-H Center coordinating statewide events and creating organization systems. In

By Brandy Walterhoefer addition, Jones has worked on her family farm for the past four summers. As Windy Becky Jones, a devoted, ambitious, passionate student at the Institute of Applied Willow Farm Services’ administrative assistant, she worked to assure a positive Agriculture (IAA), has been recognized experience for all customers. as the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Outstanding Student in the 2-year Jones is the first IAA student to serve as the program. This is a well-deserved honor for President of the AGNR Student Council, a fourth generation farmer from Calvert where she worked alongside Dean Beyrouty County. and other AGNR leaders. She co-founded and is the president of the Collegiate Farm After graduating from the IAA, Jones, an Bureau at the University of Maryland. On Agricultural Business Management major, top of all this, she is a committee chair of has been working in the IAA office and will Sigma Alpha Professional Sorority. pursue her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural

Flower CSA Blooms Another Year

By Meredith Epstein Students always create innovative projects to implement on campus. But what happens when they graduate? Luckily for the Terp Farm Flower Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, started by IAA alumnus Lillian Kahl (Sustainable Agriculture, ’17), another IAA student picked up where she left off. Rebecca Bell (Sustainable Agriculture, ’18) and 4-year student Lydia Printz, completed independent studies in Cut Flower Production this spring with IAA instructor Meredith Epstein.

All course assignments applied to the real world. The two students created the 2018 crop plan for Terp Farm to grow 56 varieties of specialty cut flowers to be sold to the

Jones states, “People often ask how I manage the life I’ve chosen to live.

Sometimes, I ask myself the same question.

My life is hectic, but I love it and wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Clearly, Jones accepts every challenge given to her and commits to every single one fully.

Larisa Cioaca, a professor at the IAA, states, “Becky is an exceptional student who takes every opportunity to learn about the science and business of agriculture.”

The IAA is very important to Jones because she has felt supported and encouraged by all since the beginning and has been guided fully during the process, enabling her to earn a spot on the University of Maryland Dean’s List for the past two years.

Jones stated, “The IAA is the foundation of who I am here at the University; I wouldn’t be where I am without all the support and guidance.”

Becky Jones was recognized alongside other Outstanding Students at the AGNR Celebration Showcase on Thursday, April 12.

UMD campus community at The Farmers Market through a CSA subscription service.

Terp Farm received such positive feedback to its 2017 CSA pilot year, spearheaded by Kahl, that Bell and Printz decided to double the number of subscriptions for 2018. CSA members pay a discounted rate up front to receive a fresh bouquet every other week throughout the season.

Bell and Printz both had experience in flowers prior to studying it at the IAA. In fact, it was during Bell’s IAA-required internship at Heyser Farms that she discovered her love of flowers. The two young women fearlessly dove into the project, learning the needed importance of business planning.

“It was a hands-on experience that gave me the ability to direct my passion for agriculture into a tangible project,” said Bell. “It helped

Rebecca Bell and Lydia Printz. me learn about the finer details of a cut flower enterprise, which made me realize I truly do have a passion for flowers –even the nitty gritty work involved.”

They wrote an in-depth crop plan, marketed the program, and started thousands of seedlings in the greenhouse–which are growing at Terp Farm today. Now, Bell is graduated, married, and started managing a cut flower production for The Cutting Garden in Westminster.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND / FEARLESS IDEAS

4 — INAG News

Summer 2018

- Student Files IAA Student Launches Terrapin Tea Business

By Heather McHale

I

AA student Nicolas Tardif didn’t wait for graduation to get started in the agriculture business. For a limited time, shoppers at the MD Food Co-op in the Stamp Student Union could buy packets of his relaxing, organic herbal tea—grown on campus in the UMD Community Learning Garden.

The tea packets on the shelf were the culmination of months of work by Tardif, an ornamental horticulture student. “How this thing started was simple,” he says. Glori Hyman, the director of the IAA, had the initial idea for a product that IAA students could grow—something that could be sold or used as a promotional gift. Tardif adopted the idea for a semester-long group project for the Agricultural Entrepreneurship course— INAG 102—in fall 2016. He and his group members (Eric Michol and Becky Jones) developed a detailed business plan, carried out consumer research, and pitched the idea to groups of listeners.

The team entered their idea in the 2017 AgI2C (Agriculture Innovation to Commercialization) Undergraduate Ideation Competition. This competition, an initiative by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to “promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization in agriculture, natural resources, and environmental sustainability,” required the students to deliver their business pitches to a panel of judges. Although Tardif ’s team did not win the contest, he didn’t give up on the project. Instead, he started thinking about putting it into practice on his own. Although many of his IAA cohorts have pitched in to help with specific tasks—such as packaging the dried herbs—the implementation of Terrapin Tea has been a solo journey, with Tardif at the helm.

From the outset, he had to learn about all of the rules for growing and selling a consumable product. His instructor Larisa Cioaca observes, “He really was self-directed and self-guided. He went from office to office, from the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship to the Office of Technology Commercialization to the Risk Management office.” The stringent

regulations might have been enough to discourage a less motivated student, but whenever he met a snag, Tardif found a way to solve the problem. For example, when he learned that he had to use a certified commercial kitchen with a food safety expert for packaging the tea, he arranged to use the kitchen at the Co-op.

Tardif himself says that the legal side of the operation was the most difficult element. He had to be very careful about how the plants were grown, dried, and packaged. Even the packaging has to adhere to the rules: every packet must be labeled with a lot number, and Tardif must keep samples from every lot for at least three years. He has to carry insurance, as well (which, he notes wryly, is not usually a concern for a school project).

None of these obstacles stopped him for long, though, and when he reflects on the difficulties, he says, “That’s what is fun; it’s just a learning opportunity.”

Although Tardif says that the business side of this venture was the biggest challenge, growing and harvesting the plants was a major undertaking as well. “My wife is an herbalist,” he explains, “so I had experience with the herbs,” but tending the plants still took lots of time. During the harvest, he says, it was “a seven-day-a-week job.” Sometimes he was filling his dehydrator twice a day, shuttling back and forth between the garden on campus and his home.

The final product, a relaxing, organic herbal tea, featuring such herbs as lemon balm and spearmint, was available at the Coop in a limited quantity. “To make more,” Tardif says, “I would need a much bigger dehydrator!” This undertaking has taught him that even a relatively small business can require significant investment in equipment.

At many stages of this project, Tardif ’s coursework at the IAA provided valuable skills. As Cioaca points out, his courses continued to be relevant to this project after he’d finished with Agricultural Entrepreneurship: he learned more about growing and harvesting his plants in INAG 100 and INAG 224 (Introduction to Plant Science and Greenhouse and Plant Production Management), and he learned how to locate and build raised planters in INAG251: Landscape Construction.

As IAA director, Glori Hyman, says, “Nicolas’s work with Terrapin Tea validates the hands-on teaching philosophy at the IAA by illustrating a real-world success story. He has combined his horticulture skills with skills gained in his business, marketing, finance, and communication courses to bring his product to market. Now, we have to face the challenge of keeping the project going now that Nicolas has graduated.”

Although Tardif graduated in May and accepted a position with Ruppert Landscape, his creative-tea will live on at the IAA.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND / FEARLESS IDEAS

Summer 2018

INAG News — 5

Communication: IAA’s Surprising Expertise

“Communication” probably isn’t the first subject that comes to mind when you think of academics at the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA). Many people are surprised to discover that nine of IAA’s 14 faculty teach INAG110: Oral Communication to more than 1,500 students from across the University of Maryland each year, but the value of the oral communication course comes as no surprise to IAA alumni who have been taking the course since the IAA opened its doors in 1965.

UMD undergraduate students also benefit from the communication trainings provided

by IAA faculty. For example, competitors in AGNR’s 2017 Agriculture Innovation Competition received one-on-one coaching that dramatically improved their presentation skills. Similarly, competitors in the 2018 edition of the competition received training on the “DOs and DON’Ts for a Perfect Pitch.”

view Epstein as the IAA’s sustainable agriculture expert, they were surprised and impressed by her knowledge of historical and current aspects of U.S. agricultural production, policy initiatives, and structures, which were all part of her graduate studies. The course highlighted experiential learning as students visited the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis and the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Impromptu in the Garden

Students observed committee hearings and engaged with elected officials, putting their communication skills and knowledge of policy-making to the test. For their final project, students developed advocacy campaigns for agricultural policy initiatives of personal importance to them. One group will be putting their plan into real-world action through the IAA’s Collegiate Farm Bureau Club--advocating for agricultural education programs in every county in Maryland.

“This is one way of exposing UMD students to agriculture,” says IAA Director Glori Hyman. “We bring them into our outdoor teaching space where food is being grown and we give the winners gift cards for more food. What college student doesn’t like to eat?”

“At the IAA, we take the fear out of public speaking and put in the fun,” announced event organizer, emcee, and oral communication lecturer Tony Pagnotti at this year’s Impromptu in the Garden.

Impromptu in the Garden, a collaborative effort by IAA faculty, began four years ago as a fun way to combine communication with agriculture.

The IAA’s sustainable agriculture advisor, Meredith Epstein, made sure the garden was tidied up and ready for the event, even

As the communication expertise at the IAA increased, so has its communication-related academic offerings. A new concentration in Agricultural Leadership and Communication was approved in 2016, including newlydeveloped courses in Agricultural Policy and Communication, Agricultural Public Relations, and Agricultural Strategic Communication. The first students enrolled in this concentration in the Fall of 2017.

Agricultural Policy & Communication This spring, Meredith Epstein taught the new Agricultural Policy and Communication course. Because students

6 — INAG News

Students in the Agricultural Policy & Communication class visit the Maryland House of Delegates.

Summer 2018

IAA Director Glori Hyman with Impromptu winner, P.J. Saumell.

if the plants were getting a late start this season due to the cold, rainy weather. While the IAA’s fourth annual public speaking contest was not graced with warmth and sunshine, contestants and audience members alike braved the cold to listen as the eleven speakers delivered their short speeches. Pagnotti gave each contestant a topic—ranging from “Who would you have lunch with, if you could have lunch with anyone in history?” to “What do you think the plants in this garden are saying about this weather?” Each contestant’s task, with zero preparation time, was to deliver an entertaining, engaging speech.

The panel of judges (AGNR Director of Communications Graham Binder, IAA Director Glori Hyman, and IAA turfgrass advisor Geoff Rinehart) selected the top three contestants, judging them in the categories of creativity, charisma, confidence, and conciseness.

Farmer Panelist and students at the Ask A Farmer event.

The five farmer-panelists represented the diverse agricultural industry in Maryland.

David Hancock of Hancock Family Farms is a grain, produce, and livestock farmer from Southern Maryland. Amanda Heilman of DuPont Pioneer sells hybrid seed in the Lower Eastern Shore. Ariel Taxdal of Brooms Bloom Farm is a ninth generation dairy farmer from Harford County. Kayla Griffith of Griffith Family Produce is a fifth generation produce farmer from Anne Arundel County. Finally, Alan Eck of Mae Vue Farm is a poultry and grain farmer from the Eastern Shore. All shared their insights and experiences related to safe food production, long-term sustainability, and the regulatory environment in agriculture.

Communication Training IAA’s focus on increasing communication

proficiency hasn’t been limited to the undergraduate classroom. Since 2016, the IAA’s communication faculty team has been offering a diverse menu of communication workshops, seminars, and coaching sessions to administrators, faculty, scientists, and graduate students from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) and other units across the university. Topics have included message development, media interviews, public speaking, and improvisational theater.

IAA’s team of communication experts brings an amazing array of real-world experience, ranging from corporate public relations to broadcast journalism to advocacy. If you would like to know more about the communication trainings offered and explore how the IAA could increase your organization’s communication competence, please contact Ed Priola at epriola@umd.edu.

In the end, first place went to PJ Saumell; the judges loved his creative speculation on what the plants in the garden might be saying.

Each of the winners received a gift card to a local restaurant, provided by the event’s generous sponsor, Colonial Farm Credit.

Ask A Farmer An “Ask-A-Farmer” panel discussion organized by the Collegiate Farm Bureau brought five Maryland farmers to the College Park campus to answer University of Maryland students’ most pressing questions about the agriculture industry.

Students and Maryland farmers connected, discussed hot topics in agriculture, and corrected common misconceptions regarding food production practices.

Summer 2018

IAA Senior Lecturer Ed Priola (right) mock interviews a participant during communication training.

INAG News — 7

Two Top-5 Finishes for the “Turf Terps”

By Geoff Rinehart and Max Sturges

T

he Sports Turf Managers Association Student Challenge and Golf Industry Show Turf Bowl competitions have traditionally been much anticipated events of mid-winter for IAA turf students.

Thanks to Dr. Kevin Mathias, we have a “Turf Bowl culture” where expectations and student enthusiasm for the competitions are high. Because of the studying, academic dedication, and required after-class meeting time needed to prepare for these competitions, students participating in the turf competitions have the opportunity to enroll in a 1-credit independent study class in the Fall semester.

This winter, both competitions were held in Texas (STMA Student Challenge in Fort Worth and Turf Bowl in San Antonio) within a 3-week period. The contests consist of turf species, weed, insect, and disease identification, personnel management, turf-related math problems, and irrigation questions. They diverge where the STMA event poses some sports turf-specific problem solving and the GIS event poses equipment part identification and a case study essay.

Taking on the moniker of “Turf Terps,” students participating on the STMA squad included Max Sturges, Kurtis Sommer (4year), Brendan Keane (4-year), and Bobby Blake. For the Golf Industry Show Collegiate Turf Bowl, eight University of Maryland (UMD) students divided into two Turf Bowl teams. Joining previous STMA competitors Kurtis Sommer, Brendan Keane, and Max Sturges were students Bobby Jeffrey, Nicolas Tardif, Clayton Young, Conrad Mellin, and Keaton Klee. Team A consisted of Tardif, Keane, Klee, and Sturges. Team B was made up of the remaining four students: Sommer, Jeffrey, Young, and Mellin. The STMA team achieved 3rd place out of 23 teams for the STMA Student Challenge, and at the Golf Industry Show, the teams achieved 4th and 25th places out of 53 teams at the Collegiate Turf Bowl while garnering an $800 check for the program.

In addition to the competition experience, students had the opportunity to attend

STMA Student Challenge team (left to right): Alex Steinman, Bobby Blake, Max Sturges, Kurtis Sommer, Brendan Keane, and Geoff Rinehart.

Turf Bowl team (left to right): Nicolas Tardif, Max Sturges, Geoff Rinehart, Keaton Klee, Brendan Keane, and Alex Steinman the free educational seminars, browse the tradeshow floor and speak with vendors, and take tours of the USGA and Toro booths on the GIS tradeshow floor. Attending and competing in these national turfgrass competitions raises the national recognition for our IAA turfgrass program and provides students with added academic rigor as they practice for the competitions and experience

the industry on a broader, national level. We would like to extend a word of thanks to all of the IAA turf alumni for the ways they have supported the team over the years and to everyone who has supported the Shields Memorial Fund, which provides the means to bring student teams to these competitions.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND / FEARLESS IDEAS

8 — INAG News

Summer 2018

- Alumni News & Notes IAA’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni Not one to sit idle in retirement, Weaver now serves as a member of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners. In addition to being a teacher and County Commissioner, Weaver has stayed true to his IAA roots as a hands-on practitioner. He has owned and operated Hickory Hollow Farms and Weaver Seed Service for over 42 years, raising corn, soybeans, hay, and Angus cattle.

Weaver says he learned three valuable lessons at the IAA that have stuck with him:

By Glori Hyman

1. Take good notes, read the syllabus,

I

n 1968, C. Richard Weaver’s high school guidance counselor would have scoffed at the notion of young Weaver receiving his college’s Distinguished Alumni Award. In fact, the guidance counselor advised Weaver to find a job because he would never make it through college. Weaver proved his counselor wrong—not once, but three times.

“On my own, I applied to the Institute of Applied Agriculture at the University of Maryland. It turned out to be the best move I could have made,” says Weaver, who went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education from UMD and advanced studies in Special Education and Administration from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel). Weaver taught in Carroll County Public Schools for 37 years from 1976 until he retired in 2013. During those years, he advocated strongly for the IAA, referred dozens of students to the program (including his own son), orchestrated numerous field trips for high school students to visit the IAA, and frequently invited IAA faculty to speak to his students.

“Throughout my teaching career, I ran into many students just like myself. They wanted relevance in their learning experience and a chance to succeed in their vision. I encouraged many students to go to the IAA,” says Weaver. “I lost count of the number [of students I referred to the IAA], but their time at IAA helped them to become very successful adults. I am proud to say I am also the parent of an IAA graduate.”

2.

3.

read your notes every other day from start to finish and you will never need to cram for an exam. He admits that his first semester at the IAA was a wakeup call for study skills. He credits Ms. Howell for teaching him how to study. “I still use her method, both for myself and for my former students,” he says.

If you don’t have it, don’t spend it. Credit is a tool you can afford only if you can pay it back. These sound accounting principles continue to guide Weaver who as Carroll County Commissioner manages and sets the county’s budget.

Be straightforward with people and always be honest. Weaver says he learned this lesson—of all places—in Cecil Massie’s ag mechanics class. “I was able to utilize this in teaching young adults and high school students and dealing with the public. I use that approach today when dealing with constituents and seed company customers.”

For over four and a half decades, Weaver has been one of the IAA’s strongest supporters and has influenced many lives. “The IAA had a profound impact on me at a pivotal age,” he says. “The skills that I learned at the Institute of Applied Agriculture have stayed with me throughout the years and were the tools to my success today. I use those skills every day.

I went on to other degrees, but the one that I hold in highest esteem is the certificate from the IAA.”

Alumni Updates Joyce Drake, SUSAG ‘17, is working with Civic Works in Baltimore City to transform vacant lots into food production.

Scott Hebert, GOLF ’16, is the CFO with ECCENT Design Build in Charlotte, NC. He manages the legal and financial work and introduces more “green” projects.

Joe Shaffer, AGBUS ‘15, is working at Clear Meadow Farms in White Hall, MD. The farm offers a variety of agricultural products and services.

Brian Hogan, GOLF ‘14, is the Maintenance Coordinator for Calvert County Parks and Recreation in Prince Frederick, MD.

Brent Waite, GOLF ‘14, is Senior Assistant Superintendent at Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas, TX.

Congratulations Becky Deafenbaugh, EQUI ‘11, who earned her degree in Elementary Education.

Jake Valentino, GOLF ‘10, is the Golf Course Superintendent at Reston National Golf Course in Reston, VA.

Daniel E. Cannaday, LAND ‘05, works for Green Link, Inc., in Gaithersburg, MD.

Wes Winterstein, AGBUS ‘04, made news recently when he began transitioning his Queen Anne’s County farm into an organic dairy operation.

Susan Styczynski, HORT ’91, is now retired and living in Alabaster, AL.

Bob Wren, GOLF ’89, is the Branch Manager at Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply, Ft. Myers, FL.

Thomas Miller, TURF ‘72, has worked in the oil business since his graduation and is presently at Tilghman Oil Company. As a hobby, he restores old John Deere tractors.

Larry Ring, LAND ‘72, is President/ Founder of Cedar Ridge Landscape, Inc., a full-service design, install, and maintainance Landscape Contractor in Forest Hill, MD.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND / FEARLESS IDEAS

Summer 2018

INAG News — 9

Student Veterans Thrive at the IAA

By Rob Ballenger and Heather McHale Bryson Spaulding, Ryan Smith, Trent Wolfersberger, and Charles Burnett collectively bring to the IAA 38 years of service in the Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy, and Army. The discipline they mastered in the military helps in their success as students today, and each of their military careers set them on unique paths to the IAA. Just after high school, Bryson Spaulding enlisted in the Marine Corps and reported to Parris Island, South Carolina for a summer of training he describes as “three months of hell.” But, he says, “I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.” That experience earned Spaulding the title of Marine, and in the years that followed, he was stationed in North Carolina, Missouri, Maine, Oregon, California, and Mexico. Corporal Spaulding fulfilled his military commitment in 2017 and – although he loves the Marine Corps – decided to return to civilian life and continue his education. Agriculture was a natural fit for the 21-year-old, who grew up in a very outdoors-oriented family.

Spaulding took a summer job at Cedar Point Golf Course in St. Mary’s County, and the superintendent of the course knew exactly where to steer his employee: the Institute of Applied Agriculture. Spaulding has since wrapped up his first year at the IAA and sees his civilian career path leading to the title of golf course superintendent.

The 2017-2018 academic year was also the first for Air Force veteran Ryan Smith.

During his 16-year military career, Smith served in Japan, Alaska, Turkey and beyond as a munition systems technician. “It’s hard to turn down a free ride around the world,” he says. In 2014, Master Sergeant Smith took early retirement and moved to the Annapolis area. Smith, a native of Fostoria,

Ohio, comes from a long line of farmers, and he brought with him a lifelong interest in agriculture. Ornamental Horticulture at the IAA was just the right fit for Smith and his green thumb. “I want to have my own greenhouse, to grow plants and sell them,” Smith says. Over the next year, he’s looking forward to taking more of lecturer Ken Ingram’s plant courses and gaining hands-on greenhouse experience that will pave the way to his post-military career.

That practical experience is a big part of what drew Smith’s classmate Trent Wolfersberger, a 13-year Navy veteran, to the IAA to study sustainable agriculture. The former Navy officer says “the hands-on aspect is amazing,” especially when it comes to instructor Roy Walls’s Agricultural Mechanics course. He says the IAA is preparing him to operate a hops farm and brewery. Wolfersberger is grateful to the IAA for connecting him to the Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm, where he did his IAA internship; the farm provides an ideal model for Wolfersberger to follow.

Wolfersberger has held many different jobs, both military and civilian, but the common thread has been his focus on sustainability. In the years ahead, he looks forward to putting into practice the sustainable agriculture lessons from IAA instructor & advisor Meredith Epstein and building on the contacts he’s made here as a student. Those strong connections within the agriculture community are what Wolfersberger says he likes the most about the IAA. The IAA’s newest veteran student, Charles Burnett, Sr., has always loved working outdoors. He took over his grandfather’s landscaping company at age seventeen and ran the business until he decided to enlist in the Army. He spent five years as an infantryman, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan–an

experience he describes as “an extreme eye-opener.” Burnett, who left the military at the end of his second term to be a full-time father to his newborn son, describes growing plants as his destiny. He’s just completed his first semester at the IAA, where he’s studying ornamental horticulture and pursuing his dream of being a medical cannabis cultivator.

Burnett agrees with Wolfersberger’s praise of the IAA’s community network, which was a major draw, and adds, “I was impressed with the smaller classes.” Closer relationships with faculty, he says, make it easier to learn and cut down on distractions.

All four veterans are succeeding at the IAA, an achievement they credit in part to the selfdiscipline learned in the military. Spaulding says that thanks to the Marine Corps, he’s doing better in school now than he would have right after high school. Smith, who says “It’s a little more chaotic here in the civilian world,” agrees. The discipline of military life is what he misses the most about his Air Force days. Wolfersberger highlights that he can juggle his duties as an IAA student, a father, etc. because the Navy taught him how to prioritize. “They teach you how to jam 18 hours of work into a 16-hour workday,” he says. Burnett says the same: after serving in the military, he knows how to stay focused and accomplish the task at hand.

These future IAA alumni look forward to civilian workdays, whether on a golf course, in a greenhouse, or at a hops farm & brewery.

In the meantime, the military experience they bring to Jull Hall is as valuable to the IAA as the IAA is valuable to their new career paths.

The four of them have been helping the program think of ways to enhance student veterans’ experiences, from organizing a mentoring group to starting a Maryland chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. Stay tuned for developments!

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND / FEARLESS IDEAS

10 — INAG News

Summer 2018

Around the ‘Tute Faculty & Staff Notes Students love Carole Dingess and proved it by naming her the Outstanding Staff Member at the annual AGNR Student Council Dinner in May.

Agriculture is so much more than farming, as Carroll County students learned when they visited the IAA this spring.

Farewell and best wishes to Randie Hovatter, IAA’s Student Services Coordinator, who became a Marketing Specialist with APS Physics of College Park in March.

And best wishes to Kristen Willett, Oral Communication Lecturer, who became the Assistant Program Director of the Masters in Communication program at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., in June.

Kudos to Ken Ingram for serving on the AGNR implementation team for the Strategic Initiative to Advance Innovative, Profitable, and Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems.

The 2018 Shields Memorial Golf Tournament raised over $11,000 for the IAA’s Turfgrass program. Once again, a big thank you goes out to the Shields families for their hospitality and support.

Congratulations to Tony Pagnotti on being promoted to Senior Lecturer. Pagnotti joined the IAA faculty in 2012, teaches Oral Communication, and serves as our emcee extraordinaire.

Congratulations to Meredith Epstein and her husband, Guy Kilpatric, on the birth of their daughter Ada who was born on October 17, 2017. Ada attended her first Maryland Day in April. She’s pictured here with mom giving away thousands of IAA plants.

Heather McHale joined the IAA faculty in January. She advises students in the Ag Forward program, teaches English and communications courses, and helps with public relations. She got her first lessons in public speaking from her 4-H livestock judging team at age 12. In more recent years, she has taught college rhetoric, argument, and literature at a variety of DCarea institutions, including the University of Maryland and Georgetown University.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND / FEARLESS IDEAS

Summer 2018

INAG News — 11

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