Program Description

  University of Maryland-Extension (UMD-Extention)

The Montgomery County Extension Office serves as the agricultural outreach and education component of the University of Maryland. This agency is funded cooperatively through local, State, and Federal governments. Farmers, families, and youth are the primary audiences of the Extension Office. Educational programs for farmers include raising crops and livestock, protecting the environment, farm and business management, marketing commodities, and pest management. Programs for families and youth include home horticulture, family budgeting, and consumer education, with a focus on promoting positive parenting, nutrition education and healthy lifestyles, leadership development, and traditional 4-H youth development programs. The Extension Office's professional staff has an extensive network of volunteers to assist them in program delivery. Extension Office staff manage a diverse group of over 3,000 volunteers to respond to over 100,000 information requests each year. Outreach education programs are delivered informally through one-on-one contacts, telephone assistance, the Internet, classes and workshops, field days, radio, television, and print media.