Extension Specialist – Home and Community Food Production and Director of the Home and Garden Information Center | | |
University of Maryland Extension (UME) invites applications for a 12-month tenure-track position at the Agent or Senior Agent level to conduct applied research, provide educational programming, and offer home and community food production and integrated pest management (IPM) expertise throughout Maryland. Specifically, the Extension Specialist will provide leadership in delivering educational programming to UME field faculty, Master Gardeners,
community and school gardens, public agencies, nonprofits, and businesses.
The incumbent will also serve as Director of the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), a statewide unit that delivers digital horticulture and IPM resources and services.
Best consideration date September 15, 2026
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Celebrate National Moth Week- July 18th - 26th, 2026
Celebrate national moth week by observing moths in your area, creating moth-friendly habitat, and/or by teaching others about Maryland's moth diversity! Check out the National Moth Week website and their 2026 event map to see and register local mothing events. What is mothing? Observing moths, typically at night by a light source. Taking photos of any moths you see and uploading them to data sharing platforms like iNaturalist allows us to learn more about our local moths and inform future conservation efforts.
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Moth Webinar: Want to learn more about Maryland's moths, creating moth habitat, and conducting your own mothing nights, see our recent recorded webinar, Moth-Friendly Maryland: The Vital Roles of Moths and How to Support Them.
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Educational Display: Want to facilitate your own educational, youth/family-friendly nocturnal insects display? See this nocturnal insects display guide for print-outs, instructions, photos, and more to introduce others to mothing and the world of nocturnal insects!
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Moth Groups ID Guide: Want to start differentiating moths? Check out this new Silhouette Guide to Major Moth Groups (handout). This can be used at tabling events, mothing nights, and more!
Additional Events
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| | This beautiful rosy maple moth graced us today! | | | | Many of our lawn care and vegetable gardening resources have been revamped and consolidated into these new resources below: | |
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Lawn Fungus?
Q: Found these white fuzzy splotches all over front lawn this morning
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Do you have a gardening question? Our Certified Professional Horticulturists, faculty, and Master Gardener Volunteers answer questions - year-round!
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Bumble bees
In this month's episode, we’re talking all about one of our favorite pollinators Bumble Bees. We play some bee true false, learn about how they differ from other native bees.
| | | Follow our blog to learn about pollinator conservation, growing native plants and food, and how to solve plant pest and disease problems. | | |
Saturday, August 1, 2026 | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Maryland Center for Agriculture and Farm Park
1114 Shawan Rd, Cockeysville, MD 21030
| Come out for some family friendly activities, and tour the different themed demonstration gardens including: Bay-Wise, Children's, Composting, Deer Resistant, Grow It Eat It!, Herb, Lawn Alternatives, Orchard, Pollinator, and Shade. | | |
Saturday, August 22, 2026 | 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Carroll County Ag Center
706 Agriculture Center Drive, Westminster, MD 21157
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- Learn how to grow heirloom tomatoes and collect and save their seeds
- Taste dozens of heirloom varieties
- Collect tomato recipes
- Meet Miss Tomato
- Guess how many tomatoes are in the jar and win a prize!
- See delicious tomato dishes on display
- learn how to control garden pests
| | Maryland Native Plant Society Annual Conference | | Saturday, September 12- Sunday, September 13 | | |
The Maryland Native Plant Society's fall conference features speakers and field trips to learn more about our native plants and their habitats. Discover the unique landscapes of Maryland’s Piedmont and Western Coastal Plain from globally rare ecosystems such as magnolia bogs to the resilient and prevalent oak-hickory forests.
Day 1 | Saturday, September 12 | University of Maryland, College Park
- Presentations by distinguished speakers
- Field trips and workshops, on or relatively near campus
- Poster session and reception
- Native plant sale (open 10 AM - 2 PM, public welcome)
- Evening presentation and dinner
Day 2 | Sunday, September 13
- Field trips across Maryland
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Saturday, September 26 | 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Harford County Agricultural Center
| | Do you have vegetables, flowers, or herbs that you want to grow again next year? Don't waste the money on more seeds, learn how to save what you have for next year! Join us for this Seed Saving Workshop. Bring your (heirloom) vegetables, flowers, and herbs and our experienced Master Gardeners will help you harvest and store seeds for the future! We will provide materials needed for harvesting and storage, but feel free to bring your own (jars, envelopes, pruning shears, mesh strainer, etc.)! | | Photo credit: Cheryl Williams | |
Natives at Noon Webinar Series | | First Wednesday of the Month | 12:00 p.m. | Zoom | | Don’t miss this chance to enhance your understanding of native plants while enjoying your lunch. Register to attend one or more of the live only sessions: | |
- Aug 5th—Timing is Everything: The Phenology of Native Plants in a Changing World
- Sept 2nd—Saving Ash for Future Forests
- Oct 7th—Sacred Grounds: Moving from Behavior to Action by Growing Joy
- Nov 4th—Creating Food Forests
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The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.
©2026 University of Maryland College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
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