My first week at the Virginia Cooperative Extension Agency in Fairfax, I hit the ground running. I was not entirely sure what to expect with this internship, since I am still very new to the field of agriculture, but I have been constantly surprised and impressed by my mentor and all of the work she does. The first two days I spent doing some inevitable paperwork, but I also spent time at the diagnostics lab working with the wonderful women who help diagnose the plant samples that we receive. I spent a good bit of time learning about how the computers operate, the process of receiving and categorizing samples, as well as testing out their microscopes. Later on in the week I visited a senior center to discuss the status of their outdoor garden, and look at the raised plant beds that they have for the residents. I have never personally visited a senior center before, but I was really glad that they have options for seniors to continue on with activities that they are passionate about. The rest of the week I spent lots of time looking at plant samples, watching ladybugs and aphids duke it out, and taking pictures on the microscope set up in the plant lab. The week ended with meeting all of the wonderful people who work in the office. First week was a big success!

The second week in the office was a little of a change of pace from the first week. I attended an urban agriculture meeting on the 12th, as well as sending out my first newsletter. I got many positive comments and accolades from people on the email list! I spent a good bit of that week repackaging the beans at the office due to their poor design structure. This week was a bit of an adjustment due to me not having ever been at a 9-5 full time job. I had a great time in the lab on Monday and got to look at rust and other bugs under the microscope. On Wednesday I got to sit in on a meeting about planning the continuing education for master gardeners. After having sit in on a lot of meetings this week, I feel more prepared for going into situations where I do not know many people, or feel out of my element. Everyone has been so welcoming and receptive to my presence in the office! Thursday was quite eventful, with my visit to Mr. Joe Francis’ house. I had a wonderful time visiting and talking with him about his beautiful 4 acre home. It was amazing listening to him talk about his experiences working for the British Embassy, as well as his life's' work with orchids! I wrapped the week up with some at-home work on Friday.

What an eventful third week I had! We started out strong with the Northern Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association summer meeting at the Free State Farms Composting site. We got to tour the site as well as learn a little more about how the composting process works. I was blown away by how cool this was! There is so much thought, effort, and planning that goes into the process of composting, and it was incredible to see it from start to finish. Tuesday I sat in on a board meeting for the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District technical review meeting. I am very thankful for the opportunities that Adria provides for me to meet many new people in fields that I have no previous experience in. Wednesday and Thursday I was caught up in the lab, we received over 30 samples this week that we cataloged, diagnosed, and identified. On Friday Adria and I went to Bailey and James Lee Community centers to take soil samples. It was pouring down rain while I was collecting them, but I had a fun time splashing around. These soil samples are going to be used in a project that I am working on about soil pH and nutrients. I am very excited to start working with the data from these community centers. We ended our week by making a home visit to interview a family about the 4-H exchange opportunity to Japan.

This is my fourth week here and I can say that I am truly learning a lot from all of the wonderful people I have met so far! On Monday I attended the follow up meeting to the SWCD technical review meeting. It was very informative observing both meetings. because I was able to see the full process of how these projects get voted on and approved. This Wednesday I had the opportunity to shadow Meghan and Judy from the Soil and Water Conservation District on their house visits. They visit people in the community who put in a request for conservation planting or projects. I had such a wonderful time being out to different locations, and it was eye-opening to be able to see both sides of the process, from the actual meetings with the homeowners to the voting to the reimbursements. I think we are fortunate that there are options for projects that help with soil erosion and water to be reimbursed and funded. The week finished up with a visit to Sully Community center to take some soil samples and assist with their deer problem. Recently a deer had jumped their 6ft. fence and ate most of the crops growing this season. I brainstormed with the garden manager there and we came up with an idea for an invisible fence to keep the deer at bay. After that I met with the Alexandria office intern, Denisa, and we worked on the display board for the upcoming fair day! It is so nice to meet other people my age who are just as interested in agriculture and horticulture like I am!

Happy fourth of July! For some reason everyone in the office agreed that this week felt the longest despite having Tuesday off for the holidays. On Monday it was just me and Mrs. Leann in the office by ourselves, I stopped by the lab to look at the plant samples, and there were not a whole lot today. Tuesday was a holiday so everyone got off, but Wednesday we were back at it! This past week was not very eventful. I worked on my newsletter, collected a couple more samples, and met up with the Alexandria intern again to work on the big board for field day. I am super excited for the upcoming field day, and I think that the work that we are doing for the native vs. invasive plants is going to look great once it is hung up! I finished laminating all of the information and had a nice quiet weekend.

This week started off like any other, I spent time in the lab with the wonderful ladies who came in. This week has been a bit of a struggle for all of us. Computer issues, general issues, all of that can sometimes make being as productive as we want to be hard. However, we managed well through all of our issues and were able to send out the plant diagnostics reports to those who sent in samples. Tuesday I spent time taking some soil samples from a food pantry in Chantilly. On Thursday I did a site visit with the soil and water conservation district. This time I tagged along with Heather Hunter-Nickels and her team. It was an amazing opportunity to see what goes into all of the conservation plans. We visited two sites, one was a smaller horse farm, and one was over 20 acres! I had an amazing time looking through the fields and taking soil samples. I was even able to meet another intern for National Conservation and Resource Service, Laila. Friday was spent recovering from the heat of the day before! I also met with Denisa again to finalize all of the information on the board and the handout that we produced. The field day is approaching quick!

What a week this was! We started off strong by attending another technical review meeting on Monday that included some of the site information that we visited last Thursday. It was really cool to attend that meeting and be able to see all our work that we had completed, and how it turns into a full plan. Tuesday was fairly quiet, it was mostly the start of gathering stuff for the Green Industry Field Day on Thursday. There is a lot of planning that goes into a large scale event like this, so it was important that we stayed as organized as possible. On Wednesday I was able to meet up with Kylie Howard, State Office Intern, who was visiting to see what we were up to this summer! I got lunch with her and then after we finished packing the car and gathering the materials for the day after. Thursday was an amazing but LONG day! We started off at 6AM, and ended around 2:30. It was so interesting to meet people from the industry and to learn about different lawn and tree care. Kirsten from the Arlington office and her intern Denisa were there, as well as Mehreen joined us! I had a wonderful time carrying the speakers around, and exploring American University. My section was the landscape and lawn care section, which included first aid safety, invasive plant walks, and other cool talks! Friday we took it easy, and left the office early. After all of that hard work we had deserved a little bit of an early start to the weekend! 

Monday I was able to go on another site visit with Heather Hunter-Nickels. It has been so much fun being able to talk to her about her job and meet with the other intern for the NCRS, Laila. I have learned so much from them both, and it is great to be able to connect with them so often. On Tuesday I gave my soil pH presentation, and it went so well! All of the wonderful master gardeners had so many good questions, and were so interested in the work that I had put into this project. I had spent a lot of time preparing the data for this project, and thanks to Adria I was able to learn more about soil chemistry and how it is beneficial to plants. I am so thankful to be in a field where people are just as intrigued about learning as I am. Wednesday was fairly uneventful, and Thursday was mostly spent doing office work, cleaning, and newsletter writing. By now the internship is starting to die down, but we still have one more huge event to put on with 4-H. I ahve gronw really fond of this job and all of the stability and opportunities it has provided for me this summer, I will be very sad to leave for school. 

Monday starts off with another site visit with Heather Hunter-Nickels. I am so lucky to be able to tag alongside her on these visits. We visited a farm that we had already been to in order to survey and take measurements for the stream crossing plan. We were joined by two people from the NCRS, Corey and Johnny, as well as the intern Laila. We got to meet all of the horses as well as see the goats again which is always a treat! We spent most of the rest of the week preparing for the 4-H fair that started on Friday. It was such a fun time! I spent all of Friday at Frying Pan Farm, helping to check in entries and later judging the visual arts section that night. I was only in charge of judging the seniors, 14-18 year old, alongside Denisa the Arlington intern, and there were so many talented entries! I was able to meet so many of the incredible people who run the 4-H show, and see how all of their hard work comes to fruition. Saturday was the opening ceremony, and I was able to meet many of the people in Fairfax County that continue to help make it better! I dressed up as the spotted lantern fly, and handed out many temporary tattoos, stickers, and business cards. Overall it was an amazing weekend spent at the farm, and I hope I can come back next year!

And so the final week of my internship begins. I am here in the plant diagnostics lab, spending my last morning talking with the ladies, and sending out samples. It feels like as quickly as this internship began, it has ended, and it truly makes me sad. I cannot put into words how many invaluable experiences I have had alongside Adria, and I will be forever thankful for that. On Tuesday I am meeting Mr. Tony at Woodson High School to look at their student project garden. As well as I am going to one final office lunch with everybody. Most of the rest of the week will be spent working on this blog, and my final newsletter. I truly hope that I can come back next summer to spend more time with the phenomenal people that I work with.