Menu

Somerset County

Welcome to the University of Maryland Extension (UME) - Somerset County, which is part of a statewide educational organization funded by federal, state, and local governments. Our mission is to support Maryland's agricultural industry; protect its valuable natural resources; enhance the well-being of families and individuals, both young and old; and foster the development of strong, stable communities.

The UME network of local or regional offices are staffed by one or more experts who provide useful, practical, and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes. UME has field offices in all twenty-three Maryland counties and Baltimore City.

This mission is accomplished by faculty and staff within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the University of Maryland, College Park through the discovery, integration, dissemination, and application of research based knowledge in the agricultural, human, and life sciences.

The Somerset County UME faculty and staff provide a broad range of outreach through workshops, seminars, classes, clinics, newsletters, consultations, and media efforts related to the following topics:   

AG NEWS

Liquidambar styraciflua  

Plant of the Week... 

...or American sweet gum is a native deciduous tree that thrives in the Eastern United States.  The trees grow 60-80 feet tall, 40-60 feet wide and need full sun and love moist well-drained acidic soils.  It grows with a straight trunk and a pyramidal to rounded crown with a shallow root system, which makes planting in the spring necessary for the roots to recover from transplant shock.   Plants are cold tolerant from USDA zones 5-9, thriving in every county in Maryland.  The dark green, glossy 4-8-inch-long and wide leaves are star shaped with 5-7 pointed lobes. Each fragrant leaf has a long stalk that is arranged in an alternate fashion on the branches.  In autumn the leaves bring a rainbow of colors including a mix of yellow, gold, orange, red, burgundy, lavender and purple. The light gray bark forms irregular, deep furrows, while the twigs develop 2-4 corky wing-like ridges. In spring the monoecious yellow green flowers are arranged in round clusters with mature into gum balls.  The gum balls are 1-3 inches in diameter and turn dark brown, staying on the trees until December to April when the clusters fall to the ground. Although these fruits provide food for songbirds like the American Goldfinch, they should be cleaned up in pedestrian areas due to their hard round bristly surface.  Anyone who has stepped on a Sweet gum ball barefoot will never do so willing again.  For those that wish the lovely silhouette and beautiful fall foliage but not the spiny gum balls, there are cultivars that do not produce fruit including ‘Hapdell’ and ‘Rotundiloba’.   The summer foliage provides food for the Imperial Moth larvae and the Hickory Horned devil larvae, while the bark is enjoyed by rabbits, mice and beavers. The trees are resistant to soil compacted soils, deer, drought, fire, heat, rabbits. 

Ginny Rosenkranz

Extension Advisory Committee

Tiffany Handy Farmer, Community Member
Corine Pugh Farmer, Community Member
Jamie Bradshaw Somerset County Library
Adrianna Warfield Somerset County Library
Michael King Sr. Farmer, Community Member
Larry Thomas  Farmer, Communtiy Member
Karen Taylor Farmer, Community Member
Contact somersetcountyeac@gmail.com

What's Going On

Events

News

Contact Us

Administrative Assistant

30730 Park Drive
Princess Anne, MD 21853
United States

Hours: Monday - Friday ~ 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Contact: Michelle Thomason

Phone: 410 651-1350

Email: mthoma42@umd.edu

Faculty/Staff Directory