Meet our Educators

Extension Specialists and County Educators are available to help answer questions and give advice in care and management of your Poultry.

 

jmoyle@umd.edu

Dr. Jonathan Moyle provides Maryland’s poultry industry and growers with general practical knowledge about poultry production practices in order to continue to develop, maintain, and operate economically viable and environmentally responsible poultry operations within the state and throughout Delmarva. Jon grew up farming with his family and owned his own poultry operation before moving east.  Current and future research includes helping growers find alternatives for bedding, improving nutrient management, helping commercial and small flock owners improve biosecurity, and aiding growers in many aspects of poultry growing.

Lower Eastern Shore Research & Education Center, 27664 Nanticoke Road, Salisbury, MD 21801, 410-742-1178 x309

 

mghanem@umd.edu

Dr. Mostafa Ghanem, is a veterinarian and molecular epidemiologist. He received his DVM and Master degrees from Alexandria University, Egypt, where he worked as poultry veterinarian for 5 years. Dr. Ghanem completed his PhD from The Ohio State University, USA. During his PhD, he developed new tools for epidemiological outbreak investigation of avian Mycoplasma species. Out of his PhD work, two invention reports were filed with The Ohio State University Technology Commercialization Office. He is also, the 2017 recipient of the Reed Rumsey Award from the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP). One of his papers selected as the best paper published in Avian Disease Journal in 2017. Dr. Ghanem completed his postdoctoral training at The Ohio State University, where he served as associate director of Infectious Diseases Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory (IDMEL). At that time, he evaluated new probiotic for control of salmonella enteritidis in layer chickens and investigated the epidemiology of campylobacter species in backyard chicken at rural Ethiopian villages. Recently, Dr. Ghanem has joined University of Maryland, Veterinary Medicine Department, as an assistant professor. His research program focuses on the development of advanced molecular diagnostics and typing schemes using next-generation sequencing for molecular typing and epidemiological investigation of infectious diseases of economic and public health significance pathogens related to poultry. His laboratory aims to harness the use and application of advanced molecular diagnostic and genotyping techniques in surveillance, prevention, and control of infectious diseases to improve health and wellbeing of poultry and humans. His extension program focuses on improving poultry health through:

1. Communicating new research findings to poultry growers and stakeholders and policymakers for implementation and field application.
2. Developing and updating curricula for educating and training of veterinary, animal and food science students
3. Developing and conducting continuing education opportunities for veterinary practitioners and technical service teams working with the poultry industry.
4. Offering advanced molecular typing services for Avian Mycoplasma species. 

 

nlt@umd.edu

Dr. Nathaniel L. Tablante is a Professor and Extension Poultry Health Specialist with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. He has 30 years of experience in poultry health management, epidemiology, and biosecurity and has authored and co-authored numerous articles and educational materials on poultry health, biosecurity, and disease prevention.  He has also served as a consultant on poultry biosecurity and Avian Influenza preparedness and response in the United States, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, and the Republic of Georgia.  In addition to his D.V.M. degree, Dr. Tablante completed a Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine (major in public health) at the University of California in Davis and a Master of Science (major in poultry health and epidemiology) at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada).  He is also a Diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians.  Since assuming a faculty position at the University of Maryland in 1997, Dr. Tablante has implemented an Extension and applied research program that focuses on improving poultry health and production through biosecurity and disease prevention on the Delmarva peninsula and the mid-Atlantic region.

 

jrhodes@umd.edu

Jennifer Rhodes is a Principal Agriculture Agent and Extension Educator in Queen Anne's County and also owns and operates her own poultry and grain farm. A graduate of University of Maryland Eastern Shore with a B.S. in Agriculture and a M.E. in Agriculture and Extension Education, the main focus of her programs are agriculture profitability programs, risk management, and poultry production education.  Jenny served as President of the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc., board member of Queen Anne’s County Farm Bureau, Queen Anne’s Soil Conservation District and MidAtlantic Farm Credit.  Agriculture has always been an important component of her life and she enjoys working with not only the agriculture sector but educating other community members about agriculture and natural resources.

505 Railroad Avenue, Suite 4, Centreville, MD  21617, 410.758.0166

 

mperdue@umd.edu

Maegan Perdue is the Agriculture Senior Agent Associate in Worcester County. She started in that position in February 2018. Prior to accepting this position, she was a Nutrient Management Advisor for the University of Maryland Extension in Somerset County.  Maegan grew up on a small livestock farm in Salisbury, Maryland, where she continues to raise dairy goats, hair sheep, dairy steers and backyard poultry. Her programming focuses on small ruminants, backyard poultry, and pasture management. Many of her programs are offered in farm and feed stores on the Lower Shore. One of the most popular workshops, Goat 911, is held multiple times a year.  Maegan's livestock expertise includes:  

o  Goats	o  Nutrient Management
o  Sheep	o  Pasture Management
o  Poultry	o  Worcester County
o  Small Ruminants	o  Lower Shore Cluster
o  Equine	o  Beef Cattle

 

 

djohnson@arec.umd.edu

Dale Johnson has been a Farm Management Specialist with the University of Maryland Extension since 1985 and conducts workshops on business planning, record-keeping, financial management, economic analysis, and computer applications for Maryland farmers and teaches these subjects at the University. He has a personal interest in small flock poultry production raising pastured broilers and turkeys for family consumption and keeping a layer flock. He also conducts a small flock layer demonstration at a University research farm and has developed an poultry educational program for children in inner city schools. 

2200 Western Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-5515

1-301-432-2767

 

myersrd@umd.edu

Dave Myers has been a lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County, Maryland and currently is the Anne Arundel County Extension Director and Area Extension Educator in both Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties. Dave earned in 1983 a BS degree in Agronomy, Crop Science and in 1996 a MS degree in Agronomy, Weed Science from the University of Maryland.  His Extension responsibilities include all field crop and livestock agriculture with an emphasis on fruit and vegetable production and marketing.  Dave currently conducts fruit and vegetable research trials at the University of Maryland Upper Marlboro Research and Education Center.  He has personally raised poultry for many years and has special interest in waterfowl.

 

jsemler@umd.edu

Jeff Semler, University of Maryland Extension educator in Washington County, recently received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agriculture Agents.  Jeff is an alumnus of West Virginia University, where he holds a Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science; he also has a Master's Degree in Animal Science from the University of Connecticut, where his emphasis was in

the area of the Physiology of Reproduction.  Jeff's current teaching goals include continued strengthening of the profitability of agriculture as well as increasing agricultural literacy. One of his on-going research projects is the investigation of various forage production methods under both conventional and organic management. Jeff has a lifelong love of farming and his goal is to assist farmers with their livelihood while maintaining or improving their soil, plant and animal resources.

Also...

List of Agriculture & Food Systems Agents by Maryland Counties

Directory:  UME Eastern Shore Offices and NMP Regional Offices

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