The University of Maryland Extension Horticulture and Fruits Program at UMES is administered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Dixit, horticulture specialist for UMES Extension and assistant professor of horticulture for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences.
The primary goal of the program is to increase knowledge that will directly influence food security on the Shore and impact the lives and welfare of communities near and far. Workshops and research involving the growth and cultivation of soybeans, the rejuvenation of the apple industry on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, sustainable strawberry production on the Shore, the growth and cultivation of Asian vegetables, and collaboration among UMES growers for industrial hemp cultivation are offered with the end-user in mind.