Extension teacher earns national nod
ORONO — University of Maine Cooperative Extension educator Caragh Fitzgerald, a Presque Isle native, recently received the 2016 Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) during its annual meeting held in Arkansas in July.
The award is given to Cooperative Extension educators with more than 10 years of service and who have exhibited excellence in the field of Extension education. 
The award is presented to 2 percent of the county Extension educators in Maine each year.
Fitzgerald is a UMaine Extension associate professor in agriculture working primarily in Kennebec County. Her work includes production of vegetables, corn silage, and other forages, as well as season extension and soil health. She teaches and manages the UMaine Extension Master Gardener Volunteers program and the Maine Harvest for Hunger produce donation program.
Prior to her current position, Fitzgerald worked for Maryland Cooperative Extension, and has served as president of the Association of County Agricultural Agents in Maine and Maryland.
A 1986 graduate of Presque Isle High School, she has a BA in chemistry from Bowdoin College and an MS in plant, soil and environmental sciences from UMaine.
