Thursday third - University of Tennessee system · swimsuit season. Follow Mabel’s story through her own perspective on Facebook by visiting . utk.edu and looking under News and

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12 From the Chancellor“A time to pause, reflect and celebrate”—On July 2, 1862, our country was in the midst of Civil War conflict. Yet, during these darkest hours a group of leaders had the foresight to pass legislation that changed our country and the world forever. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act and estab-lished that higher education in the

United States should be available to all citizens, not just the advantaged few.

In 1869, the Tennessee Legislature designated East Tennessee University as the state’s land-grant institu-tion under the auspices of the 1862 Morrill Act. In 1879, the Tennessee legislature renamed the school the University of Tennessee.

As we move through 2012, we need to pause and remember the impact that the Morrill Act has had on our state over the past 150 years. The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is at the heart of the land-grant functions of the University of Tennessee. I hope we never lose sight of our role in discovery, learn-ing and engagement.

Happy 150th anniversary to our land-grant universities.

Go Vols,

Larry Arrington

Fourth quarter grants and

contracts total $6,552,303,

inside

Extension Identifies Dollar Value of FCS Volunteers’ ServiceFor several weeks last year, Extension Associate Dean Shirley Hastings had a big check in the hallway out-side her Morgan Hall office—big in actual size and amount.

The check made out to Hastings was for $7.3 mil-lion and change. The large cardboard cutout—similar to what you’d see presented to the winner of a golf tournament—wasn’t real, but it did represent the value of hours donated by volunteers to UT Extension’s Family and Consumer Sciences unit. FCE Clubs, which stands for “Families, Communities and Education,” worked nearly 350,000 hours in various projects last year. This included everything from pro-viding food and clothing for needy families, collecting school supplies for children, and raising funds for chari-table organizations. The Corporation for National and Community Service estimates the value of a volunteer hour in Tennessee is $21.36, and when you do the math for FCE Clubs, it comes out to $7,369,200.

“We appreciate the hundreds of FCE members across the state who volunteer their time to make a positive impact in our communities,” says Hastings.

UT Extension benefits each year from the hard work of caring volunteers. Tennessee 4-H has more than 5,000 adult volunteers statewide, and last year they combined with 4-H youth to perform 247,000 hours of service valued at more than $5 million.

UT Extension’s Master Gardeners also donated valuable time, using their skill and expertise to make communi-ties more beautiful. Master Gardeners worked more than 238,000 hours last year, with an assigned value by a national gardening organization of nearly $4.5 million. This included planting flowers and trees in parks, restoring cemeteries and growing “healing gardens” at hospitals. –Chuck Denney

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Shirley Hastings shows the value of volunteer hours.

Third Thursday February 20122

by Caula Beyl, Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

This year, our nation celebrates the sesquicentennial an-niversary of the development of land-grant universities. At the time of the Morrill Act that established the first land-grant universities 150 years ago, a college education was the realm of the privileged. The Morrill Act gave college access to all social classes with a focus on agriculture, mechanical arts (engineering), and military training (today’s ROTC). The Hatch Act of 1887 and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 expanded the land-grant role to include agricultural research

and extension. Thus, the mission of today’s land-grant institutions is a unique three-way partnership among education, research and extension that ensures our nation’s abilities to provide sustainable food, fiber, and forest resources, as well as safeguard the environment.

A healthy agricultural base supported by education to keep it efficient and produc-tive is the foundation for a strong Tennessee and a United States that is self-depen-dent for food production. The scientific foundation that supports agricultural research and helps us keep our position of leadership is aging. A new generation of trained scientists is needed to meet the challenge of feeding the world’s burgeoning population.

The healthy outlook for graduates of Tennessee’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is reflected in the consistent growth we have experienced in the past five years, expanding from 841 in 2006 to 1,117 undergraduates in the fall of 2011. Meeting the educational needs of our students and making sure that they have the learning and capability of assuming prominent roles in agriculture and related areas is getting harder as state support of higher education shrinks and the competition among colleges and universities for that smaller support becomes fiercer.

In 1869, the university was selected as the state’s land-grant university. As such, agriculture and the education of students in disciplines such as agricultural econom-ics, agricultural education, animal science, biosystems engineering, entomology, food science, forestry, plant pathology, plant science and soil science are part of the historical and current mission of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

A land-grant university cannot exist without agriculture. Despite the many demands on limited resources, our land-grant status mandates that we respect our mission, including being accountable to our stakeholders by properly educating the students entrusted to us.

Let us not forget our historic mission in today’s world. Educated leaders and profes-sionals with backgrounds in agricultural sciences and natural resources will always be needed in Tennessee and in the nation. But our world is changing—our graduates are increasingly needed across international boundaries to ensure food and environmen-tal security in less developed nations, which ultimately helps our own national security. Such efforts also help meet our moral obligations to aid our fellow human beings.

Justin Smith Morrill’s idea of public education for everyone, with the resulting ben-efits to society, is thriving at CASNR. Our students have increasingly diverse back-grounds and goals, and whether a student has aspirations for a cutting edge research career or a career emphasizing the practical and applied aspects of agriculture, CASNR has something for each of them. That is our gift, that is our mission, and we hold that mandate sacred. 3

Let Us Not Forget Our MissionWhat’s News » The Society for Comparative

Endocrinology has established the Jack Oliver Graduate Research Award. Oliver, who passed away in 2011, was an original faculty member of the College of Veterinary Medicine. He coordinated and taught the veterinary pharmacology courses and developed and directed the Clinical Endocrinology Service, nurturing it into the veterinary medical center's busiest diagnostic laboratory, receiving samples from around the world. Dean Jim Thompson said the example Dr. Oliver set for others in leadership, teamwork and service was remark-able. “He assisted everyone from clini-cians, to technicians, to students; the contacts he made each day shaped the image of comparative endocrinology and the veterinary profession.”

» Want to keep up with the latest nutrition findings? A website that conveys new research in easy-to-un-derstand language is maintained by Animal Science Assistant Research Professor Nalin Siriwardhana, a member of the joint institute-UTK Obesity Research Center. The site, which also involves the work of two other specialists, can be found at www.nutritionremarks.com.

Caula Beyl

In Memoriam

Steve McNeil, Sumner County Extension agent,

passed away December 23. “Steve was a great agent

and friend. Steve’s life made an incredible impact on youth in our state. His

imprint on the equine program will live forever,” said Jim Stewart, director,

Extension Central Region.

agriculture.tennessee.edu 3

UTIA Professor and Students Rack up Honors at Beltwide Cotton ConferenceProfessor Emeritus Owen Gwathmey of the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center received the Outstanding Research Award in Cotton Physiology at the recent 2012 Beltwide Cotton Agronomy and Physiology Conference.

For nearly two decades, Gwathmey led research programs at UT that covered diverse important topics, including remote sensing, potassium uptake and partitioning, skip row planting, analysis of the effects of glyphosate-resistant horseweed on cotton production, nutrition effects on bronze wilt, and the cost-benefit relationship of seed technology.

Two UTIA graduate students were also honored. Kelly Barnett, a Plant Sciences graduate research assistant, received first place for her oral presentation titled, “The Effect of Giant Ragweed Competition on Cotton Growth Maturity and Yield.”

Matthew Wiggins, also a graduate research assistant for Plant Sciences, garnered third place honors for his oral presentation titled, “Water Deficit and Irrigation Response in Upland Cotton.”

The Beltwide Cotton Conference is an annual forum for cotton technology transfer. It is designed to enlighten industry members about the latest research developments and their practical applications in cotton production and processing. –Ginger Rowsey

The Beltwide Cotton Conference honored Plant Sciences Emeritus Professor Owen

Gwathmey, second from right, for his signifi-cant career contributions and achievements

in cotton physiology research.

Beltwide Cotton Conference

Osburn to Manage UTIA GreenhousesPlant Science specialist Lori Osburn began work February 1 as UTIA greenhouse manager.

She will monitor and troubleshoot the greenhouses and their control systems for proper functioning and provide advice to faculty, staff and graduate students about plant maintenance procedures. She will also monitor for pests and educate users on their identification and control, as well as educate users on various irrigation and fertilization systems and assist with setup. Other responsibilities for the wide-ranging position include coordinating repair and warranty work with university services and with contractors;

coordinating space assignments for teaching bays; collecting and archiving environ-mental data; assisting the UTIA Greenhouse Committee with assessing space and implementing policies and procedures established by the committee; and communi-cating with greenhouse users regarding project needs and problems. Whew!

Osburn, who holds an M.S. from UT, has worked many years as a research associate in diverse plant areas in AgResearch.

“Lori brings a wealth of greenhouse experience to this new position. We’re delighted she accepted this important position,” says Steve Oliver, assistant dean for research and assistant director of AgResearch.

Lori OsburnJoin Mabel as she strives to hit her ideal weight of 23 pounds in 2012. Her owners, unable to care for the then 67-pound beagle mix, relinquished her to a Knoxville shelter in December. UTCVM Veterinary

Nutritionist Angela Witzel, adopted the dog who has already lost 15 percent of her body weight through

the use of underwater treadmills and a nutritionally balanced diet at the Veterinary Medical Center’s Fat Camp. Witzel hopes Mabel can become her running

buddy over the next several months—just in time for swimsuit season. Follow Mabel’s story through her own perspective on Facebook by visiting www.vet.

utk.edu and looking under News and Events.

Angela Witzel


Grants & Contracts October–December 2011

Oct

ober

UT AgResearch hopes that this information on UTIA grants and contracts fosters awareness and interdisciplinary collabora-tion among our scientists. Thanks to the resourcefulness and competitiveness of our faculty, the institute received awards totaling $6,552,303 in grants, contracts and cooperative agreements from external agencies for the fourth quarter of 2011. At a time when most states are operating with constrained budgets, our ability to attract dollars for research and extension from outside sources has become especially crucial. To the principal and co-principal investigators listed below, congratulations. To everyone, we appreciate your support and efforts in seeking external funding.

J. Mark Fly Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 249,700 Tennessee Department of HealthScott Schlarbaum Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 5,000 American Chestnut Foundation

Donald Hodges Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 326,867 Department of the Interior-Bureau of Land Management

John Skinner Entomology and Plant Pathology

10,000 Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Joseph Bartges Small Animal Clinical Sciences 10,481 Uroplasty, Inc

Linda Frank; Jackie Bryan Small Animal Clinical Sciences 1,500 Pomeranian Charitable Trust

Kimberly Jensen; Burton English, Jamie Menard

Agricultural and Resource Economics


Karen Vail; Jaehoon Lee Entomology and Plant Pathology, Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

14,000 USDA APHIS

Patrick Keyser; Gary Bates, Elizabeth Doxon, Craig Harper, John Waller, Neal Schrick

Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, Plant Sciences, Animal Science

508,326 USDA NRCS

Burton English; Daniel De La Torre Ugarte, Chad Hellwinckel


50,000 USDA ARS

Jennifer Richards; Amy Beavers, Janie Burney, Dwight Loveday

Food Science and Technology, Family and Consumer Sciences, 4-H Youth Development

542,975 USDA NIFA

Linda Frank; Jacqueline Whittemore, Dianne Mawby

Small Animal Clinical Sciences 11,632 AKC Canine Health Foundation

Shirley Hastings Family and Consumer Sciences 1,072,000 Tennessee Department of Human Services

Jun Lin Animal Science 361,297 National Institutes of Health

Marcy Souza; Kimberly Newkirk, Sherry Cox

Diagnostic Sciences and Education

11,214 National Speleological Society, Inc

Daniel Sarver; Stephen Sutton 4-H Youth Development 110,505 Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

Timothy Rials; Samuel Jackson Center for Renewable Carbon 431,136 USDA NIFA

Timothy Rials; Timothy Young Center for Renewable Carbon 191,083 USDA Forest Service

PI; Co-PI Department Award Agency

PI; Co-PI Department Award AgencyExtension County Billing Accounts for FY 2012John Teague Central Region 90,208 Bedford CountyGeorge Killgore Central Region 11,926 Davidson CountyDavid Edward Qualls Central Region 59,355 Lincoln CountyLarry Moorehead Central Region 33,661 Moore CountyJ. Scott Chadwell Central Region 96,898 Putnam CountyAnthony Tuggle Central Region 128,589 Rutherford CountyDavid Glover Central Region 43,112 Smith CountyA. Scott Swoape Central Region 59,460 White County George Heiskell Eastern Region 76,009 Claiborne CountyEmmanuel Bedwell Eastern Region 125,407 Hamblen County


Oct

ober

*PI; Co-PI Department Award AgencyMichelle Vineyard; Karen Franck Family and Consumer Sciences 96,590 Tennessee Department of HealthSusan Schexnayder Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 12,098 UT BattelleTim Cross; Robert Burns Extension Administration 127,000 Tennessee Farm BureauMatthew Devereaux Family and Consumer Sciences 85,000 Tennessee Department of EducationJoseph Clark Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 67,901 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and

FisheriesLead UTK PI; Susan Schexnayder Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 11,970 Solar Energy Industries AssociationShawn Hawkins; Forbes Walker, Christopher Clark, Dayton Lambert

Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, Agricultural and Resource Economics


John Bartee Montgomery County 26,000 US ArmyGinger Rowsey West Tenn. AgResearch and

Education Center5,700 Osborne and Barr

Keith Belli Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 11,985 National Park ServiceJerome Grant; Gregory Wiggins Entomology and Plant Pathology 125,275 USDA APHIS

Nov

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Oct

ober

UT AgResearch hopes that this information on UTIA grants and contracts fosters awareness and interdisciplinary collabora-tion among our scientists. Thanks to the resourcefulness and competitiveness of our faculty, the institute received awards totaling $6,552,303 in grants, contracts and cooperative agreements from external agencies for the fourth quarter of 2011. At a time when most states are operating with constrained budgets, our ability to attract dollars for research and extension from outside sources has become especially crucial. To the principal and co-principal investigators listed below, congratulations. To everyone, we appreciate your support and efforts in seeking external funding.

J. Mark Fly Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 249,700 Tennessee Department of HealthScott Schlarbaum Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 5,000 American Chestnut Foundation

Donald Hodges Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 326,867 Department of the Interior-Bureau of Land Management

John Skinner Entomology and Plant Pathology


Joseph Bartges Small Animal Clinical Sciences 10,481 Uroplasty, Inc

Linda Frank; Jackie Bryan Small Animal Clinical Sciences 1,500 Pomeranian Charitable Trust

Kimberly Jensen; Burton English, Jamie Menard



Karen Vail; Jaehoon Lee Entomology and Plant Pathology, Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

14,000 USDA APHIS

Patrick Keyser; Gary Bates, Elizabeth Doxon, Craig Harper, John Waller, Neal Schrick

Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, Plant Sciences, Animal Science

508,326 USDA NRCS

Burton English; Daniel De La Torre Ugarte, Chad Hellwinckel


50,000 USDA ARS

Jennifer Richards; Amy Beavers, Janie Burney, Dwight Loveday

Food Science and Technology, Family and Consumer Sciences, 4-H Youth Development

542,975 USDA NIFA

Linda Frank; Jacqueline Whittemore, Dianne Mawby

Small Animal Clinical Sciences 11,632 AKC Canine Health Foundation

Shirley Hastings Family and Consumer Sciences 1,072,000 Tennessee Department of Human Services

Jun Lin Animal Science 361,297 National Institutes of Health

Marcy Souza; Kimberly Newkirk, Sherry Cox

Diagnostic Sciences and Education

11,214 National Speleological Society, Inc

Daniel Sarver; Stephen Sutton 4-H Youth Development 110,505 Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

Timothy Rials; Samuel Jackson Center for Renewable Carbon 431,136 USDA NIFA

Timothy Rials; Timothy Young Center for Renewable Carbon 191,083 USDA Forest Service

PI; Co-PI Department Award Agency

PI; Co-PI Department Award AgencyExtension County Billing Accounts for FY 2012John Teague Central Region 90,208 Bedford CountyGeorge Killgore Central Region 11,926 Davidson CountyDavid Edward Qualls Central Region 59,355 Lincoln CountyLarry Moorehead Central Region 33,661 Moore CountyJ. Scott Chadwell Central Region 96,898 Putnam CountyAnthony Tuggle Central Region 128,589 Rutherford CountyDavid Glover Central Region 43,112 Smith CountyA. Scott Swoape Central Region 59,460 White County George Heiskell Eastern Region 76,009 Claiborne CountyEmmanuel Bedwell Eastern Region 125,407 Hamblen County


Oct

ober

*PI; Co-PI Department Award AgencyMichelle Vineyard; Karen Franck Family and Consumer Sciences 96,590 Tennessee Department of HealthSusan Schexnayder Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 12,098 UT BattelleTim Cross; Robert Burns Extension Administration 127,000 Tennessee Farm BureauMatthew Devereaux Family and Consumer Sciences 85,000 Tennessee Department of EducationJoseph Clark Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 67,901 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and

FisheriesLead UTK PI; Susan Schexnayder Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 11,970 Solar Energy Industries AssociationShawn Hawkins; Forbes Walker, Christopher Clark, Dayton Lambert



John Bartee Montgomery County 26,000 US ArmyGinger Rowsey West Tenn. AgResearch and

Education Center5,700 Osborne and Barr

Keith Belli Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 11,985 National Park ServiceJerome Grant; Gregory Wiggins Entomology and Plant Pathology 125,275 USDA APHIS

Nov

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PI; Co-PI Department Award AgencyCarl Sams; Dennis Deyton, Dean Kopsell, David Butler

Plant Sciences 10,000 Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Xinhua Yin; Angela McClure, Robert Hayes, Craig Canaday

Plant Sciences 27,500 Pictsweet Company

Karen Vail Entomology and Plant Pathology 9,000 Dow AgroSciencesDavid Mercker Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 36,656 Tennessee Department of AgricultureMaria Cekanova; Joseph Bartges, Al Legendre

Small Animal Clinical Sciences 10,000 Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science

Keith Belli Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 14,000 USDA Forest ServiceFrank Hale; Darrell Hensley, Steven Bost, Alan Windham

Entomology and Plant Pathology 29,250 University of Florida

Marcy Souza Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences

11,001 Tennessee Valley Authority

M. Adam Taylor Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 35,000 USDA APHISDaniel Yoder Biosystems Engineering and Soil

Science11,752 USDA ARS

Paul Ayers Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

74,398 Colorado State

Vincent Pantalone Plant Sciences 55,318 Smithbucklin-USBM. Angela McClure Plant Sciences 60,000 Sygenta Crop Protection, LLCMark Fly; Susan Schexnayder Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries 137,110 National Park ServiceBarry Rouse; Naveen Rajasagi Biomedical and Diagnostic

Sciences301,871 National Institutes of Health

Neal Eash Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

284,349 Virginia Tech

Federico Harte; John Mount Food Science and Technology 73,703 Dairy Research InstituteLawrence Steckel Plant Sciences 23,348 Cotton IncChristopher Main Plant Sciences 12,059 Cotton IncMichael Buschermohle; Robert Freeland, Margarita Velandia


9,738 Cotton Inc

Brian Leib; Chris Main, Owen Gwathmey

Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, Plant Sciences

16,516 Cotton Inc

Scott Stewart Entomology and Plant Pathology 35,339 Cotton IncRebecca Wilkes; Eman Anis, Stephen Kania, Al Legendre

Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Small Animal Clinical Sciences

23,600 Winn Feline Foundation


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AgResearch Directors Recognize Outstanding Support ServiceEach year the directors of the 10 AgResearch and Education Centers across the state recognize the outstand-ing service of their support staff. While many are deserv-ing of the award, the 2011 honorees are Bobby Terry, light farm equipment operator with the East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center’s Organic Crops Unit, and Ann Moore, research specialist at the Plateau AgResearch and Education Center.

Terry has more than 28 years of dedicated service with AgResearch. He was recognized for his can-do attitude, ex-cellent mechanical skills, his personality and ability to work well with people, as well as his behind-the-scenes work to make ETREC’s research and outreach events successful.

“He’s truly one of our unsung heroes,” ETREC Director Bobby Simpson said of Terry.

Moore has been employed at the Plateau AgResearch and Education Center in Crossville for the past five years, working mainly on greenhouse research projects. Although her tenure has been relatively short, the research faculty members with whom she works have noted her contributions.

“Ann has taken the initiative to learn new methods and is an excellent record keeper. While conducting research trials, you can be confident that protocols are implement-ed correctly and the data are accurate,” wrote Plateau Center Director Walt Hitch in his nomination letter for Moore. –Patty McDaniels

Bobby Terry

Ann Moore

Two Receive UT Research Foundation Maturation Awards

4-H Names New Executive Director of Statewide FoundationGrowing up, Ryan Hensley was sur-rounded by 4-H. His parents were 4-H’ers and so were his brothers. Now he’s making the youth development program his career.

As new executive director of the Tennessee 4-H Foundation, the financial arm of 4-H, Hensley will lead fund raising efforts so that other youth can have the same experience that he enjoyed. He will work with private donors, 4-H alumni and corporations in development work.

In his youth, Hensley followed his family’s lead and was active in 4-H, and a state award winner in leadership and live-stock competitions in his native Loudon County. He would go on to be elected Tennessee 4-H Congress Governor and served as State 4-H Council President. Hensley also met his wife Amanda through 4-H.

“4-H taught me a lot of skills like public speaking and what it means to be a productive citizen,” Hensley said. “4-H helped me get where I am today.” –Chuck Denney

Ryan Hensley

Two researchers for the Institute are among eight teams of inventors to receive maturation funding from the University of Tennessee Research Foundation. Each team will receive $15,000 to assist in further developing the technology to improve positioning for licensing and commercialization.

Recipients awarded by the UTRF multi-disciplinary office include:

• Jayne Wu and Shigetoshi Eda, UT Knoxville and UT Institute for

Agriculture Center for Wildlife Health, for a portable diagnostic that provides rapid on-site detection of infectious dis-eases and physiological conditions; and

• Mingjun Zhang, Scott Lenaghan and Neal Stewart, UT Knoxville and UT Institute of Agriculture Department of Plant Sciences, for automated high-throughput nanoparticle manufacturing using English ivy. The nanoparticles can be used for a variety of applications, such as sunscreens and high-strength, weather-resistant adhesives.

Forty-four proposals were submitted from UT’s four campuses and three institutes. The selection process included evaluation of three key areas: demonstra-tion of a path for commercial develop-ment, market potential and stage of development.

A call for submissions for next year’s maturation funding program will be announced in October. For more details about the program, visit http://utrf.tennessee.edu/techtransfer.

Third Thursday8

101 Morgan HallKnoxville, TN 37996-4505

UTIA News is published monthly by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Send comments and suggestions to Margot Emery, [email protected]. The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution in the provision of

its education and employment programs and services. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or

covered veteran status. Visit the Institute of Agriculture on the Internet at http://agriculture.tennessee.edu | E11-1101-00-001-12

During the 93rd annual meeting of the American Farm Bureau Federation, two CASNR grads and two alumni of UT Martin—both couples Tennessee Young Farmers & Ranchers families—took home top honors in the Achievement Award and Excellence in Agriculture competitions. UT Extension in Weakley County serves each family. Young farmers and ranchers from around the country competed for the awards by demonstrating knowledge of and achievement in agriculture, as well as commitment to promoting the agriculture industry. It’s rare to have both winners from a single state, rarer still, the same county.

CASNR alumni Andy and Ellie Holt won the Excellence in Agriculture Award. The Holts, along with their three children, own and operate Holt Family Farms, a custom hog and agritourism operation in Weakley County. They have diversified by creating a pick your own pumpkin and Christmas tree operation and have educa-tional opportunities for all who visit the farm.

Andy Holt is also a state representative.

UT Martin graduates Ben and Jennifer Moore, winners of the Achievement Award, farm more than 3,400 acres in corn, soybeans and pasture that supports a 75-head cow/calf livestock herd. Jennifer also manages 4,000 sows and 14 employees in a separate operation. The Moores provide leadership to several agricultural associations, including the Farm Bureau. –Pettus Read, TFBF

Tennessee Young Farmers and Ranchers Take Home National Awards

Above: Andy and Ellie Holt Below: Ben and Jennifer Moore

Documents

Thursday third - University of Tennessee system · swimsuit season. Follow Mabel’s story through her own perspective on Facebook by visiting . utk.edu and looking under News and