Country kaleidoscope - Safe Feed/Safe Food

Country
kaleidoscope
Business is blooming at
Nancy Tyner’s
Hillside Daylily Farm
Inside
Tissue sampling
Tractor-pullers
Canning college
shows plant nutrient helps new gardeners balance farming
status – Page 8
with fun – Page 32
– Page 28
August 2009 Volume 50, Number 8
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Permit 1235
Precision Care by CO - OP
Cotton Picker Lubricants
Cotton Picker Spindle Grease
• A quality lithium grease that meets the John Deere JDN
360, JDN 305, and Case International specifications.
• Recommended for all brands of cotton pickers.
• Available in 35-, 120- and 400-pound containers.
Cotton Picker Spindle Cleaner
• Water-soluble oil formulated to keep spindles clean.
• Provides superior anti-rust and
corrosion-resistant properties.
• Available in 1- and 5-gallon containers.
Car Cleaning Products
TR-135
Rear Farm Tire
EVERYDAY LOW PRICE
Heavy duty drive wheel tire with
dual angled tread lugs, which
provide high traction and long
life in both, field and on-the-road
operations. Strong casing for
excellent stability and safety to
the operator.
TF 9090
Tri Rib
I-1
Implement
EVERYDAY LOW PRICE
EVERYDAY LOW PRICE
Front Farm Tire
Black Magic, Blue Coral, and Rain-X car
cleaning products along with sponges,
brushes, and other cleaning supplies
Available at your CO-OP.
Farm Tire
3-rib front wheel tires,
Multi-rib, low section I-1
designed for easy steertires are designed to provide
ing. Strong nylon carcass
high flotation and high load
ensures good performance capacity at low inflation preson tractors fitted with
sures. Suitable for both on
implements such as a front
and off-road service.
loader or front mower.
See your local Co-op for size and pricing on these tires.
Need Help On
The Farm
Co-op on-the-farm
tire service truck
can keep you
going.
Protect Your Vehicle
Antifreeze protects your cooling system against both freezing and boiling
over, in the hot summer and cold winter.
It should be changed every two years
(except for long life antifreeze).
You Need
Shop Towels
For protection, comfort
and compliance in the
workplace.
See your Co-op.
www.ourcoop.com
2
August 2009
contents
August 2009
Cover Story
18
Country
kaleidoscope
Nancy Tyner has more than 1,000 varieties of colorful daylilies growing on about an
acre of land on the Mountain City farm she shares with her husband, Lacy. The Tri-State Growers cooperative member sells the daylilies from her farm and at various markets around the region.
She has also recruited Co-op employee Caroline Brown to start growing her own daylily patch.
Although both growers say daylily production requires plenty of manual labor, they are quick to
add that they enjoy seeing their hard work turn into beautiful blooms each year.
News and features
ON THE COVER: Standing in the middle of one of her eight daylily patches, Nancy holds the bloom of a seedling that has not
yet been named. She and other serious daylily growers enjoy “hybridizing” the flowers to cultivate new color combinations.
— Photos by Chris Villines
Steps in the right direction
5
8 Hidden hunger
10 Seeing is believing
To protect and conserve
24
28 Yes, you CAN!
Sunday driver
32
The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration is making positive moves in a commitment to “clean up” the industry’s image.
As a new precision agriculture service offered by some Co-ops, tissue-sampling can help reveal unseen nutrient deficiencies in plants.
The unique Answer Plot program is giving Co-op employees and customers a good look at Croplan Genetics varieties.
Environment-friendly practices play a key role on the farms of two award-winning farmers.
Gardeners learn how to preserve produce at an Extension-Co-op Canning College.
Lincoln County farmer Jared Bradley and his family are balancing work with fun at tractor pulls.
TenneScene
In every issue
4As I Was Saying
Jerry Kirk touts a Tennessee historian.
4Our Country Churches
Quito Methodist Church in Tipton County.
12New at Co-op
Learn about four new products available at
your hometown store.
13Neighborly Advice
Pasture management, new herbicides, cattle
nutrition and health, and choosing a chute.
30What’s Cookin’?
People in search of fresh, homegrown produce are finding plenty of options this summer at farmers markets like
the one in Murfreesboro, now open in a new home at the Lane Agri-Park on John Rice Boulevard. The indoor
facility replaces an open-air shed at Cannonsburg and is open June through October on Tuesdays and Fridays
from 6 to 11 a.m. Can’t make it to Murfreesboro? The Tennessee Department of Agriculture lists 84 different
markets across the state. Visit www.picktnproducts.org to find one near you.
— Photo by Allison Morgan
Savoring a summertime favorite — corn.
34Every Farmer Has A Story
Meet Jonathan Pierce of Athens, a respected farmer, Co-op director and ag educator.
August 2009
3
As I Was Saying
‘History Bill’ brings Tennessee past alive every day
I
t was strange — borderline weird, perhaps — that as a kid growing up in East Tennessee 60-some years ago, I wanted my hometown of Whitesburg — population 495 — to
be bigger than neighboring Bulls Gap. But it was never to be. Bulls Gap had something like 675 people, was incorporated, and later even got a traffic light!
One point of pride for me as a youngster, though, was the fact that “my” county —
Hamblen — had a license plate prefix of 27, compared to the 43 of Hawkins County,
where Bulls Gap is located. That prefix indicated your rank, population-wise, among Tennessee’s 95 counties.
Frivolous fascinations like those kindled in me a keen interest in anything Tennessee
Jerry Kirk
— a passion I carried with me in 1951 to Mr. Kessler Simpson’s Tennessee history class
Contributing Editor
at Whitesburg School. I loved that class and am glad that back then every seventh-grade
student in the state was required to take the course.
It’s not that way these days, though. For reasons I don’t understand, education officials have relegated
Tennessee history to what seems to be a rather hit-or-miss schedule that, in my opinion, can offer students
only a smattering of the exciting things that helped form and mold Tennessee into what it is today.
But the good news is that things are changing, thanks in large part to Bill Carey, a talented Nashville author and tireless crusader who has stepped up to the plate in a big way to see that Tennessee history doesn’t
remain an under-explored thing of the past for present-day schoolchildren.
Today, Tennessee History for Kids, a nonprofit organization cofounded by Bill in 2004, makes it easier for
teachers to teach and more fun for students to learn about this state’s rich heritage. “We’re trying to help
20,000 teachers, 1 million students, and 2 million parents deal with the most under-supported subject in the
curriculum,” is one way Bill describes the program’s mission. The unique initiative, of which Bill is chief
executive officer, includes Tennessee civics and geography in its offering, too.
Apparently knowing from the outset that a fun, educational, interactive Web site would be key to the success of his exciting new venture, Bill came up with a doozy: www.tnhistoryforkids.com. Cleverly designed
and easy to navigate, the site gives everyone a chance to look in practically every nook and cranny of our
state. And what we find is a treasure trove of Tennessee historical gems — from its 18th-century frontier
founding to its 21st-century achievements. And because Bill writes all the material in a kid-friendly way, it’s
easy for any of us to understand what he’s telling us.
Additionally, on the Web site you can click your way into any Tennessee county to find at least two intriguing stories and historical accounts as well as a picture of the local courthouse. “History Bill,” as he’s known
on the site, also takes students and other visitors on virtual tours of some 50 historically significant sites,
including Cumberland Gap in the northeast corner of the state; Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, where
the famed Scopes “Monkey Trial” was held in 1925; and Shiloh in Hardin County of West Tennessee, site of
a bloody Civil War battle on April 6 and 7, 1862.
As I spend time on tnhistoryforkids.com, I’m fascinated that Bill can do so much — and do it so well —
in giving Tennesseans of all ages such a rich historic insight into our beloved state. With a qualified board of
directors supporting him and private and public sources providing financial help, Bill does most of the grunt
work himself, drawing on what has to be a passionate love of Tennessee history.
And his efforts are priceless. For example, if not for Bill, very few Tennesseans would know that this
month marks the 225th anniversary of a movement that, with a different outcome, would have us living in
the state of Franklin rather than Tennessee. “As best I can tell, this historic anniversary is not being acknowledged in Tennessee,” Bill says in the current issue of The Tennessee Magazine, which goes to more than half
a million member-customers of electric cooperatives across the state. In his “Lost State of Franklin” article,
Bill details how, in 1784, some settlers in what is now the “lower” edge of upper East Tennessee tried, unsuccessfully, to form their own state of Franklin with Greeneville as its capital. Had the proposal passed, “Franklin” would have started with eight counties, according to Bill: Wayne (encompassing present-day Johnson
and Carter counties), Sullivan, Washington (including Unicoi County), Spencer (today’s Hawkins), Greene
(including today’s Cocke), Caswell (including today’s Hamblen and Jefferson), Sevier, and Blount.
But even if that had happened, Spencer County’s Bulls Gap would probably still be bigger than Caswell’s
Whitesburg ... and sooner or later would no doubt have a traffic light, too.
Our Country Churches
4
August 2009
Editor: Allison Morgan
[email protected]
Assistant Editor: Mark E. Johnson
[email protected]
Communications Specialist: Chris Villines
[email protected]
Contributing Editor: Jerry Kirk
[email protected]
Advertising Manager: Mack Barrett
[email protected]
Art Director: Bob Gillespie
[email protected]
Graphic Designer: Shane Read
[email protected]
Editorial Assistant: Polly Campbell
[email protected]
Communications Intern: Greer Gill
[email protected]
The Tennessee Cooperator is distributed
free to patrons of member Co-ops. Since
each Co-op maintains its own mailing
list, requests for subscriptions must be
made through the local Co-op. When
reporting an address change, please
include the mailing label from a past
issue and send to the following address:
Tennessee Cooperator
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative
P.O. Box 3003
LaVergne, TN 37086
Phone: (615) 793-8339
E-mail: [email protected]
Guest Subscriptions:
Guest subscriptions are available for
$12.95 per year by sending a check
or money order to Tennessee Farmers
Cooperative at the above address.
TFC’s Web site:
www.ourcoop.com
TFC Board of Directors:
Chairman — Bill Mayo,
Tennessee Ridge, Zone 2
Vice Chairman — Lowry “Whitey”
Dougherty, Madisonville, Zone 3
Larry Paul Harris, Wildersville, Zone 1
Amos Huey, Kenton, Zone 1
Larry Rice, Covington, Zone 1
Donald Jernigan, Christiana, Zone 2
Kenneth Nixon, Carthage, Zone 2
Wayne Brown, Chuckey, Zone 3
George Smartt, McMinnville, Zone 3
Chief Executive Officer ­­— Bart Krisle
NOTICE: This publication is for
informational purposes only. Tennessee
Farmers Cooperative, its affiliates,
subsidiaries, and member Co-ops are not
responsible for any damages or claims
that may result from a reader’s use of this
information, including but not limited to
actual, punitive, consequential, or economic
damages. Tennessee Farmers Cooperative
makes no warranties or representations,
either express or implied, including
warranties of merchantability or fitness of
any product/material for a particular purpose.
Each article, document, advertisement, or
other information is provided “AS IS” and
without warranty of any kind. Tennessee
Farmers Cooperative reserves the right to
alter, correct, or otherwise change any part or
portion of this publication, including articles
and advertisements, without detriment to
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, its affiliates,
subsidiaries, or member cooperatives.
Quito United Methodist
Church in Tipton County
Quito United Methodist Church in
Tipton County was established in Wilkinsville in 1896. After its first building was
destroyed by wind in 1909, the church
moved to its present spot on Quito Drummonds Road near Millington. The church
was destroyed again by fire in 1947 and
rebuilt on the same spot. The pastor is
Brad Jordan.
— Information and photo
submitted by James W. Robison
Published by Tennessee Farmers
Cooperative in the interest of better
farming through cooperation and
improved technology, and to connect
the Co-op community through shared
experiences, common values, and
rural heritage.
176th in a series of photographs to show where our rural Co-op friends worship
®
Steps in the right direction
With a recommitment to presenting ‘sound’ Tennessee walkers,
the National Celebration gets serious about cleaning up its image
Story and photos by Mark E. Johnson
F
or as long as many Middle
Tennesseans can remember,
equine fans have made the
annual pilgrimage to the Tennessee Walking Horse National
Celebration (TWHNC) in Shelbyville over the two weeks ending on the Saturday before Labor
Day. Hotels and restaurants fill
to capacity, front yards serve as
discount parking lots, and the Celebration grounds become a Mecca
to smartly dressed devotees of the
Volunteer State’s revered highstepping icon.
l
Shelbyville
Eleven days of competition
climax in the final night’s crowning
of the World Grand Champion, an
honor that comes with incredible
bragging rights, a serious boost to
the pocketbook through endorsements and stud fees, and a permanent page in walking horse history.
Nearly all of the time, effort,
money, and history surrounding the
gala can be attributed to the single
most distinguishing and unforgettable trait of the champion Tennessee
walking horse: the “big lick.” This
high, exaggerated, front-leg step
usually found in the running-walk
gait is unique to the breed.
“The big lick is definitely the
star of the show,” says Dr. Doyle
Meadows, chief executive officer of the TWHNC. “Although
there are many other wonderful, conventional-gaited classes
that feature some terrific horses,
there’s no question that it’s the big
lick events that fill the stands.”
It’s also the big lick that has embroiled the walking horse industry
in controversy over the past several
decades, Meadows points out. After the action became popular with
judges and started drawing fans in
the early 1950s, some trainers began using inhumane and unethical
techniques to produce the big lick,
which is not a natural gait, in less
time and with less-talented horses.
The practice of “soring,” or using
various chemical agents to further
exaggerate the step, has long been
a black spot on the otherwise stel-
lar reputation of the industry as a
whole.
“Since the Horse Protection Act
[HPA] became federal law in 1970,
the practice of soring has been
prohibited, though industry insiders know that it remains a problem
to this day,” says Meadows, the
longtime University of Tennessee
Extension equine specialist who was
hired by the TWHNC in 2008 after
the 2006 Celebration was marred
by a dispute between trainers and
U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) inspectors. “On April 1,
2009, the industry took a significant
step in the right direction when the
board of directors of the National
Horse Show Commission [NHSC]
voted to dissolve.”
The NHSC, an entity that for
more than 30 years has provided
judges, inspectors (designated
qualified persons, or DQPs) and
the official show rulebook, reorganized as SHOW, which stands
for Sound horses, Honest judging,
Objective inspections, and Winning fairly. The NHSC had been
governed by an alliance of walking horse organizations staffed in
Dr. Doyle Meadows, chief executive officer
of the Tennessee Walking Horse National
Celebration, says the organization is
committed to presenting a “clean, sound
horse” at all of its events.
large part by trainers — a structure
viewed by many as a conflict of
interests — but SHOW answers
directly to the Celebration and
Meadows, in particular.
“Soring is something that has
gone on for many years, and great
strides have been made since the
HPA became law, ” says Meadows.
“However, we have a system that
has lacked oversight and consistency, and, by moving forward with
SHOW, we have begun to fix it.”
Meadows says that on April 2,
the day after reorganization, SHOW
terminated nine of its 35 DQPs for
various reasons related to ethics.
On June 15, the organization hired
(See Celebration, page 6)
News briefs
Prolonged spring rains limit
2009 wheat crop yields
An unusually wet spring held Tennessee’s winter wheat crop
this year to an estimated average yield of 54 bushels per acre, nine
fewer from a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
The NASS Tennessee Field office, reporting that most of the
state’s wheat harvest was completed by the first week of July, said that
disease caused by the prolonged rains limited production to an estimated 18.4 million bushels. Tennessee producers seeded 430,000
acres last fall, a 31-percent drop from the previous year. Harvested
acres for grain reached 340,000, down 180,000 from 2008.
Brewster retires as Valley Co-op manager
Fred Brewster, whose Co-op career spans more than 40 years,
retired at the end of June as manager of Athens-based Valley Farmers
Cooperative, a position he held since 1978. He has been succeeded
by Assistant Manager John Walker.
Brewster will remain at the Co-op to manage construction of a
new facility at the Athens location, a project that is expected to be
completed by the end of this year.
A 1967 graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville,
Brewster began his Co-op career in 1969 when he joined Tennessee
Farmers Cooperative’s management training program. He trained
at Knox Farmers Cooperative and later managed the Co-op’s Halls
branch. He was named manager of Greenback Farmers Cooperative
in 1975 where he served until being hired three years later to manage
McMinn Farmers Cooperative, a forerunner of Valley Farmers.
Walker, also a UT graduate, joined TFC’s training program in 1983
and worked initially at Bradley Farmers Cooperative. He became
manager of Monroe Farmers’ Sweetwater branch in 1986, where he
remained until 1991 when he joined the McMinn Farmers staff.
August 2009
5
Celebration
(continued from page 5)
two veterinarians, Dr. John Bennett and Dr. Steve Mullins — both
licensed by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP)
— to serve as temporary compliance
coordinators to oversee the DQP
program until a permanent position
can be filled.
“These guys still operate their vet
practices and are very busy,” says
Meadows. “But they are so dedicated and passionate about the walking
horse and want the Celebration to
be a success, they’ve agreed to be a
part of this process. They’ve already
brought consistency and fairness to
the inspection process.”
Bennett says that although he
had initial apprehensions, they were
overcome by a call to duty.
“I felt that if we’re going to
preserve this wonderful breed for
future generations, we needed to do
something,” says Bennett, noting
that the AAEP had, only months
before, formally recommended that
the DQP program be overseen by
equine veterinarians. “Dr. Mullins
and I agreed to do this work to the
best of our ability, and that means
treating everyone consistently and
according to the HPA, whether we
personally know them or not. This
is what allows me to sleep at night.”
Another key element to righting a
boat that “is upside down,” Meadows adds, is developing a better
relationship with USDA inspectors,
who many believe have unfairly attacked the walking horse industry.
“Let me be clear: I am totally
against and opposed to a sore horse
and the use of those practices, and
I am totally in favor of the HPA,”
Meadows says evenly. “But I am
not in favor of going beyond that.
I can, with confidence, say that
the Tennessee walking horse [in
competition] is the most scrutinized
athlete — animal or human — in
sports today. I’m including Major
League Baseball players, thoroughbred racers, marathon runners —
you name it. Walking horses are
the most checked, palpated, probed,
swabbed, and restricted animal anywhere, for any reason. And just as
we must clean up our act, we must
also make sure the government isn’t
overstepping its bounds.”
He believes the key to repairing
this strained relationship lies in the
walking horse industry’s ability to
consistently present a sound horse.
“As we do a better job, I think the
USDA will feel more positive toward
us as an industry,” says Meadows.
“By the same token, they need to
realize that we can’t fix a 40-year-old
problem overnight, and we have to
be given the latitude to implement
these changes.”
For all the challenges facing it,
Meadows and Bennett agree that
the industry is slowly but surely
heading in a much better direction
for everyone — and every horse —
involved. Meadows stresses that
a slightly less exaggerated big lick
can be achieved through proper and
humane training techniques and
should be recognized in the show
ring.
“We have worked hard to hire
qualified judges who will reward
sound, compliant, happy, goodgoing horses and not the crampy,
sore-looking ones,” he says. “Allow
the horse to hit a nice, pretty, fresh
lick and not do too much — and
these [judges] know when the horse
is doing too much. Many judges
have plenty of education, but some
aren’t making the right calls, and
we have to change that. It will start
with the 2009 Celebration.”
Bennett says that when the playing field is leveled through proper
judging and enforcement of the
HPA, the true qualities of the breed
will “rise to the top.”
“This is an amazing horse, more
than people realize,” he says. “The
elegance, smooth gait, and stoic nature of the breed are unmatched, in
my opinion, and I think these qualities will become more evident as the
industry consistently presents the
animal that God has given us. Not
only is soring immoral, dangerous,
Veterinarian Dr. John Bennett was hired in
June to serve as a temporary compliance
coordinator for the Celebration. Bennett
and Dr. Steve Mullins, both licensed
by the American Association of Equine
Practitioners, will oversee the DQP
(designated qualified person) program,
which provides event inspectors.
and flat wrong, it is simply unnecessary, and the public is against it. All
we need is the Tennessee walking
horse, nothing more.”
For more information about the
Tennessee Walking Horse National
Celebration, which will be held
Aug. 26 to Sept. 5, visit the organization’s Web site at www.twhnc.com.
Once in a while,
Something
Special
comes
around and
changes
things…
#1819
Big on taste! Dogs love it! Nutritional because it contains
100% of the nutrients needed to keep normal active adult
dogs energetic and healthy.
www.ourcoop.com
6
August 2009
forService and Quality
See your local Co-op for pricing.
TFC, member Co-ops acquire Agriliance operations
Purchase agreement includes selected stores in Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee
In a purchase agreement signed
July 28, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative is acquiring six Agriliance
retail agronomy operations in
Kentucky, Arkansas, and Missouri.
These businesses will be operated
as part of TFC’s subsidiary, ADI
Agronomy, a network of farm supply stores and fertilizer terminals
in the bootheel of Missouri.
With this agreement, TFC will
purchase the assets and inventory
of Agriliance locations in Hardinsburg and Morganfield, Ky.,
Blytheville and Paragould, Ark.,
and Portageville and Sikeston,
Mo. The acquisition will double
the number of ADI Agronomy
locations and is anticipated to
generate an additional $33 million
in sales volume. Collectively, the
ADI Agronomy operations, which
TFC acquired between 1995 and
1997, had sales of $25 million last
year.
“This move will bring growth to
TFC, which is an important part
of the success strategy developed
by our board of directors,” says
Bart Krisle, TFC chief executive
officer. “With these Agriliance
locations, we will have additional
outlets to expand our business,
resulting in increased sales and
profitability for our cooperative
system.”
In addition, six member Co-ops
— Mid-South, Gibson, Obion,
Weakley, Robertson Cheatham,
and Lawrence — will be acquiring
Agriliance locations in Tennessee.
These stores may either be oper-
ated as part of an existing cooperative or as independent businesses.
The products and services offered by these Agriliance stores are
predominantly agronomy-oriented.
The company was formed in
2000 as a joint venture of Land
O’Lakes, Inc., and CHS Inc., to
distribute and market crop nutrients, crop protection products,
seed, and related technical services through wholesale and retail
businesses. In 2007, Agriliance
began repositioning its business
segments, a strategy that involves
exiting the retail industry.
Agriliance will continue to operate these locations in Kentucky,
Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee
until the sale to TFC and its member Co-ops is closed on Aug. 31.
Tri-State Cow-Calf
Conference set for
Sept. 22, 23 at Gray
Timely topics, tours, and a
trade show will be featured at a
big Tri-State Cow-Calf Conference to be held Tuesday and
Wednesday, Sept. 22 and 23, at
the Appalachian Fairgrounds at
Gray in East Tennessee.
Tours of three area cow-calf
operations will begin at 1 p.m. on
Tuesday, followed by a light supper
and brief program. Wednesday’s
schedule, to begin at 8:30 a.m.,
will feature a Beef Cattle Outlook
presentation and discussions of
other topics of interest including
Utilization of By-Product Feeds
in Beef Cattle Diets, Managing
Genetic Defects and Enhancing
End Product, What a Cow-Calf
Producer Can Expect From a Custom Feedlot, Deciding Whether
to Market My Calves or Retain
Them, and Weaning Healthy
Calves.
A panel of Virginia cow-calf
producers will share information
on their operations on Wednesday, too, and a steak lunch will be
served at noon. A trade show, to
feature displays by agribusinesses
that support the cattle industry,
will be held throughout the day.
The conference is sponsored by
University of Tennessee Extension,
Virginia Cooperative Extension,
and North Carolina State University – A&T University. Advance
reservations for the conference
are requested. The fee is $10 per
person before Sept. 16 and $15 after that date. To register, contact
your county Extension office, and
for more information, visit
www.tnbeefcattleinitiative.org.
August 2009
7
Hidden hunger
Tissue sampling can help growers see problems their plants don’t show
ers peace of mind that their fertility program is doing what it should
or find problems that we can fix
so the crop will reach optimal
productivity.”
Story and photos by Allison Morgan
W
hat growers don’t know
may hurt their crops.
Unseen nutrient deficiencies could be stunting growth,
harming health, and limiting
yield, but looking at the plants or
consulting the soil test won’t help
identify those problems. The only
way to know whether a crop is adequately nourished is to have the
plant tissue analyzed during the
growing season, says Oscar Ruiz,
agronomist with A&L Laboratories
in Memphis.
“Many times a low nutrient
status may not be obvious — it’s
a ‘hidden hunger,’” says Oscar.
“While soil tests are great for determining a base line for a fertility
program, a plant tissue sample can
help make crucial in-season adjustments that can improve the crop’s
nutrition and increase profit.”
Although it’s been used heavily in the horticulture industry for
years, plant tissue sampling is now
becoming an important tool for
row-crop growers who are employing more intensive management
practices on their farms. This year,
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative began working closely with A&L Labs
to provide training on the proper
method of taking plant tissue
samples, and some Co-ops are beginning to add the service to their
precision agriculture programs.
“The Co-op system relies
heavily on preseason soil tests to
formulate fertility programs for
farmers, but that doesn’t account
for in-season nutrient deficiencies
that can occur because of weather,
variety differences, and cropping systems,” says Alan Sparkman, TFC agronomy marketing
manager. “Tissue sampling can
allow growers to really fine-tune
nutrient management and correct deficiencies before yields are
negatively impacted. For those
who are using precision agriculture practices on their farms, this
becomes the next logical step.”
Weakley Farmers Cooperative,
which has locations in Martin,
Gleason, and Greenfield, recently
established a precision agriculture program and added tissue
sampling to its menu of services,
which also includes grid sampling,
variable-rate lime and fertilizer
application, and nitrate nitrogen
testing. The Co-op also hired a
precision agriculture specialist,
Emily Clark, a recent University of
8
August 2009
l
Weakley County
Emily Clark, precision agriculture specialist for Weakley Farmers Cooperative, collects
samples of soybean leaves that will be used for tissue analysis to determine the plants’
nutrient status. This innovative service is being offered by the Co-op for the first time.
Emily shows Davie Stephens of Fulgham, Ky., which leaves she will collect for a tissue
sample in one of his cornfields. The Weakley Farmers Co-op customer, one of the first to
try the new service this summer, had several soybean fields sampled earlier by Emily.
Tennessee at Martin graduate and
TFC training program participant,
to handle these new programs.
After receiving extensive training from A&L Labs technicians,
Emily began tissue sampling corn
and soybean fields this spring and
summer and says the results have
been “eye-opening” for her and
the growers.
“These tests show something
we’ve never been able to see before — what the plant’s nutrient
status looks like in the middle of
the growing season,” says Emily.
“Even if you took soil samples this
winter and everything came back
fine, you still may not be getting
what you need into that plant.
These tests can either give produc-
Collecting the tissue samples
is a simple yet painstaking and
time-consuming process, explains
Emily, with stringent protocols
that must be followed to make
sure the sample isn’t compromised
before it reaches the lab. The first
step is to choose at least 10 plants
in random locations across the
field and collect the leaves that
have recently matured just below
the growing point. For instance,
on a corn plant before tasseling,
the sample would be taken from
the first fully developed leaves
from the top. Soybean plants,
prior to or during flowering, would
be sampled by collecting the most
recently matured trifoliate leaves
from the top.
Next, Emily washes and dries
the samples and then sends them
to A&L Labs, where the process
gets more complicated. The leaves
are pulverized, digested for metals by using two very strong acids,
filtered, and then scientifically analyzed for nutrient content. Results
are returned electronically within
one to two days of submission with
easy-to-read charts that indicate
the levels of the major elements —
nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and
potassium (K) — along with sulfur,
magnesium, calcium, sodium, boron, zinc, manganese, iron, copper,
and aluminum.
One of the first growers to take
advantage of Weakley Farmers Coop’s new tissue sampling service
was Davie Stephens, a poultry
producer and row-crop grower in
Fulgham, Ky. Davie and his father,
Jimmy, raise some 5,500 acres of
corn and soybeans, which they
fertilize with poultry litter from
their broiler houses along with
anhydrous ammonia for additional
nitrogen. Even though their soil
and litter analyses showed they
were applying adequate amounts of
nutrients, Davie says he was interested in seeing how the plants were
responding to this practice.
“We had Emily check soybeans
on our best farm, our worst, and
one that was kind of in the middle,” says Davie, who is secretary of
the Kentucky Soybean Association
Board. “I was just wondering if
what we were putting out there was
being utilized by the plant. They
all checked good. They’re getting
the nutrients they need. But if
I do have a problem, this type of
sampling can help us watch the
different nutrients to make sure
they don’t get out of whack.”
Even though Davie’s fields didn’t
require corrective action, samples
from other farms have shown
nutrient imbalances that could
prevent the crop from reaching its
full potential, explains Emily. This
is especially important with micronutrient deficiencies, which are
hard to diagnose without a tissue
sample. Although needed in smaller amounts than N, P, and K, micronutrients such as boron, copper,
iron, manganese, and zinc are also
key to plant health and production.
Growers often consider micronutrients only as an afterthought
in their fertility programs, and
most Tennessee soils lack enough
natural content of these minor elements to give the plants the proper
doses. Such deficiencies can result
in stunted growth and weakened
plants, making them more vulnerable to disease and insects.
“Just because they’re called
‘micronutrients’ doesn’t mean they
are less important to the plant than
the major elements,” says Alan.
“Micronutrients are intertwined in
nearly all of the plant’s processes,
and deficiencies in any of them can
be a limiting factor in the crop.”
Taking tissue samples early
enough in the season can allow
growers to catch these micronutrient deficiencies and correct them
with a foliar fertilizer before they
do much harm, explains Emily.
Co-op offers several types of liquid
micronutrient products that can
be conveniently applied when crop
protectants such as glyphosate or
fungicides are being sprayed midseason.
“A product can say it will increase the vigor of the plant and
make it more productive, but you
don’t really know if you need it
until you’ve done some testing,”
says Emily. “We say, ‘Let’s test
your plants and find out. Maybe
you need this product; maybe you
don’t. If the tissue sample says
you are right on track, then good.
If not, we know exactly what you
need and can tailor the treatment
to the needs of the field.’”
If there are no in-season deficiencies to correct, plant tissue
sampling is still a valuable tool
to monitor current fertilization
practices and make plans for the
next growing season, Emily adds.
It provides a record of nutrient
content that growers can use
throughout the growing season or
from year to year to adjust fertility
programs to the specific needs of
their farms.
“You can take your soil test, you
can spread your fertilizer, but if
you can’t make it all jive, the plant
doesn’t get what it needs,” says
Davie. “I was pretty proud of the
results we got back from these first
samples, and I’m ready to do some
more. It lets me know that what
we’ve been doing over the years is
actually working. You think it is
working, but you still don’t know
until you see it on paper.”
For more information about
plant tissue sampling, talk with
the crops specialists at your local
Co-op or visit A&L Labs online at
www.allabs.com.
Emily uses an all-terrain Kubota utility vehicle to gather her tissue samples. The samples
must be taken from recently matured leaves of plants in at least 10 locations randomly
chosen in each field. A&L Laboratories, where the tissue is analyzed, advises that proper
protocols be followed in collecting tissue samples so the test is not compromised.
August 2009
9
Seeing is believing
Croplan Genetics® shares
product knowledge
through its unique
Answer Plot® program
Matt Sowder, front, regional product manager for Croplan Genetics, gives Co-op employees a lesson on corn during a June 5 event at the
Answer Plot in Manchester. The Answer Plot program is a $15 million investment annually for Croplan’s parent company, Winfield Solutions.
Story and photos by Allison Morgan
C
rops are growing in neat
blocks. Variety names are
clearly marked. Informative signs are explaining different
management methods. Farmers
are listening as agronomists share
their expertise.
On the surface, this may look
like a typical test plot, but there’s
more here than meets the eye.
It’s one of the 138 Answer Plots
placed by Croplan Genetics across
the U.S. to provide farm suppliers and growers with technical
information about the company’s
products and the latest crop production practices.
10
August 2009
“The Answer Plot concept is so
much more than just which variety to plant next year,” says Matt
Sowder, regional product manager
for Croplan Genetics, the proprietary brand of corn, soybean, cotton, and wheat seed for Co-ops in
Tennessee. “It’s about a total agronomic system, placing the right
seed in the right environment. It’s
about having the customer come
here and see that we can deliver
more expertise than anyone else.”
Based on the idea that “seeing is
believing,” the Answer Plot program is the primary educational,
research, and promotional forum
for Winfield Solutions, a subsidiary of Land O’Lakes cooperative.
Answer Plots are both training
demonstrations and replicated
research trials, giving agronomists
and growers alike a chance to see
the products and technology in action from seed selection to harvest.
“I don’t think anyone else can
re-create what we are doing,” says
Matt. “Our approach is to work
with retailers, like Co-op, that have
an aggressive, service-oriented
business model. We arm our
salesmen and agronomists with the
right information, and then they
share that knowledge with their
growers. They’re the ones who
have the relationship with their
customers, and they should be the
ones to deliver that value.”
Since Tennessee Farmers
Cooperative entered into an
agreement to sell Croplan Genetics seed last year, the Answer Plot
program has played an important
role in introducing member Co-op
personnel and customers to this
cooperatively owned brand, says
Steve Cawood, Croplan program
manager in TFC’s Seed Department. This year, new Answer Plots
in Coffee and Crockett counties
were added to existing sites in Hopkinsville, Ky., and Decatur, Ala., to
serve farmers in this region. These
local plots incorporate Croplan’s
proven national programs and seed
specifically designed for Southern
soils and conditions.
“The whole philosophy behind
the Answer Plots is to train member Co-op employees so they can
go out on the farm with confidence
and help farmers select the right
varieties and do a better job of
growing their crop,” says Steve.
“These additional locations make
it easier for Co-ops to get their
people out to one of these plots
and receive this training.”
This summer, several “Knowledge Events” are giving many
Co-op representatives and customers their first chance to visit one of
these Answer Plots. Bill Brooks,
outside salesman for Mid-South
Farmers Cooperative, has attended
two sessions at the new site between Brownsville and Alamo. Bill
says the plot, located on the farm
of Mid-South Farmers customers
Jackie and Steven Fincher, has
been invaluable in helping him
learn about Croplan Genetics varieties and how to advise customers
in making seed decisions.
“The Answer Plot showcases a
lot of the Croplan products, but
the biggest benefit is the good, agronomic information about selecting and placing varieties,” says Bill.
“Plus, having events during different stages of the crop is beneficial,
too. It’s important to see how the
plants are progressing throughout
the season.”
The Answer Plot approach goes
well beyond simple yield trials by
conducting research on genetic
families, emergence, seed treatments, pest control, nutrient management, disease tolerance, disease
management, weed control, root
scores, seed brand comparisons,
season-long crop protection, and
much more.
“The truth is, we can have the
best hybrid and you put it in the
wrong situation, and what have
you got?” asks Matt. “It won’t be
very good. The right genetics with
proper placement and the right
management mean that we can get
the maximum expression of yield
from that genotype. In these plots,
that’s what we try to demonstrate.”
After the series of sessions for
member Co-op representatives is
complete, farmers will also have
an opportunity to visit the Answer
Plots during events planned just
for them. The growers can walk
the plots, get a hands-on look at
the plants, see what technology is
available, and learn how to position
it correctly on their farms. They
can speak one-on-one with Co-op
experts and take home materials
and seed guides to study and help
them make informed decisions.
“One of the main goals of the
Answer Plot system is to create
‘Wow!’ moments for farmers,” says
Matt. “That’s when a grower walks
through the plot and says, ‘I can’t
believe this! No one has ever told
me this before.’ We demonstrate
things he isn’t normally shown, and
then we show him how to put it
to work in his operation. It comes
down to profitability for our customers, making the right decision
for that farmer, being sustainable
and being smart about keeping him
in business for the longterm.”
To learn more about the Answer
Plot program, visit online at
www.answerplot.com. If you’re
interested in visiting one of the
Answer Plot locations in Tennessee or surrounding states, check
with your local Co-op manager or
agronomy specialist. Many
Co-ops are planning their own
grower events at these sites.
Croplan’s R7™
Placement Strategy
Croplan Genetics Answer
Plots are built around the idea
that smart seed decisions depend
on a combination of production
factors. The company calls it the
“R7 Placement Strategy.”
1. The right genetics: The
right hybrid allows you to grow
more consistently year after year.
2. The right soil type: Proper
seed selection cannot be made
without first considering soil type.
3. The right plant population:
Optimal plant population varies
from one hybrid to another, based
on ear type stress tolerance.
4. The right cropping system:
Varieties have different strengths
and weaknesses depending on
your cropping system.
5. The right traits: Selecting
the proper traits will protect your
crops and help them reach their
genetic potential.
6. The right plant nutrition:
Soil fertility and the plant nutrition plan influence the choice of
genetic family.
7. The right crop protection:
Growers need the right protection plan to defend the seed
investment.
LEFT: The Answer Plot sites include a variety of different crop demonstrations, including corn, soybeans, cotton, and even sunflowers. This
site in Decatur, Ala., is among four that serve the Co-op system. Others are in Hopkinsville, Ky., and Alamo and Manchester, Tenn. RIGHT:
Dickson Farmers Co-op’s Bennie Daniel listens as Matt explains the importance of proper spray nozzles in crop protection applications.
So, you have thoughts that are
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Pasture
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farm1194.indd 1
3/24/09 3:53 PM
August 2009
11
New at Co-op
®
Bulldog Wire Stretcher
This new wire stretcher is called the “Bulldog” because it gets a hold
on wire and won’t let go! Manufactured at Tennessee Farmers
Cooperative’s LaVergne Gate Plant, the Bulldog is designed to be the
best wire stretcher on the market. The handle is 14-gauge galvanized
tubing with a no-slip plastic grip. The wire gripper is a collar design on
a tapered shaft that holds the wire in place as you get ready to stretch
wire — no more clamps that let the wire fall out when you take your
hands away. The harder you pull, the tighter this gripper holds on the
wire. The Bulldog’s “teeth” extend down the side to allow a longer
pulling radius to stretch those long strands of wire without having them
slip off the post. The all-welded steel construction is more durable
than wooden handles that become brittle and break, and there are no
bolts to become loose and wobbly.
#15446
Radar Tires
A fresh innovation for light
trucks, SUVs, and passenger
vehicles, Radar tires are
manufactured with cuttingedge technology using the
very best in manufacturing,
materials, and safety measures. All Radar tires offer
added stability, balance,
excellent traction, greater
comfort and responsiveness,
and ultra-high performance
in all weather conditions.
Heavy-duty tread compounds add greater strength,
resistance to impact, durability, and safety to Radar tires.
Co-op offers several styles
and sizes to fit your needs.
RXS9
#713507 — P235/70R16
#713511 — P255/70R16
#713513 — P235/55R19
#713541 — P245/70R17
#713542 — P265/70R17
12
August 2009
RXS8
#713503 — P235/75R15
#713504 — P245/70R16
#713505 — P265/70R16
#713506 — P275/70R16
RLT9
#713545 — LT235/85R16
#713546 — LT245/75R16
#713548 — LT265/75R16
#713549 — LT285/75R16
Wintermore Annual Ryegrass
A blend of two elite, proprietary annual
ryegrass varieties, Farm
Science Genetics Wintermore was designed to
deliver outstanding yields
and hold up to the cold
temperatures that can
hinder fall establishment
and winter survival in the
transition zone of the
east-central U.S., including Tennessee, portions
of surrounding states, and
further north. Wintermore combines the superior cold tolerance and
excellent disease resistance of Winterhawk with
the consistent high yields
of DH-3. Wintermore
annual ryegrass also offers quick establishment,
excellent palatability, and
good transition back to
permanent grasses. This
annual ryegrass variety
will deliver consistent
high yields, superior cold
tolerance, and excellent
disease resistance.
#80568
First Choice
Tall Fescue
with
Aquabond™
First Choice Tall Fescue
from Turf Science Genetics, a consistent choice for
Tennessee lawns, is now
available with Aquabond
seed coating featuring
Nutri-Start technology.
This coating can store
more than 200 times its
weight in water to release
a steady supply of moisture as the plants need it,
effectively reducing watering frequency by up to 50
percent. It is non-toxic,
safe, and economical to
use. The coating features
manganese, zinc, and iron
nutrients to continually
feed the seed and ensure
improved germination and
#714013 (50-pound bag)
emergence. First Choice
#714018 (25-pound bag)
Tall Fescue with Aquabond
#714022 (10-pound bag)
is available in three convenient sizes to fit your needs: 50-pound, 25-pound, and 10-pound bags.
Neighborly Advice Crops
6
Six steps to successful
pasture stand establishment
A
good stand
of grass is
the first
step in successful
pasture management. Thin stands
make management
more difficult because of decreased
Gary Bates
forage production
University of Tennessee
and increased weed
Extension Forage Specialist pressure. Successful stand establishment will help save
considerable time, money, and frustration.
Following these steps can help you start out
with a thick grass stand, allowing it to be
productive and profitable over its life.
1. Fertilize according to soil test.
To create a favorable environment for
forage seed, start by providing the nutrients needed for germination and seedling
growth. Plants need optimum pH plus
adequate nitrogen, potash, and phosphate.
The more acid the soil, the less these nutrients are available and the more conditions
favor weeds over forage. Lime and fertilizer
applications should be based on soil test
results.
2. Plant Aug. 15 to Oct. 15.
Plants need to be seeded when temperature, day length, and moisture favor the
young seedlings. Tall fescue is the most
productive during the spring and fall when
temperatures are relatively cool and moisture is plentiful. Hot, dry conditions during
the summer cause a somewhat dormant period for tall fescue. The response of a plant
to environmental conditions will be even
more dramatic when it is a seedling.
3. Plant into a killed sod or seedbed.
A young seedling is very sensitive to competition from weeds or existing grass. The
best situation is to plant into a seedbed that
has been sprayed to kill all existing vegetation or has been worked up to mechanically
kill the competition. If you are trying to
increase the plant population of a field
by drilling into an existing stand, be
sure to graze or clip the field down to
2 inches prior to seeding.
4. Plant 15-20 pounds of seed
per acre.
Plant enough seed to ensure a full
stand. The maximum production from a
hay field or pasture can only be achieved
if enough plants are present to produce
the yield. Take a few minutes before
planting and check the seed flow rate
of your broadcast seeder or no-till drill.
If they are not properly calibrated, you
could plant too little seed, resulting in
a poor stand, or plant too much seed,
causing you to have to buy more seed
to finish the remainder of a field. Do
not always depend on the seeding charts
shown in the owner’s manuals of drills;
as seeders get used, seed flow rates may
change. Determine the amount of seed
planted over an acre, and then adjust the
seed flow rate to meet the seeding recommendations.
5. Plant when moisture is available.
Water is the most critical nutrient for
plant survival. In particular, you must
have adequate soil moisture for no-till
plantings. The drill has to slice open a
furrow, drop the seed, and then press
the soil together for good soil-to-seed
contact. If the soil is dry, it may be too
hard for the disk openers to get into the
soil, resulting in a poor stand because
seed was dropped on top instead of into
the ground. Seeds also need moisture
to germinate. Often there is just enough
moisture for the seed to begin to grow,
but the seedling dries up and dies from
moisture stress before the root system
can get established. Don’t be lulled into
thinking that just because you are able
to drill or disk a field, all problems are
solved. Without adequate moisture, seedlings have no hope of getting established.
6. Plant ¼ to ½ inch deep.
The first few weeks of a seedling’s life
are the most difficult. When a seed germinates, it must push its way through the
soil to the surface so it can receive sunlight. Once in the sun, it can produce
its own energy. Until that happens, it
must depend on energy stored
in the seed to grow. Tall
fescue and orchardgrass
should be planted between
¼ and ½ inches deep. Any
deeper and the seed may
run out of energy before
it reaches the soil’s
surface.
New Kixor herbicide
offers powerful, flexible
weed control options
With the spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds
such as mare’s tail and pigweed, crop protection
companies are racing to bring new products to the
marketplace to address this growing problem.
One such technology is the new Kixor herbicide,
available this fall from BASF. A new active ingredient and the only
herbicide found in
the pyrimidinedione
class of chemistry,
Kixor provides both
foliar and residual
control of more
than 70 broadleaf
weeds, including
Kixor herbicide was introduced this
summer during a series of plot tours
those resistant to
for industry and media representatives.
glyphosate and ALS Here, at an event on July 1 in Hoytville,
Ohio, BASF’s Doug Haller, and Caren
herbicides. Kixor
Judge discuss the new technology.
will be a family of
products in four formulations that are safe for more
than 30 different crops, including corn, soybeans,
cotton, cereal grains, sorghum, and more. It can
be used alone or mixed with glyphosate and applied
preplant for “fast and complete” burndown.
The product of some 10 years of research and
development, Kixor works by inhibiting a key step
in chlorophyll biosynthesis. Sensitive weeds cannot
metabolize the product, showing signs of shutting
down a few hours after treatment. BASF says results
from U.S. field trials show that Kixor kills tough
broadleaf weeds three to five times faster than the
closest competitors.
BASF expects Kixor technology to be registered
this fall, and the product should be available at your
local Co-op for the spring 2010 growing season.
Keys to pasture fertilization
Proper pH — At a low soil pH, legumes don’t
grow well, and fertilizer and herbicides aren’t as effective as they should be. Soil-test to find out if the
pH is low, and correct with lime. Other than moisture, it’s the most limiting factor for forage yields.
Nitrogen — Grass pastures respond best to
nitrogen. Cool-season forages like fescue begin
to grow in the fall, so apply 60 pounds of nitrogen
to take advantage of that growth. Research has
shown that grass yields measured in terms of dry
forage, cow grazing days, or live weight gains can be
increased two to three times or more by fertilizing
with nitrogen.
Phosphorous — This nutrient is very important
to maintaining a forage stand and producing top
yields. Phosphorus (P) increases the uptake and
translocation of magnesium (Mg). Applying P and
Mg in balance can help prevent grass tetany and
build a strong root system.
Potassium — Pastures and especially hayfields
have high potassium requirements. Pastures low
in potassium lose clover stands more readily since
legumes have a harder time competing for potassium than the established grass. Monitor levels
with a soil test.
Sulfur — Kansas research has shown that 10
pounds of sulfur per acre resulted in a forage yield
increase of more than 7 percent. Sulfur is an essential element for nitrogen use and efficiency.
August 2009
13
Neighborly Advice Dairy
Strategies for effectively managing fresh cows
F
resh cows
are fragile
cows. At
a time when
they are ramping up to hit
peak milk production, they’re
also at their
Todd Steen
greatest risk.
TFC Nutritionist
With the stress
of calving and tremendous nutrient demand for colostrum and
milk production, fresh cows endure multiple hormonal and metabolic changes. These changes,
combined with low to inadequate
feed intake or dry-matter intake
(DMI), can also lead to variations
in nutrient metabolism.
Although metabolic disorders
often begin prior to calving, early
recognition of these problems after calving is vital for a successful
lactation. Fresh cows should be
monitored and observed regularly
throughout the day and should
not be mixed with a large group
where individual health, DMI, and
14
August 2009
eating patterns cannot be readily
examined. While individual DMI
may not be easily measured, you
can observe the cow’s behavior,
eating habits, and how well she
competes for feed with other fresh
cows. Some facilities simply do
not provide enough flexibility for
multiple groupings, but segregating very early lactation cows into
their own group for a relatively
short period of time is ideal. Do
not house fresh cows with sick or
other special needs cows.
If a dairy cow experiences
undue stress or disease shortly
after calving, not only is peak milk
decreased, but production for the
entire lactation is also negatively
affected. Following these strategies
will help you manage fresh cows
more effectively and keep them on
a healthy, productive course:
l Feed intake. It is essential that cows consume feed and
chew their cud. Remember, with
the onset of lactation, cows are in
a negative energy balance. Enhancing total feed — and there-
fore energy — intake is critical.
Cows should be examined to ensure proper rumen motility (two
or more movements per minute).
Additionally, cows lose significant
amounts of muscle — 60 to 80
pounds — in the first weeks of
lactation. Therefore, diets should
be formulated to not only contain as much energy as possible,
without risk of acidosis, but also
protein.
l Body temperature. It is
not uncommon for fresh cows to
run a high temperature for one
to three days after calving. Until
the temperature returns to normal
(under 102.5 degrees for first-calf
heifers and under 103 degrees for
older cows), DMI and health can
be compromised. If a temperature
continues and the cow appears
sick, plan treatment protocol with
a veterinarian.
l Uterine health. A common problem among fresh cows
is metritis, an inflammation of
the entire uterine wall caused by
bacterial infection. Observe fresh
cows for discharges and odors that
indicate an infection has developed. Work with a veterinarian
to have a treatment intervention
plan. Metritis can prove to be
costly not only in treatment but
also in future reproduction efficiency.
l Palatable ration. Feeding
fresh cows highly digestible fiber
sources has been shown to aid in
DMI. Providing 3 to 5 pounds
of high-quality baled hay will
stimulate cud-chewing and rumen
function and can prevent other
disorders such as acidosis, ketosis,
etc. Data from feeding trials show
that proper balance of protein can
enhance DMI. It is important to
properly fortify the cow’s diet with
vitamins and minerals to enhance
the immune system. Also avoid
high-iron feedstuffs during this
time. Dietary iron concentrations
greater than 800 parts per million
and water iron greater than .5-2
parts per million is excessive and
could reduce effectiveness of the
immune system.
Colostrum replacers deliver critical nutrients
C
alves
represent
the future of
every dairy
herd, and delivering proper
nutrients
Tom Earlywine, Ph.D. during their
first critical
Land O’Lakes Animal
hours of life is
Milk Products
vital to their
survival. Feeding essential diseasefighting antibodies and immunoglobulins (commonly called IgG)
should be accomplished within the
calf ’s first hours of life and must
be done before its ability to absorb
antibodies declines dramatically.
At 8 hours of age, absorption can
be as low as 50 percent of what it
was at birth. While quality maternal colostrum is considered the
gold standard for feeding these
nutrients, it may not be available
on many farms. Harvesting clean,
high-quality maternal colostrum
can be a challenge for a variety
of reasons: inadequate dry cow
nutrition, poor cow preparation,
inadequate facilities, poorly trained
personnel, or mediocre equipment
sanitation. Producers also face
Co-op nutritionist
Todd Steen is UT
‘distinguished alumni’
Todd Steen, ruminant nutritionist in Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s Animal Nutrition Department, received the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award from the
University of Tennessee Student
Livestock Association. That group
is a combination of the university’s
former Block and Bridle Club and
Student Cattlemen’s Association.
The award recognizes a “UT
Department of Animal Science
alumnus who has made significant
contributions to the state and national agricultural industry.” The
award was presented to Steen during a banquet on April 21 at the
UT Knoxville agricultural campus.
“I’m honored that UT would
even consider me for this award,”
says Steen. “The list of industry
leaders who have been given this
honor in the past is impressive,
and I consider it a privilege to be
included among them.”
Steen, who has been with TFC
since February 1999, graduated
in 1990 from UT Knoxville with a
master’s degree in ruminant nutrition.
challenges with proper cooling,
storage and feeding protocols when
attempting to provide calves with
clean and healthy colostrum.
Land O’Lakes (LOL) Colostrum
Replacement is one management
tool that can be a healthy alternative to maternal colostrum and get
calves off to a healthy start. Here’s
how this product can work in a
variety of situations:
l In poor sanitation situations,
LOL Colostrum Replacement can
assist in filling the void until management resolves the contamination problem.
l When maternal colostrum
is low quality, LOL Colostrum
Replacement supplies a calf with
at least 100 grams of IgG. Calves’
immune systems use these antibodies to identify and neutralize
foreign invaders such as viruses
and disease.
l Calves receiving LOL Colostrum Replacement achieve serum
IgG levels of at least 10 grams per
liter, a desirable level for adequate
passive transfer.
The effectiveness of different
colostrum replacement products
can vary significantly. Even when
fed to deliver the same amount
of antibodies, different colostrum
replacers may produce varying
results.
In a side-by-side product comparison conducted in 2006, variations among colostrum replacers
became apparent.
l 81 percent of calves fed LOL
Colostrum Replacement containing 100 grams of IgG achieved
adequate passive transfer.
l Only 10 percent of calves fed
a different commercial product
containing 100 grams of IgG in the
same trial achieved adequate passive transfer.
With such a variance in passive
transfer between products, producers should not base their colostrum
replacer decision upon the amount
of IgG listed on a package label. It
is important to use those colostrum
replacers that have been proven
effective through research and are
tested and approved by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Land O’Lakes Colostrum
Replacement is the only USDAapproved colostrum replacement
product on the market. It is made
of natural whole dried colostrum
and contains greater than 100
grams of IgG per dose. If your
Colostrum replacements are an effective
alternative to maternal colostrum to help
get calves off to a healthy start.
product says globulin protein on
the label, you have no assurance of
quality and performance.
Colostrum supplements should
not be confused with colostrum
replacements. Colostrum supplements contain less than 100 grams
of IgG per dose, and the IgG available within colostrum supplements
is often absorbed poorly.
When maternal colostrum is not
available, proven products such as
Land O’Lakes Colostrum Replacement are an effective substitute for
the real thing. While supplements
are available for improved quality, some offer little value and can
even hinder quality of the maternal
colostrum to a greater extent.
Check with the animal nutrition experts at your local Co-op to
learn more about LOL Colostrum
Replacement and how it can work
on your farm.
Dry period is ideal for cow vaccinations
A
s fall approaches,
many dairy producers
will have several cows
heading into the dry period.
While this allows the cow to
rest before she heads into her
next lactation, it also is an opportune time to do some health
procedures. This also coincides
Dr. Kevin Cox
conveniently with the fact that
Co-op Vet Health
many cattle producers, both
beef and dairy, do their cattle workings in the
spring and fall.
The dry period is such a good time to do vaccinations because milk production is not hindered
by the stress of giving the vaccines. Depending on
the vaccine used, milk production can be significantly reduced if given during a lactation cycle.
During the dry period, cows are in late gestation,
and care should also be taken to use vaccines that
are approved for use in pregnant animals. Most
killed vaccines are considered safe, and there are
several modified live vaccines available on the
market now that are approved for pregnant animals if a certain protocol has been followed.
The type of vaccines given in the dry period
is often determined by which type of colostrum
is used. If cow colostrum is given directly to the
calves from cows on the farm, the vaccinations
given to the cow in the dry period are extremely
important. In this case, you should consider vac-
cinating cows in the dry period with scour control
vaccines. These vaccines need to be given 45-60
days prefreshening, and, depending on which
brand is used, they may need to be given more
than once during that period. Scour control vaccines will help the cow create colostrum that will
help control the scour diseases the baby calf will
encounter in its first few weeks of life.
Colostridial vaccines are also important if
the colostrum is to be used in the calves. While
blackleg is not often a major concern in adult
cattle, it is often a recommended vaccine because
it helps the cow create quality colostrum that
protects against blackleg for the baby calf.
Additionally, the dry period is a good time to
vaccinate cows for other major diseases such as
IBR (infectious bovine rhinotracheitis), BVD (bovine viral diarrhea) type I and II, BRSV (bovine
respiratory syncytial virus), and PI3 (parainfluenza-3) as well as leptospirosis. Various other
vaccines may need to be considered depending
on the farm’s individual needs and management
style.
There are a few other health related things to
consider at this time of year. It is a good idea to
think about a fall deworming, especially if cattle
were not dewormed during the spring. It is also
very important to remember to remove old insecticide ear tags at the end of summer. This time
often coincides with the beginning of the dry
period for many dairy cows.
August 2009
15
Neighborly Advice Beef
Organic selenium keeps cattle healthier, more productive
I
n the
never-ending quest
to help cattle
unlock the
potential in
available forages, mineral
supplementaDr. Paul Davis
tion is a widely
accepted
TFC Nutritionist
practice.
Perhaps none of the components
in a commercial cattle mineral
mix has such a storied and colorful history as selenium. In animal
nutrition, selenium has truly gone
from goat to hero. Once feared
as a carcinogen, selenium is now
recognized as an essential mineral.
The benefits of including selenium
in cattle diets are numerous and
economically beneficial.
Feeding supplemental selenium has been shown to improve
fertility in male and female cattle,
increase growth rate, and enhance
immune function. In synergy with
vitamin E, selenium provides an
integral part of an animal’s cellular antioxidant defense system.
Selenium deficiencies are detrimental to fertility and can cause
cystic ovaries, retained placentas,
abortions, stillbirths, and reduced
sperm motility. Infertility in cattle
can be costly in terms of time
and money. Estimates are that
improved reproductive efficiency
has the potential to reduce beef
production costs by about $800
million. As cow-calf producers,
we all strive to get a high percentage of cows bred and to shorten
the overall calving season. Maintaining cows in adequate selenium
status may be helpful in accomplishing such goals.
Insufficient selenium also impacts newborn calves. They may
suffer from nutritional myodegeneration or white muscle disease,
which causes calves to be born
weak with noticeable stiffness
and possibly unable to stand and
suckle. A chronic selenium deficiency can occur in older animals,
leading to anorexia, emaciation,
generalized muscle weakness,
diarrhea, susceptibility to disease,
and an unthrifty appearance.
Conditions known as buckling and
shoulder lameness are observed in
selenium-deficient feeder calves,
and the costs associated with
these afflictions may seriously
reduce the profit margin of stocker
or feedlot operations.
Fortunately, severe selenium
deficiencies are somewhat rare.
Rather, subclinical deficiencies, or
those without visible symptoms,
are much more prevalent. These
situations are what cattle own-
ers and managers should guard
against. In general, commercially
manufactured cattle feed and
supplements contain at least some
supplemental selenium. However, given its early implications
as a carcinogen, the use of selenium as a supplement to livestock
garners much caution from feed
manufacturers, animal scientists,
and nutritionists. The U.S. Food
and Drug Administration strictly
regulates the amount of supplemental selenium that can legally
be included in feeds for livestock.
Whether we raise cattle as
show animals, as a pastime, or as
our livelihood, we can enhance
our efforts by using a solid mineral supplementation program
that includes highly bioavailable
sources of essential trace elements. Unfortunately, much of
the supplemental selenium currently being used in cattle diets
comes from sodium selenite that
is not readily absorbed or incorporated into animal tissues. This is
due to bioreduction by the “bugs”
in the rumen, rendering a large
portion of selenium unable to be
absorbed. Furthermore, the added
stresses of weaning, transportation, heat stress, and the high
sulfur content of some Tennessee forages and grain byproducts
increase an animal’s selenium
requirement. Fortunately, an
organic source of selenium, such
as selenium yeast, has about 40
percent more bioavailability than
sodium selenite.
Since we are limited as to the
amount of selenium that we may
use as a supplement, it is logical
and reasonable to use a more bioavailable source of selenium as a
way to gain that competitive edge.
All products in the new Co-op
cattle mineral line use selenium
yeast as a source of selenium.
Selenium yeast is also included
in some feeds — such as Co-op
Super Starter (#94250) — that
are often used in times of stress as
well as many Co-op show feeds.
Just think, by supplementing
with a superior source of selenium
and maintaining health status,
cattle may be able to spare some
protein and energy that might
otherwise be used to ward off
sickness and disease. These extra
nutrients could very well be used
to produce milk, rebreed more
quickly, or gain more weight. All
of these positive factors could add
dollars to your operation’s bottom
line.
Visit with the feed experts at
your local Co-op to learn more
about supplementation with our
quality line of minerals and the
benefits of selenium yeast.
Davis leads selenium session at
international nutrition symposium
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative nutritionist Dr. Paul Davis shared a
similar message about the importance and benefits of selenium in beef
cattle diets during the 25th International Animal Health and Nutrition
Symposium May 17-20 in Lexington, Ky.
The annual symposium, sponsored by the animal health company
Alltech, is regarded as a premier industry conference, known for the
caliber of speakers and research presented. This year’s conference
theme was “The Sustainability Principle: Securing Long-Term Profitability in a Period of Crisis.”
The meeting offered both general sessions and species-specific
presentations with professionals from around the world exchanging
ideas and strategies and offering solutions for challenges in the animal
nutrition industry. Davis and other industry experts discussed different ways agriculture can help turn economic challenges into opportunities. Topics on the agenda included traceability, sustainability, feed
costs, and the other issues affecting the bottom line for those in the
industry.
The TFC nutritionist spoke during the beef portion of the symposium, which also featured sessions on dairy, swine, poultry, equine,
aquaculture, and feed regulations. Other beef-related speakers included Texas Tech professor Michael Galyean, Mike Engler of Texasbased Cactus Feeders, Leah Marquess of Canadian-based Quantum
Genetics, and University of Kentucky professors Les Anderson and
Eric Vanzant.
16
August 2009
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative nutritionist Dr. Paul Davis was a featured speaker during
the beef segment of the recent International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium in
Lexington, Ky. Davis spoke about selenium supplementation.
Front-to-back tips for selecting a squeeze chute
S
ome
of you
are old
enough to
remember
cattle headgates manufactured out
Kary Collier
of wood —
you may have
TFC Hardware
even made
Program Manager
one yourself.
Times have changed, and so have
cattle. We have witnessed the
emergence of larger and stronger breeds of cattle because our
changing market has demanded it.
To effectively manage today’s
cattle, we are constantly looking
for bigger and better equipment to
get the job done. Cattle headgates
and squeeze chutes are more sophisticated than ever with numerous options that can bewilder even
the most savvy cattle producer.
Here are some points to consider as you select a cattle squeeze
chute. We’ll begin at the front of
the chute — the headgate — and
work our way to the rear.
l The Headgate — If you are
in the habit of working your livestock alone or with limited help,
consider an automatic or selfcatch headgate. This type can be
preset to allow the animal to catch
itself. From a safety standpoint,
it’s never an ideal situation to
work cattle alone, but the reality is
that sometimes we find ourselves
with no other alternative. Cattlemen who are fortunate to have
assistance may prefer a manual
headgate. The operator must
physically open and close this type
gate in order to catch an animal.
A valuable consideration with
headgates (both self-catch and
manual) is the distance between
stanchions when the headgate is
fully closed. To effectively control
small calves, for example, this
distance should be no more than
three inches.
In recent years, with more
emphasis on Beef Quality Assurance, neck bars or neck extensions
have become a popular option or
permanent feature on many headgates. These make the neck area
more accessible for vaccinations
and other procedures.
Today, nearly all brands of
headgates have features that allow
you to adjust the opening of the
gate for larger or smaller heads.
This is especially critical when
running a cow-calf operation.
Another important feature is the
ability to reverse the controls of
the headgate from right side to left
side. You may be able to choose
either a right-handed or left-handed headgate at point of purchase.
l The Squeeze —Immediately
behind the headgate, we find the
actual “squeeze” section of the
chute. Depending on the manufacturer, the squeeze operates in
one of three ways:
1. Both sides may squeeze toward each other while pivoting at
the bottom (in a “V” pattern).
2. One side may squeeze while
the other remains stationary.
3. Both sides may squeeze
while remaining parallel with each
other. This option allows the animal to remain upright with weight
equally distributed on all four legs.
Access to the animal’s back and
torso should be available via several “drop bars” along the sides of
the chute. In addition, the lower
half of each side should be removable or hinged to swing out of the
way so that legs and hooves are
accessible. Equally important is
the ability to adjust the side panels
in or out to accommodate smaller
or larger animals. Those of you
who have had an animal “go
down” (suffer anaphylactic shock
or otherwise collapse) while inside
the chute will know how crucial it
is to be able to open at least one
side of the chute to extricate the
animal. The chances of losing an
animal are much greater if your
chute does not have this option.
This side-opening feature can also
be used for sorting.
l The Floor — We should
not overlook the floor of the
chute. Most chutes today have
steel floors, but as long as the
floor is cleated in some fashion to
provide traction, you should not
have problems. A more expensive floor option that is becoming
increasingly popular is a “rumber”
floor made of a composite rubber material that offers extremely
good traction while still providing
excellent durability. Keep in mind
that all floor surfaces will last longer and be much safer if cleaned
frequently.
l The Tailgate — As we turn
our attention to the rear of the
chute, there are primarily three
types of tailgates available: vertical
lift, split, and horizontal slide.
The vertical lift tailgate is gen-
erally operated by pulling a rope
to raise the gate. A latch will
hold the gate in the raised position until it is released and the
gate can be lowered. The split
tailgate functions much like a
pair of scissors. Two “half-gates”
pivot to each side to open, and
the process is reversed to close.
The horizontal slide type incorporates a single gate that rolls on
a track to the side. Experience
tells us that the split tailgate is
preferred by most cattlemen, but
it does increase the overall cost
of a chute compared to the other
tailgates.
Two chute accessories are
worth mentioning: a wheel kit and
palpation cage. If you are working cattle at multiple locations and
don’t have handling equipment
at each place, a wheel kit will
allow you to move a chute from
one site to another. A palpation
(palp) cage is an option suited for
producers who pregnancy-check
or artificially inseminate. Palp
cages are also beneficial when
castrating and performing other
jobs requiring access to the rear of
the animal. Most palp cages are
an “add-on” accessory, but some
are included as part of the overall
construction.
While these are basic considerations, this article does not intend
to replace the advice available
from the livestock equipment professionals at your local Co-op or
University of Tennessee Extension
Service. You can also check out
www.tncattlelane.org for more
tips on selecting a squeeze chute.
Trace minerals benefit
beef cows, newborn calves
A balance of energy, protein, minerals, and
vitamins is vital for ensuring optimum production in the cow herd. Requirements for these
nutrients increase during late pregnancy to
meet fetal growth demands and milk production as well as through breeding to help cows
achieve timely breed-back.
Body condition score is a visual measurement that allows producers to quickly judge
Dr. Connie Larson
the adequacy of protein and energy in the diet.
Zinpro Corporation
However, it is much more difficult to assess
Research Nutritionist
the mineral status of the cow herd. Marginal
trace mineral deficiencies can decrease profits by lowering conception rates and weaning weights or increasing treatment costs associated with herd health. Trace minerals that have a key role in reproduction, herd health and calf performance include copper, zinc,
manganese, cobalt, and selenium.
Providing trace mineral supplementation can help maintain the
productivity of the beef herd through immune response and weight
gain in calves and encourage timely breed-back of cows early in the
breeding season. When trace minerals in the Availa®4 complex, an
ingredient in Zinpro Performance Minerals, were provided to cows
during late pregnancy through to the start of the breeding season,
a positive shift in mineral status was observed compared to supplementation with equal levels of inorganic sources of these trace
minerals. This shift resulted in improved reproductive performance
of the cows early in the breeding season.
Feeding adequate levels of trace minerals is not only critical for
the cow but also for her newborn calf. The calf relies on the trace
mineral stores that it acquires from the cow during the last 90 days
of pregnancy, and this can influence calf health and growth. Approximately 30 percent of the liver copper and zinc in a newborn calf
is mobilized through the blood in the first four days of life. These
minerals are needed for immune function and a number of other
enzyme systems. A calf born with mineral deficiencies is more prone
to health problems that can result in higher treatment costs and
lower weaning weights on the beef operation. Assess your mineral
program to be sure production goals for weaning are on track.
August 2009
17
The crowd at its 50th anniversary celebration proves Anderson
Farmers Cooperative’s appeal spreads beyond the barnyard
LEFT: At her Hillside Daylily Farm in Mountain City, owner and grower Nancy Tyner, left, unearths a healthy Ruby Spider plant for customer Joanne Graybeal of Creston, N.C. Nancy began growing
daylilies in 1996 and has since expanded her operation to eight fields covering one acre. RIGHT: Seen up close with its vivid colors, it’s little wonder why daylilies like the Ruby Spider are so popular.
Country kaleidoscope
Zorb Smoky Mountains is a one-of-a-kind, head-over-heels thrill ride
Business is blooming at Nancy Tyner’s Hillside Daylily Farm
Story and photos by Chris Villines
W
hen she was just 8 years
old, Nancy Tyner raised
a small vegetable garden
on her family’s West Virginia farm.
The young girl handled the operation by herself, developing a work
ethic and independence that continue to serve her well today.
“I loved having my own little
garden all to myself,” Nancy
recalls. “I would carry buckets
of cow manure and water to my
tomato plants, and I didn’t want
anyone helping me.”
More than 50 years have
passed, but there’s still nothing
Nancy enjoys more than a solo dig
in the dirt. But now her garden is
bigger — considerably bigger. And
the emphasis has changed from
vegetables to flowers. Nancy is
now in charge of eight patches of
colorful daylilies scattered around
the scenic Mountain City farm
she and husband Lacy have called
home for the past 24 years.
Since 1996, Nancy has grown
and sold an ever-expanding array of the hardy perennial flowers
from her Hillside Daylily Farm,
which she started with just a dozen
plants. She has gradually built up
her operation over time and now
18
August 2009
has an amazing kaleidoscope of
colorful fields that encompasses
“right at an acre” and includes
more than 1,000 daylily varieties. She sells them directly off the
farm during peak season, which
typically runs from mid-June to
mid-August.
Mountain City
l
“When we moved here from
Orlando we wanted to semiretire,” says Nancy. “Then I got
into daylilies, which is the hardest work I’ve ever done, but I love
it the best. Every plant that is in
the ground here I planted myself.
Planting and watching them grow
are what I really enjoy.”
It was a visit to a daylily farm in
North Carolina that gave Nancy
the idea that something similar
would work back home.
“This little old lady who ran
the farm was in her 80s, and she
had about 12 rows of daylilies,”
explains Nancy. “I was in hog
heaven. While I was there, I decided that there wasn’t any reason
I couldn’t do this myself. I knew I
had the land and loved flowers.”
When she arrived back home,
Nancy made her best sales pitch to
Lacy. He was a bit skeptical.
“I asked him if he would help
me make a daylily farm, and he
said, ‘What is that?’” says Nancy
with a grin. “I told him I wanted
to sell flowers on the farm, and he
told me no one would come out
here because it’s too far off the
beaten path. But he said if I could
sell some he would help me.”
Over time, word about Hillside Daylily Farm spread, and
now Nancy has dozens of regular
customers and also welcomes new
lily-lovers like Joanne Graybeal of
Creston, N.C., who was looking to
add another variety to the 20 types
of daylilies in her own garden.
“Aren’t these gorgeous?” declares Joanne as she eyes the Ruby
Spider variety Nancy has just dug
up for her. “What’s not to like?
They’re always so comforting to
look at. Every day, I go out to see
which ones have opened up.”
With its ruby red petals and
yellow throat, the Ruby Spider is
one of the most popular varieties
among growers. But, as Nancy
points out, this daylily and the
1,000-plus other varieties she
grows are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the number
of choices on the market.
“There are probably between
50,000-60,000 varieties, but a lot
of them are similar,” she notes.
“There can be just the tiniest bit
of difference between two varieties, but if you put one flower next
to another, you’ll notice. That’s
where hybridizing comes in.”
Hybridizing, which involves
combining two different varieties through cross-pollination, has
become an increasingly popular
trend among commercial daylily
growers. Simply put, a grower
selects two varieties to cross and
transfers the pollen from one lily
to the pistil of the other. If the
transfer proves compatible, the
resulting seeds can be planted to
grow the new variety.
“Almost every grower is doing
hybridization now,” Nancy says.
“Unless you are just growing old
varieties, it’s the way to go. What
keeps people coming to buy are
the new varieties. If you sell the
same old thing year after year,
people won’t come, and if I didn’t
have something different to look
forward to every year, I think I
would get burned out.”
Nancy adds that growing these
new varieties takes not only a good
amount of land but patience as
well.
LEFT: Instead of metal placards, Nancy writes her different varieties
on plastic spoons. The metal markers oxidize over time, Nancy
says, making the names hard to read. BELOW: Tri-State Growers
cooperative Manager Terry Snyder, left, and Tri-State employee
Caroline Brown, center, listen as Nancy offers advice on caring for
daylilies. Caroline started growing daylilies four years ago and now
partners with Nancy.
“I needed space,
and that’s how Caroline got started,” says
Nancy. “She told me
that she couldn’t grow
anything, but I told her
it would be a different
story with daylilies. So,
I let her have plants
that I needed space
for, and she’s done a
fantastic job. I also
have a brother-in-law
who lives in Wilkesboro
[N.C.] who grows for
me.”
Nancy stands among some of the more than 1,000 varieties of colorful daylilies she grows on the farm.
Caroline, now in her
and they don’t have a lot of pests,
fourth year of growing the flowers,
“It’s a long, drawn-out process
which makes them real popular
says she can’t devote as much time
to make them from a seed,” she
with
customers,”
she
says.
“If
to them as Nancy because of her
says. “You have to plant them,
slugs get on them, you just put a
full-time job at the Co-op. But
watch them grow for a year or
little slug bait out. I use a regular
what Caroline lacks in time, she
more with not much happening,
fungicide a couple of times a year, definitely makes up for in enthuand then finally by the third year
and I put 10-10-10 fertilizer on
siasm.
you will get a good bloom. It’s
them in the spring. When I spray
“The first time I went to Nanhard because you want to see the
results of your efforts immediately, with fungicide or insecticide, I will cy’s place and saw all those daylilmix it with a little Miracle-Gro to
ies, I thought I was in paradise,”
but in the end it’s usually worth
give
them
a
little
boost.”
says Caroline, a 12-year Tri-State
the wait.”
She buys all of these supplies
employee. “I had never seen anyEven with such a large number
thing so beautiful, and that made
of daylily varieties, Nancy says two at Tri-State Growers cooperative,
where she and Lacy — who owns
me want to grow them. There are
colors — white and blue — have
and operates a backhoe, dozer,
so many varieties, colors, and texyet to be successfully sprouted.
and dump truck — have been
tures, and it’s exciting in the early
“All of the whites still have a
members since moving to Mounsummer when you go out and see
little bit of yellow in them,” she
tain
City.
the first daylilies blooming.”
notes. “And whoever is the first
Nancy
even
got
more
than
she
“Nancy’s not just a business
to grow a blue one is going to be
bargained for from the Co-op —
partner, but she’s a really good
rich. I hope that’s me!”
another daylily grower. When
friend,” adds Caroline. “She’s
Though she dabbles with
she ran out of room to grow more
always encouraged me, and she’s
raising and selling other flowerplants, she turned to good friend
such a giving person. I admire her
ing plants — like Japanese iris,
and Tri-State employee Caroline
a lot.”
German bearded iris, hostas, and
Brown, who agreed to partner with
Both friends agree that alpeonies — Nancy says the ease of
Nancy
to
grow
and
sell
daylilies.
though
daylilies are fairly easy to
growth and care of daylilies makes
Caroline
now
boasts
a
¼-acre
field
grow,
they
do require quite a bit of
them her favorite.
of her own.
physical effort. That, they warn,
“They don’t take a lot of water,
is something an aspiring grower
should definitely take into account
before diving headlong into the
business.
“It is all hand work and intensive manual labor,” says Nancy.
“A lot of nights in peak season it’s
dark when I get up and dark when
I come in. You have to love it.”
“There’s a lot of digging involved,” adds Caroline. “You won’t
find any shortcuts.”
She and Nancy emphasize,
however, that the end product
is worth the sacrifice. Nancy, in
particular, still looks on in amazement when she surveys the progress she’s made with her daylilies
over the course of 13 years.
“When I first started out with
those 12 little pieces, I thought
I had them all,” she laughs. “I
thought, ‘I have a pink one, a red
one, a yellow one, a purple one, a
creamy-colored one, a burgundy
one — I’ve got everything!’ But I
was just beginning, really.”
And with such an infinite love
for lilies, Nancy sees no end in
sight for her blooming business.
“I want to downsize, but I
haven’t figured out how just yet,”
she admits. “My problem is that I
just love planting [the flowers] and
watching them grow. I can’t get
enough of it. I’ve met some very
nice people, gotten some good
spending money, and have some
new flowers to look forward to
every year. That’s why this is such
a good business for me.”
Hillside Daylily Farm is located
at 2568 McEwen Road in Mountain City. For information and
directions, call 423-727-9748.
August 2009
19
Dairyman Dave Stoglin uses Sil-All 4x4 inoculant to help
preserve the silage he feeds to his 130-head Holstein herd.
Sil-All 4x4®
inoculant helps
to preserve
quantity, quality
of silage
As higher input prices continue to escalate the cost of producing a silage crop,
it’s more important than ever to preserve
it properly and make sure the resulting
feedstuff maintains as much of its nutritional quality as possible.
That’s where Alltech’s Sil-All 4x4®
(#900256) silage inoculant can help. A
leader in the forage additive market since
1985, Sil-All is uniquely formulated with
a blend of bacteria and cellulytic enzymes
that work together to optimize fermentation and preservation of silage for both
dairy and beef cattle.
“When compared to the cost of production, the investment in Sil-All is very
20
August 2009
minimal,” says Jacob Sparkman, Tennessee of corn or sorghum silage or 50 tons of
farmers Cooperative feed and animal health grass, small grain, or high-moisture grain
silage. Stoglin applied the Sil-All to his
specialist. “You want to preserve all of the
corn silage as he harvested by spraying it
crop you can. It’s kind of a no-brainer.”
from a tank attached his chopper.
White County Farmers Cooperative
“I’m going to use it again,” says Stomember Dave Stoglin, who grows 120 acres
glin.
“It’s made a believer out of me.”
of corn silage to feed the 130 dairy cows
he milks on his Sparta
farm, had been looking
for just such a way to help
preserve his crop when
Co-op livestock specialist
Kyle Frazier recommended Sil-All. Stoglin used
the inoculant for the first
time last year and says
seeing is believing.
“The silage kept better, with less spoilage,”
says Stoglin. “And it
looks good, too.”
But Sil-All does more
than just improve the outward appearance of the
silage. Four types of bacteria plus four different
enzymes work together to
maintain protein quality
by ensuring complete fermentation of the forage,
which maximizes both the
quantity and quality of
silage at feeding. Silage
treated with Sil-All has
been shown to increase
Dave and White County Farmers Cooperative livestock specialist Kyle Frazier
voluntary intake, improve review notes about the dairyman’s feeding program as Dave’s son, Tyler, looks on.
digestibility, increase milk
Available at your local
production, and improve weight gain in
beef cattle.
“Speeding up fermentation helps increase the quality of the silage,” says Sparkman. “The quicker it ferments, the less
ourcoop.com
time you have for the silage to heat up and
cause spoilage. That means less loss, better
palatability and digestibility, and increased
energy and protein retention in the silage.
It’s just a better-quality feed as a result.”
Water-soluble Sil-All is also easy to
use. One 1-pound package treats 100 tons
Educational tour planned Sept. 8 for farmers
interested in community-supported agriculture
Tennessee farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs interested
in learning more about community-supported agriculture (CSA)
ventures are invited to attend a
classroom on wheels.
The “Focus on CommunitySupported Agriculture Educational Tour” will be held Tuesday,
Sept. 8. The tour starts at 9 a.m.
at the University of Tennessee
Middle Tennessee Research and
Education Center in Spring Hill.
The half-day tour will make stops
at nearby Delvin Farms and Rocky
Glade Farm, both of which participate in CSA programs, and conclude at the Spring Hill center.
“The opportunity to visit existing CSAs, meet the producers and
see what they’ve done to make
their farm enterprise successful is
one of the best ways for farmers to
learn how to improve and possibly
expand their own businesses,” says
Amy Ladd, a marketing expert
with the UT Center for Profitable
Agriculture. “Operators asked us
to develop an educational tour,
and we are able to make it happen
thanks to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture grant awarded to the
Center to fund GROW-10.”
GROW-10 is a two-year educational program to assist farmers
and agricultural entrepreneurs
in the evaluation, planning, and
development of value-added
enterprises. Ladd coordinates the
program.
Because space is limited for the
tour, early registration is advised.
The deadline for early registration
is Aug. 28, and participation requests will be processed on a firstcome, first-served basis. There is
no cost to participate, and lunch
at Hatcher Family Dairy will be
provided to all attendees. Farmers
and agri-entrepreneurs who are
currently considering or already
involved in a community-supported agriculture venture are eligible
to attend.
Tour information and registration are available by contacting
Ladd at the Center for Profitable
Agriculture at 931-486-2777, by email at [email protected], or
on the Web at http://cpa.utk.edu.
The Center for Profitable
Agriculture is a partnership of the
University of Tennessee Institute
of Agriculture and the Tennessee
Farm Bureau Federation. It operates as a department of UT Extension, which offers off-campus education and outreach for the UT
Institute of Agriculture. Through
UT Extension, the Institute brings
research-based information about
agriculture, family, and consumer
sciences, and resource development to the people of Tennessee
where they live and work.
Lynnville truck,
tractor pull
boasts 29 classes
Competitors will battle it out
in 29 classes at Richland FFA
Alumni’s Sixth Annual Truck and
Tractor Pull to be staged on Friday
and Saturday, Sept. 11 and 12, at
Robert Dunnavant Memorial Park
in Lynnville.
The pull begins at 6 p.m. each
day, with 14 classes slated for
Friday and another 15 for Saturday. Spectators are being urged
by the event’s promoters to “come
hungry, bring your own lawn
chairs, and support the Richland
FFA Chapter.”
Admission is $10 for adults, $5
for children ages 7-12, and free
for children 6 and under. For
additional information, contact
Adam Ray at 931-638-7331, Chase
Dunnavant at 931-309-7656, Berry
Sands at 931-638-4021, or Wil
Sands at 931-309-9403.
August 2009
21
Times have changed …
or have they?
Cooperator pages from the past reveal similar
issues, challenges facing farmers in the present
I
n 1959, gasoline was 30 cents a gallon. The car that ran on that gas
cost a mere $2,200. The average annual salary was only $5,500,
but you could buy a house for $18,500. To mail a letter, you’d only
have to dig out 4 pennies from your pocket. To buy a loaf of bread,
you’d only need 20 cents and $1 for a gallon of milk.
To say times have changed in the 50 years since the Tennessee
Cooperator was first published would be an understatement. But a
glance back through the archives also shows just how much things have
not changed. Many of the same challenges and issues that farmers and
their cooperatives faced in the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s are still relevant today. Consider these headlines from Cooperators past and how
they relate to the present:
Soil Tests Can Save
Tennessee Farmers
Money
March 1964 — Struggling with drought-stricken pastures and hay
fields is not new to forage growers. In this article from 45 years ago,
livestock producers were said to be facing feed and forage shortages after what was described as “last fall’s prolonged drought.” The suggested
solution was to plant a new summer annual — sudan hybrids — which
were first introduced in Tennessee in 1961. Sudan, the article says,
“can help add grazing for supplemental pastures or hay.”
September 1973 — Think
Co-op agronomists sound like a broken record when they tell you about
the importance of soil testing? That’s
because they’ve been telling farmers
that for decades. This article from
36 years ago said, “In a day when the
Tennessee farmer is faced with rising
operating costs, he should be on the
lookout for any methods to help him
save money. And when it comes to
fertilization of his land, money can be
saved as the result of a simple soil test
… By following soil test recommendations, the farmer will be applying
only what is needed for his specific farming goals.” Those principles
remain true today, and a simple soil test is still one of the best management practices to help farmers make the most of their inputs.
Demands for Education
Increasing
In Era of Shortages, Tennesseans Have
Abundance of Determination, Dedication
July 1965 — Quoting a survey of young
farmers, this article reported that there
was a need for much more education
than a vocational high school agriculture
program could provide. Even 44 years
ago, these young farmers were already
recognizing that “commercial farming
today requires so much skill and specialized training,” especially in economics and
management. Many said they were choosing to attend college to earn an agricultural degree before returning to the farm.
March 1974 — In the early 1970s, the country was facing an energy
crisis that many have compared to recent rises in fuel prices. In 1973,
there was not only a fuel shortage but also shortages in fertilizer, seed,
chemicals, hardware items, and feed ingredients. Sound familiar? This
Cooperator editorial explained how local Co-ops were “bending over
backwards to fulfill the needs of the increasing number of patrons who
are turning to them for the necessary farming inputs.” In this same
issue, TFC Crops Division leaders were sharing sound advice on ways
farmers can help themselves and conserve supplies. “This may be the
era of shortages,” the article said, “but there’s one thing that the farmer
isn’t short on. He has an abundance of dedication, and
this, coupled with determination, will pull him through.”
Ways to Beat Forage Shortage
Co-ops
Need Young
Farmers
February 1970 — Even
though Tennessee Farmers Cooperative was only
25 years old at the time,
this article warned that the
system could not “expect the
young farmer of today and
tomorrow to embrace co-ops just because their fathers did.” The report
from the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives’ (NCFC) annual
meeting emphasized that farmer cooperatives must close the generation
gap if membership in co-ops is to grow or even survive. “We cannot tell
a young farmer that he needs his cooperative: we must convince him
… Young farmers of today have seen a man walk on the moon. They
know changes are taking place rapidly and they are ready for even more
change. They believe that cooperatives, too, need to change. And cooperatives need to be changed by him, to meet his needs.”
22
August 2009
Working Together is the Key
January 1985 — “Agriculture continues to be under
stress,” said TFC’s Chief Executive Officer, W.E. Bailey,
at the 1984 annual meeting. “Even though many farmers have been successful in recent years, their ability to
plan for the future with any degree of certainty is most
difficult.” He could have been speaking about farmers in 2009. In this Cooperator report on that meeting held nearly 25 years ago, Bailey also praised TFC and
its member Co-ops
for their ability to serve
Tennessee agriculture
“during a time when
conditions were very uncertain.” The success of
the cooperative system,
he said, is the result of
a “working-together philosophy and practice.”
Agriculture is misunderstood,
under-appreciated
March 1991 — Speaking at an NCFC conference, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Jack Parnell summed up what anyone who makes
a living from agriculture already knew: “We are under-appreciated for
what we are, what we do, and what we contribute to this great nation.” In a speech that could largely be echoed today, he also noted that
“concern about the environment is growing,” and that agriculture faced
challenges posed by the war in the Persian Gulf and international trade
negotiations.
Common-sense approach needed in
planning for ag future
February 1995 — Then Chief Executive Officer Philip Walker, speaking at a plant and soil science conference, advocated that
common sense needed to be used in planning
and implementing programs
to boost agriculture in Tennessee. He said that was
one of the reasons why TFC
had recently shifted its focus
from just serving the farmer
by seeing that “his cooperative
had the supplies and products
that he needed” to being “out
there every day, working with
the farmers, meeting with them
one-on-one.” That approach still
serves our cooperative well today,
with field personnel who “talk
with farmers about their problems,
come up with solutions, and move
quickly to implement whatever is
needed to solve those problems.”
Self-protecting crops
only a sneak peek at
what’s ahead
December 1996 — This article, discussing the benefits of Roundup Ready
technology available in soybeans for the
first time that year, said that biotechnology “is creating quite a stir in the
agricultural industry.” In hindsight,
that was certainly an understatement. Not only have Roundup-tolerant crops become the norm, but the
genetic improvements that are now
available in agricultural seed were
unfathomable even 13 years ago
when this piece was written. Even
though the Roundup Ready gene seemed miraculous in 1996, the article said, it’s only a “hint of what is possible
through biotechnology research.” That was true both then and now.
What folks are saying about
the Cooperator at 50
From its beginning, the Tennessee Cooperator has had the
support of managers, employees, and members of Tennessee
Farmers Cooperative’s member
Co-ops. Here are comments
some of the managers have
shared with us on this special
occasion:
“The Cooperator has been an
enjoyable and informative magazine for me and our customers.
It is nice to have a publication
every month to keep our customer informed about the products
that the Co-op has to offer.”
Bryce Norman, manager
Marion Farmers Cooperative
“We have always depended
on the Cooperator for information about sales and new products, good producer stories, and
what happened at various state
events.”
Ronnie Osteen, manager
Lincoln Farmers Cooperative
“During my 26 years with
Dickson Farmers Co-op, I have
never seen any story or ad we’ve
run locally in our newspaper get
the kind of results that the Cooperator gets. Customers regularly
come into the store sharing what
they read about other farmers’
ideas and success stories in the
Cooperator. And if you want a
new item to take off in sales, just
get it listed in the New at Co-op
section! If you don’t think people
read the Cooperator, just let
them miss a month’s issue. They
will be calling or coming in asking, ‘Where’s my Cooperator?’”
Paul Sullivan, manager
Dickson Farmers Cooperative
“The Cooperator gives the
employees and our farmers the
opportunity to travel across the
state and learn about our very
diverse farming families and
Co-ops. We also feel a cooperative bond, which makes us part
of the whole cooperative family.”
Philip Campbell, manager
Knox Farmers Cooperative
August 2009
23
To protect and conserve
Farmers of the Year take measures to get most out of their land
Because of the practices put in place on her 100-acre Rogersville beef farm, Elizabeth
Price was named the 2008 Conservation Farmer of the Year by the Hawkins County Soil
Conservation District. Elizabeth put in an 11-paddock rotational grazing plan, converted
eight acres of tall fescue to hybrid Bermudagrass to provide warm-season grazing, installed
frost-free water tanks in fence rows to serve multiple fields, and installed hi-tensile fencing to
limit livestock access to the woodland, spring, and creek on the back side of the farm.
Story and photos by Chris Villines
E
lizabeth Price braved the
cold and wilds while living
in Alaska, and when she
moved back to her childhood home
in Rogersville in 1992, she entered
another bold new world — farming.
“After the death of my parents,
who ran this farm, I decided to
move back here and give farming
a try,” says Elizabeth, who works
full time directing a government
youth program for the Department
24
August 2009
of Labor in Hawkins County. “I’ll
be honest; there weren’t many
times in my life where I could have
imagined myself doing this. But
I didn’t take it on all at once. It’s
been gradual.”
Rogersville l
Cleveland
l
In Bradley County near Cleveland, Dean Skelton used his
knowledge and expertise as a Tennessee Valley Authority engineer
to transform the 254-acre farm his
father-in-law, Rufus Hardwick, ran of pipeline, four watering facilities, and a well. It’s allowed me to
until 2005, when he passed away
rotate my livestock and give each
at the age of 92.
paddock time to rest and regener“I had been helping him for
ate.”
several years,” says Dean, who
Elizabeth’s rotational grazing
still works in operations for TVA
system is composed of 11 padin Chattanooga. “I work to supdocks, two of which — amounting
port my farming and I’m looking
to six acres — were converted from
forward to the day when I can
tall fescue to Bermudagrass to
farm full time. I’m still a long way
increase actively growing forage for
from where I want to be with [the
grazing in the warmer weather. As
farm].”
the Bermuda goes dormant in the
What Elizabeth and Dean have
fall, it will be overseeded with winin common, besides their love of
ter annuals, providing additional
farming, is the desire to be good
stewards of the land, and each was grazing in the fall and spring.
“I think it’s important to feel
rewarded for their efforts by being
named Conservation Farmer of the like you are putting out the kind of
forage that promotes good health
Year for 2008 by their respective
county’s Soil Conservation District. for the cattle,” says Elizabeth,
a member of Hawkins Farmers
“It’s a real honor to be selected
Cooperative. “I try to keep in mind
for this award,” says Elizabeth. “I
that the end product is going for
have tried to listen to what people
public consumption.”
have told me I might try to do,
Both Elizabeth’s and Dean had
and I don’t hesitate to ask a lot of
a primary objective of providing
questions. Everyone’s been great
a dependable water source and
to me.”
locating water tanks to allow for
On her 100-acre Angus cow/
the rotational grazing system to
calf beef operation, Elizabeth was
function as intended.
receptive to learning more about
“Initially, the cattle were using
practices such as rotational grazing
the creek as their source of water,”
and growing different grasses that
says Dean, a Southeastern Farmwould stand up to Tennessee’s
ers Cooperative member. “That
stressful summer heat.
created ruts all across the prop“Elizabeth was putting in the
erty. The cross-fencing I put in
fertilizer, the lime, the herbicide,
has been a real blessing in that it’s
and any seeding that needed to be
done,” says Daniel
Horne, district conservationist for the
Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS). “In
my opinion, she
wasn’t getting her
fair share of hay.
She was the perfect person to get
started on rotational grazing because
she saw the logic
in letting the cattle
consume the forage
where it grows.”
Dean has also
improved his operation by creating
what he believes is
an easy-to-manage
rotational grazing
system.
“Each paddock
is equipped with an
adequate supply of
Dean Skelton, pictured here with his wife, Martha, was
water to all of the
selected as Bradley County Conservation Farmer of the Year
cows and calves,”
for 2008. Dean operates a 70-head Angus/Hereford cross
explains Dean.
beef cattle operation, pastures 130 acres, and produces
hay on 50 acres near Cleveland. Dean has implemented a
“I’ve installed
rotational grazing system with an adequate water supply at
6,950 feet of cross
each paddock. Dean has also been an active participant in the
Tennessee Ag Enhancement Program.
fencing, 2,610 feet
eliminated those ruts. I now have
five waterers all tied together off of
three wells.”
At Elizabeth’s farm, a new pump
was installed in an existing well
to provide adequate water for the
pipeline and frost-free water tanks.
Three of the tanks were placed
along fence rows to supply water
to multiple fields, and Elizabeth
also built a cross fence so she can
rotate cattle as forage is consumed.
She also installed fencing to limit
the access of cattle to the woods
and the spring for water quality
and wildlife benefits.
“We started out looking at the
spring that was on the property to
see how to bring it back to life,”
says Elizabeth. “We ended up
talking about watering tanks,
something that as a relatively new
farmer I had never thought about.”
The management practices
of both farmers have been good
enough that they were asked to
share them with others. Dean
hosted a Farm Day on his property
in May, and Elizabeth will host a
similar event this fall.
“I hope that the people who
came got some knowledge that
they can put to use on their
farms,” says Dean. “It’s really good
to be able to network with other
farmers and share ideas.”
Cost-share funding for projects
on these two farms was provided
by the NRCS through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program
and the Tennessee Department
of Agriculture. Farmers can find
more information about these
and other conservation programs
online at www.nrcs.usda.gov or by
visiting thir local NRCS office.
To improve water quality, Dean has excluded or provided limited access for his livestock by constructing 5,370 feet of fencing, a stream
crossing, and a limited access ramp across the creek on the farm.
ABOVE: At Elizabeth’s farm, new waterers are strategically placed
in convenient areas close to where the cattle are grazing. Both the
farm’s spring and the creek to which it feeds had gone dry in the
previous two summers, precipitating the need for improvements
in keeping the cows hydrated. RIGHT: Elizabeth discusses the
improvements being made at her farm with Hal Thurman, left, outside
salesman at Hawkins Farmers Cooperative, and Daniel Horne, district
conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
August 2009
25
Safe Feed/Safe Food
program launches new
educational Web site
A new Web site that provides
details about the Safe Feed/Safe
Food Certification Program was
recently launched by the American
Feed Industry Association (AFIA)
to educate the public about why
this program is important and
valuable to the feed industry and
producers. The site is available at
www.safefeedsafefood.org.
The Safe Feed/Safe Food
program was established in 2004
by AFIA, the world’s largest organization devoted exclusively to
representing the business, legislative, and regulatory interests of
the livestock feed and pet food
industries. Safe Feed/Safe Food
is an exclusive, voluntary, thirdparty-certified program for mills
and other facilities that produce
livestock feed, pet food and related ingredients. About 330 U.S.
and Canadian facilities, including
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative,
are certified by the program.
The National Pork Board’s Pork
Safety Committee endorsed the
program this spring, and an international version of the program
will launch later this year.
The new Web site presents a
wealth of information about the
Safe Feed/Safe Food program in a
clear and concise manner that is
designed to be easy to navigate.
Material that explains the reasons for the program is found on
the “Why We Believe” page of the
site. Comments by feed-industry
experts who explain the program’s
many benefits appear on the
“Testimonials” page. A map makes
it easy to learn where certified
facilities are located, and a series
of frequently asked questions
are answered in a separate area.
Contact information also is readily
available on the site.
The Safe Feed/Safe Food program stands for reducing risks;
tracking and tracing products;
protecting hard-won brand value;
lowering product-liability insurance rates; and decreasing waste,
shrink, and customer complaints.
Prioritizing safety is “Our Responsibility, Our Promise.”
Certified facilities demonstrate a commitment to safety
and quality every day by adhering
to comprehensive standards of
excellence that go beyond existing
regulations. Employees of certified
facilities exhibit accountability
and leadership to help keep their
facilities in a position to succeed
tomorrow.
26
August 2009
All three of TFC feed mills
— Tenco near Rockford in East
Tennessee, LaVergne in Middle
Tennessee, and Jackson in West
Tennessee — are certified in the
Safe Feed/Safe Food program.
Co-op-manufactured feed bags
proudly display the program’s logo
to reassure customers of the safety
and quality of those products.
The new Web site of the American Feed Industry Association’s Safe Feed/Safe Food
certification program is available at www.safefeedsafefood.org.
www.ourcoop.com
Winner’s Cup
Co-op’s biggest advancement in
EQUINE NUTRITION in more than 60 years.
W
C
inner’s
up
Whether you’re feeding champion
show horses, hard-working performance horses, tough trail-riding horses,
or backyard pleasure horses, Co-op can
help keep you in the Winner’s Cup.
Turfgrass field day to feature tours, discussions
A wide array of topics will be
discussed and three separate tours
offered at the 2009 University
of Tennessee Turfgrass Research
Field Day to be held on Thursday,
Sept. 3, at the East Tennessee
Research and Education Center in
Knoxville.
Registration will be from 7:30
to 8 a.m., with tours starting at
8:45. Topics to be discussed on
the three different tours are:
Golf course — Fungicide
Programs for Creeping Bentgrass
Greens; Managing Ultradwarf
Bermudagrass in Tennessee; and
Zoysiagrass Fairway and Tee Management in the Transition Zone.
Sports turf — Managing
Bermudagrass in Sports Fields in
Tennessee; Painting Practices for
Sports; Economical Athletic Field
Weed Control; and Do I Need a
New Bermudagrass for My Field?
Lawn care tour — Weed
Control Strategies for Lawn Care
Operators; Environmental and
Economic Impact of Mowing
with Mowers Powered by Alternative Fuels; Managing Landscape
Insects; and Brown Patch Control
in Tall Fescue Lawns.
Following lunch, three general
sessions will be held from 12:15
to 2 p.m. Discussions will focus
on these topics: Sorting Out the
NTEP Data: Which Variety Will
Work for Me?; How Many Bags
Do I Need? – Math for the Turfgrass Manager; and Field Identification of Turfgrasses and Weeds.
Fees are $25 per person, with
lunch guaranteed, if registration
is made before Aug. 26 and $35
(lunch not guaranteed) for regis-
Leean times?
Lean
tiimes?
NEVER
NEVE
NE
VE
VER
E with
ER
wiith
wit
ith
Marshall
Mar
Ma
ars
rsh
ha
hal
all
ll Ryegrass!
Ryeeggra
Ry
rrasss!
MORE Grass.
Ranked #1 for forage yield in more official
University trials than any other variety.
Universities and cattle producers report
Marshall consistently produces more forage
than Gulf, and oats, wheat & rye.
“We have used Marshall
Ryegrass for over 5
years to overseed our
Bermuda grass for
hayage. The last two
years our co-op did
not have Marshall and
we had to use another
ryegrass. It was ok, but
we preferred Marshall
over that ryegrass.
In the fall of 2009, we
will be planting
Marshall Ryegrass
again.”
Milton Beard
Blackjack Ridge Dairy
Santa Fe, Tennessee
MORE Beef.
Auburn University reported Marshall produced
a total weight gain of 801 pounds per acre.
MORE Profit.
In an Auburn University grazing
experiment, Marshall produced a net
profit of over $200 per acre.
Consistent. Dependable. Proven.
Competitively priced at your local dealer
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative
The Wax Company 888 CALL WAX
We have used Marshall
Ryegrass for over three
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takes our Tennessee
winters just fine. It also
puts the weight on our
cattle, even those skinny,
poor ones Dad bought.
Grazes well and we also
cut it for hay. Super
Quality!
We did try another
ryegrass on a
recommendation, but it
didn’t perform like my
Marshall did and it was
also a normal winter that
year.
We will be using
Marshall again this
coming year.”
Roger Upton
Upton Cattle
Cornersville, Tennessee
Marshall... America’s #1 Ryegrass !
*
*For grazing. According to university grazing studies - AL AR LA MS ©2009 The Wax Company, LLC
trations received after Aug. 26 or
on site.
To register, go online to
http://knoxville.tennessee.edu
and click on “Turfgrass Field Day”
under “Events.” For additional
information, call 865-974-7201.
Site of the field day is the Plant
Sciences Unit located on the
west side of Highway 129/Alcoa
Highway, approximately four miles
south of Neyland Drive.
Biodiesel production
unit opens at UT
A new production facility has
opened on the campus of the
University of Tennessee in Knoxville to convert waste fryer oil
from local restaurants into useable
biodiesel fuel.
Located on UT’s agricultural
campus, it will also be a research
center for other ag fuels like soybean oil and oilseed crops.
“We are excited about participating in another effort to provide
the region and state with affordable, sustainable biofuels,” said
Joseph DiPietro, the university’s
vice president for agriculture.
“The answers to our energy
problems lie in a combination of
sustainable, affordable, homemade and homegrown fuels, both
cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel,”
DiPietro said.
Full production, double-shift
capacity for the newly opened
medium-scale mobile unit at UT
will approach 380,000 gallons of
biodiesel per year. The Southern
Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE)
will collect waste fryer oil from
participating restaurants.
Biodiesel is an Environmental
Protection Agency-certified alternative fuel that can be produced
from any fat source, including
vegetable oil, animal fat, and used
cooking oil generated by the food
service industry.
Under the new project in Knoxville, SACE will supply biodiesel
to UT, community businesses, and
other users. The program will
also provide university students
with an educational opportunity to
have a hands-on learning experience through the operation, maintenance, evaluation, and distribution of the biodiesel fuel process.
The UT Institute of Agriculture
is also well known for partnering
with DuPont Danisco Cellulosic
Ethanol to produce cellulosic
ethanol from switchgrass at a
biorefinery in Vonore. That plant
is under construction and expected to be operational by the end of
this year.
August 2009
27
Participants in a July 14 canning workshop conducted by University of Tennessee Extension and Wilson Farmers Cooperative are, from left: Melissa Campbell, Extension intern Beth
Trice, Becky Leeman, Tobbin Nicole Preston, Extension agent Shelly Barnes, Wilson Farmers Co-op salesclerk Jenny Jackson, Suzy Hershey, Amy R. Sanders, Claire Ramsay, and
Extension intern Karen Syler. (Not pictured, Mesha Lannom.) The workshop was designed to teach beginners the basics of food preservation.
Yes, you CAN!
Story and photos by Mark E. Johnson
E
xcited shouts and applause
burst from the kitchen
when Extension agent
Shelly Barnes triumphantly cries
out, “The grapes are jelling!”
For the past two and a half
hours, the nine women attending
a July 14 canning workshop conducted by University of Tennessee
Extension and Wilson Farmers
Cooperative have been boot camp
“grunts” by old-time canners’
standards, cautious with the hot,
half-pint Mason jars and steaming
strawberry jam, clumsy with the
ladle and apple-peeler, and unsure
if they added the right amount of
a particular ingredient to the grape
jelly.
l
Lebanon
But with Shelly’s announcement, the group is brimming with
a newfound confidence, ready to
receive their “stripes” as honestto-goodness food preservationists.
Occupying both kitchens in the
East/West Building of the James E.
Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon, the women alternate between
pouring hot strawberry jam into jars
and, in the other room, stirring the
28
August 2009
thickening grape jelly over a stove
eye. Most of the students were
strangers when they arrived at the
class, but now, they’re comrades,
and the air is filled with relaxed
laughter and chatter along with the
warm, sweet aroma of cooking fruit.
“Oh, my third-graders would love
this!” exclaims Melissa Campbell, a
teacher at Byars Dowdy Elementary
School in Lebanon, as she peels
an apple with a counter-mounted,
crank-operated peeler. “I didn’t
realize canning would be so much
fun!”
That’s music to the ears of Jenny
Jackson, a salesclerk at Wilson
Farmers Co-op who initiated the
idea of an area “Canning College”
where attendees learn everything
from preparing the raw ingredients
to using an array of tools and cookware specific to the practice of food
preservation.
“Co-op got involved because this
past spring I noticed that many
of our gardeners were first-timers
coming in to buy seed,” she explains. “I mentioned to [Manager]
Mark Powell that all this produce
would come ripe at once and
people won’t know what to do with
everything, so we needed to set
them up with the products and
knowledge they would need. That’s
how it began.”
Jenny, a regular volunteer with
Wilson County’s Extension office,
says she had worked with Shelly
on previous projects, so it “just
made sense” to approach her
with the idea of a canning workshop. In June, Jenny and Shelly
attended an Extension advanced
food preservation class in Jackson.
The two then arranged a July 11
canning demonstration by Lebanon master gardener Faye Huddleston that was well-received by
attendees and served as a “warmup” for the Canning College.
“We wanted to get this workshop done while berries and
summer veggies were still in and
people could go home and actually apply what they’ve learned,”
says Jenny, a Colorado native who
has worked at the Co-op for four
years. “Then, they could have
all this produce canned by this
winter.”
Another objective of the workshop, she adds, was to put a lid on
the intimidation and fear factor
beginners have about canning.
“A lot of people have been told
how hard it is and how long it
takes,” she points out. “This class
eliminates those fears and illustrates that canning is not that big
a deal and practically anyone can
do it.”
From left, Amy and Suzy prepare
strawberries for cooking while Melissa
and Claire share a laugh. Strangers at the
start of the class, the women met again
one week later for a workshop on using a
pressure canner and have since organized
a monthly meeting where one student will
teach the others a craft. Shelly says she
was unprepared for but delighted by the
camaraderie generated by the workshop.
A student stirs a pot of cooking strawberry
jam in one of the kitchens at the James E.
Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon, where
the workshop was held.
From left, Becky
places jars into the
heated canning
rack while Jenny
and student Mesha
Lannom look on.
LEFT: Jenny, with participants, from left, Amy, Claire, Tobbin Nicole, Shelly, and Suzy, says she conceived the idea for a workshop after she realizing many Wilson Farmers Co-op garden
seed customers were first-timers and might not know how to preserve their produce. RIGHT: Participating Co-ops across the state carry or have access to a wide selection of canning
and food preservation supplies, many of which were on display at the workshop.
And, since 1795, when Napoleon Bonaparte offered a cash reward to anyone who could devise a
way to preserve food for his French
army and navy, people have been
following inventor Nicholas Appert’s prize-winning model of using
heated containers to “put up” produce. However, after World War II,
when processed foods and supermarkets became a part of American
life, home canning began to fall
“out of vogue,” and the tradition
gained a reputation for being difficult and even dangerous, mainly
thanks to mishaps with pressure
cookers and canners, says Shelly.
“People are intimidated because
they believe the lid is going to blow
off and go through the ceiling,” she
says. “But modern pressure canners have safety features on them
that prevent the lid from blowing
off. You can’t even unlock them
until they’ve cooled off.”
Tobbin Nicole Preston, a cutting-horse trainer and Master Beef
Producer from the Smith County
community of Hickman, says learning to handle a pressure cooker and
canner was one of the reasons she
decided to attend the class.
“My mom and grandmother both
canned and could use a pressure
cooker, but that craft wasn’t really
passed down to me,” she says. “I
lived in a city for years, but now that
we’re out on a farm, I don’t want
the things we’re growing to go to
waste. I also love giving food away.”
Although she has “dabbled” in
canning salsa and jams, Tobbin
Nicole says using a pressure canner
is a “whole other ballgame” and is
looking forward to that part of the
course, which will take place during
an upcoming class.
“We’ve got a lot of stuff we can
put up,” she says. “Tomatoes, yellow squash, corn, lima beans, sweet
and russet potatoes, cucumbers —
we have just about everything. I’ve
tried making blackberry jam based
on instructions from a book, but I
figured this course would tell me if I
was doing it right. I’ve learned that
I was, in fact, doing some things
incorrectly. Now, I know!”
Suzy Hershey, a Kentucky native
who has lived in Lebanon since
1991, says her new skills will not
only make the most of the family’s
raised vegetable beds but also solve
a health problem for her children.
“My husband and I have three
daughters, ages 11, 8, and 7, and
they all have food allergies,” explains Suzy, who grows tomatoes,
yellow and zucchini squash, green
beans, and various potatoes on her
suburban ¾-acre lot. “The kids are
allergic to the preservatives and dyes
in processed foods, so canning my
own fresh produce will eliminate
that problem.”
She adds that her children are
fond of “ridiculously expensive”
store-bought spaghetti sauce.
“If I can learn to make sauce out
of my own tomatoes, I’ll be very
happy,” she says. “It will be fun to
go into the pantry in the winter,
grab a jar, and know that it’s inexpensive and healthy.”
Shelly says that even though
many home economics experts say
a recent upward trend in gardening
and canning may be a result of the
faltering economy, she believes that
it is more about food safety.
“I think that people want to know
exactly where it comes from,” she
says, noting that she’s answered
“tons” of calls related to food preservation this summer and that other
Extension offices are reporting wait-
ing lists for their canning classes.
“Just look at the increase in gardening and the increased business at
farmer’s markets and communitysupported agriculture.”
“Plus, canning is a great way for
families to do something together
and make new memories and
traditions,” she adds. “My favorite
memories are of my granny sitting
on the deck breaking beans and
then canning them. I hope this
course will help create memories
for the families of these students,
too.”
To learn more about food preservation, contact your local Extension
office or visit the National Center
for Home Food Preservation online
at www.uga.edu/nchfp.
LEFT: An apple is prepared with a hand-crank peeler prior to the class on making applesauce. CENTER: Class members watch as Tobbin Nicole, center, and Jenny ready strawberries
for cooking. In preparation for the workshop, Jenny and Shelly attended a June advanced canning workshop conducted by UT Extension in Jackson. The two also arranged a canning
demonstration by Wilson County master gardener Faye Huddleston. RIGHT: Tobbin Nicole fills heated jars with applesauce.
August 2009
29
What’s Cookin’?
All ears
C
orn is a summertime staple in
the South. Whether you grow it
yourself or buy it from a farmer
near you, many of us can’t get enough
fresh corn while it’s in season — peaking
about mid-July in Tennessee and lingering until the last warm days of summer
wind down.
Of course, there’s nothing better than good, sweet
corn-on-the-cob served hot, boiled, and buttered. It’s
one of life’s simple pleasures, all-at-once sweet, salty,
and satisfying. But there are plenty of other ways
to enjoy this versatile vegetable. The recipes in this
month’s “What’s cookin’?” column range from quick
and simple to complex and hearty. What they all share
in common is their heritage. Corn dates back thousands of years to central Mexico, where it was cultivated from a variety of grass called teosinte. Native
Americans bred the grass over thousands of years, until it yielded the plump, large ears we recognize today.
Their name for the cultivated variety, mahiz, means
“that which sustains us.”
These days, corn continues to sustain us, no matter how it’s prepared. Grilling has become a popular
choice, and Mildred H. Edwards’ recipe for “Curried
Corn-on-the-Cob” is a deliciously different way to enjoy
this seasonal favorite. With its mixture of cheese and
blend of spices as a flavorful spread, this creative recipe
will help you break out of the butter routine. Mildred is
our Cook-of-the-Month for August.
Other featured recipes are Corn Griddle Cakes, Corn
and Bacon Dip, Sweet Corn and Chili Soup, Cream of
Ham Succotash, Shoepeg Salad, Corny Chicken Wraps,
Corn Oysters, and Corn Sausage Bake.
Enjoy.
“Curried Corn-on-the-Cob,” a recipe submitted by our Cook-of-the-Month, Mildred Edwards, pairs fresh, grilled
ears of corn with a flavorful blend of cheese and seasonings. — Photo by Mark E. Johnson, food styling by Allison Morgan
Clip, save, and serve
Curried Corn-on-the-Cob
Corn Griddle Cakes
August 2009 winning recipe
What you will need:
Directions:
• 6 medium ears sweet corn in husks
Carefully peel back corn husks to within
one inch of bottoms; remove silk. Rewrap
corn in husks and secure with kitchen string.
Place in a large kettle; cover with cold water.
Soak for 20 minutes; drain.
Grill corn, covered, over medium
heat for 25-30 minutes or until
the corn is tender,
turning often. In a
small bowl, combine
the remaining ingredients. Spread the
seasoned cheese mixture
over the warm corn. Serve
immediately.
• ⁄2 cup goat cheese, feta cheese, or other
1
crumbly type of cheese
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt-free seasoning blend
• 1⁄2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
Mildred H. Edwards, Lebanon, Wilson Farmers Cooperative
30
August 2009
2 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1
⁄4 teaspoon salt
Dash of black pepper
3 eggs, beaten until fluffy
3
⁄4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted,
cooled
2 cups corn kernels, freshly cut
and cobs scraped
All ingredients should be at room
temperature. Sift flour, sugar, salt,
and pepper together; set aside. In
a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk,
and butter. Stir in the flour mixture,
blending until moistened. Add corn
to batter, mixing well.
On low heat, heat the pancake
griddle, oiling if needed. Spoon
batter onto hot griddle, using approximately 3 tablespoons batter for
each griddle cake. Brown the bottom of the griddle cake lightly (the
top should be bubbly). Flip cake
and lightly brown the second side.
Serve hot with your favorite syrup,
honey, jelly, fruit, or other topping.
Yield: Approximately 10 fourinch griddle cakes.
Lucille Harrison
Greeneville
Greene Farmers Cooperative
T
Corn and Bacon Dip
1 (8-ounce) package cream
cheese, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1
⁄4 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, minced
1
⁄4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 (151⁄4 -ounce) can whole
kernel corn, drained, or
2 cups fresh corn kernels
8 bacon strips, cooked and
crumbled
If using fresh corn, place whole
ears in rapidly boiling water. Bring
back to a boil and remove ears to
cool. Cut kernels from the cobs.
In a mixing bowl, combine the
first five ingredients. Stir in corn
and bacon. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Serve with assorted raw vegetables
or crackers.
Yield: 3 cups.
Marie Delffs
Normandy
Franklin Farmers Cooperative
T
Sweet Corn and
Chili Soup
6 medium ears fresh corn,
shucked, or 2 (10-ounce)
packages frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
21⁄2 cups chicken stock or
2 cups canned broth mixed
with 1⁄2 cup water
2 cups milk
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeno or serrano chilies,
seeded and minced
3
⁄4 teaspoon salt
1
⁄2 teaspoon sugar (plus an
optional pinch)
11⁄2 ounces country ham
or tasso ham, coarsely
chopped
11⁄2 to 2 tablespoons fresh
lime juice
2 medium tomatoes, peeled,
seeded, and diced
1
⁄2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1
⁄2 cup coarsley chopped fresh
coriander (cilantro)
Sour cream (optional)
If using fresh corn, slice the
kernels from each cob with a thin,
sharp knife, scraping the cobs to
extract any juices. Reserve the
cobs. Set kernels aside.
In a large, heavy, nonstick
saucepan, combine the olive oil
and onions. Cover and cook over
low heat, stirring occasionally, until
the onions are translucent, about
five minutes. Stir in corn kernels,
cover, and cook four minutes
more. Stir in chicken stock, 1 cup
milk, garlic, chilies, salt, and 1⁄2
teaspoon sugar. Add the reserved
cobs, increase the heat to high, and
bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to
moderately low, cover, and simmer
until the corn is tender, 15 to 20
minutes.
Remove cobs from the soup and
discard. Stir in remaining 1 cup
milk. Using a slotted spoon, scoop
out about 3⁄4 cup of corn and onion
mixture from the broth and set
aside. Working in batches if necessary, transfer soup to a food processor. Puree to a coarse consistency.
Return the puree to the saucepan
and stir in ham, lime juice, and
reserved corn and onion mixture.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss
the tomatoes with the vinegar. Stir
in the pinch of sugar if desired.
To serve, ladle the soup into
six bowls. Mound about 2 tablespoons of tomatoes into the center
of each bowl. Sprinkle coriander
(cilantro) on top. Serve with sour
cream on the side if desired.
Wanda Banks
Loudon
Valley Farmers Cooperative
T
Cream of
Ham Succotash
2 cups cooked green beans
1 cup lima beans, cooked
2 cups fresh-cut corn kernels,
uncooked
1 can condensed cream of
Cheddar soup
21⁄2 cups diced cooked ham
(approximately one pound)
2 tablespoons finely chopped
fresh parsley
Combine green beans, lima
beans, and corn; microwave 10
minutes on medium (50- percent)
power.
Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
Place soup, ham, and vegetables
in dish and microwave on high for
eight minutes, stirring every two
minutes. Remove dish from microwave; sprinkle with parsley. Serve
immediately.
Wanda Rose Russell
Pulaski
Giles Farmers Cooperative
T
Shoepeg Salad
1 can tiny green peas
1 can shoepeg corn
1 can French-style green beans
1 (2-ounce) jar pimiento
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped green
pepper
Salad dressing:
1 cup sugar
3
⁄4 cup vinegar
1
⁄2 cup oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine salad ingredients; set
aside. Combine dressing ingredients; boil and cool. Toss salad with
dressing; salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate 12 hours before serving.
Elaine Hargrove
Big Sandy
Benton Farmers Cooperative
T
Corny Chicken
Wraps
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
breast
1 (11-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup salsa
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded
Cheddar cheese
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
In a large saucepan, combine
chicken, corn, and salsa. Cook over
medium heat until heated. Sprinkle
cheese over warmed tortillas. Place
about 1⁄2 cup chicken mixture down
the center of each tortilla; roll up
and secure with toothpicks.
Yield: Four servings.
Carolyn Devers
Southside
Montgomery Farmers Cooperative
T
Corn Oysters
11⁄2 cups corn kernels
1 cup finely crushed saltine
crackers (about 29)
1
⁄3 cup milk
2 large eggs
⁄4 teaspoon pepper
Cooking oil
Mix all ingredients in a medium
bowl until blended.
Heat oil in skillet over medium
heat. Drop six heaping tablespoonfuls of corn mixture onto skillet
and cook for two minutes on each
side or until lightly browned. Repeat with reamaining corn mixture.
Yield: Four servings.
Klaudene Gourley
Hendersonville
Sumner Farmers Cooperative
1
T
Corn Sausage Bake
1 pound Cajun smoked sausage, cut into 1⁄4-inch strips
2 cups fully cooked cubed ham
2 (8-ounce) packages red
beans and rice
6 cups water
2 tablespoons butter
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 (15-ounce) can whole
kernel corn, drained
1 (12-ounce) jar chopped
jalapeno peppers
2 cups shredded Cheddar
cheese
1 cup crushed corn chips
Brown sausage and ham in skillet; set aside. Place red beans and
rice, water, butter, and cayenne
pepper in pan; cook until rice is
tender. Mix in corn and jalapeno
peppers. Stir in sausage and ham.
In 3-quart baking dish, layer half
the rice mixture and sprinkle with
half the cheese. Repeat layers.
Top with crushed corn chips. Bake,
uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until chips have browned.
Linda Bain
Bethel Springs
Mid-South Farmers Cooperative
Let’s talk turkey for our
October-November column
Believe it or not, Thanksgiving will be here before you know it, and
you’ll be searching for ways to cook your holiday bird and then use up
all the leftover meat. For the October-November “What’s cookin’?” column, we’re looking for creative ways to cook turkey. The person submitting the best recipe will be named Cook-of-the-Month and receive
$10. Others sending recipes chosen for publication will receive $5.
Monday, Sept. 7, is the deadline for submitting turkey recipes.
Don’t forget: Only recipes that include complete, easy-to-follow
instructions will be considered for publication. Several recipes are
disqualified each month because they do not contain all the information needed to prepare the dishes successfully. Recipes featured in
“What’s cookin’?” are not independently tested, so we must depend
on the accuracy of the cooks sending them. Always use safe foodhandling, preparation, and cooking procedures.
Send entries to: Recipes, Tennessee Cooperator, P.O. Box 3003,
LaVergne, TN 37086. You can submit more than one recipe in the
same envelope. You can also e-mail them to: amorgan@ourcoop.
com. Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number, and
the Co-op with which you do business. Recipes that appear in the
“What’s cookin’?” column will also be published on our Web site at
www.ourcoop.com.
August 2009
31
Jared Bradley, a row-crop farmer and director of Lincoln Farmers Cooperative, entered the sport of tractor-pulling in 2005. Jared says the activity gives him and his family a needed break
from the daily grind of farming 3,000 acres of corn, cotton, and soybeans. With the help of his father, Tommy, Jared purchased and rebuilt a late-’60s model International Harvester tractor.
T
he bright red International
Harvester tractor towing
a weighted sled rumbles
down the track, its front wheels
spinning in the air, and, yet again,
captures an easy victory. The
impressive distance is broadcast in
a loud voice.
“Three hundred feet! A full
pull!”
Seven-year-old Nick Bradley sets
the toy aside and chooses another
from a collection of similar small
tractors lined up carefully along
the painted course of his customized “pull table” in the living room
of the family’s home.
Elora
l
“This one is cool,” he murmurs
as he attaches the scale model to
the toy sled. “It’s like Dad’s.”
A quarter mile across a soybean
field, a real-life version of Nick’s
toy, a gleaming, modified IH 826,
is parked in the enormous tool
shed Jared Bradley and his father,
Tommy, use for equipment storage
and maintenance on their 3,000acre Lincoln County row-crop
farm. Jared, the soft-spoken father
32
August 2009
of Nick and Anna Belle, 9, and a
four-year director of Lincoln Farmers Cooperative, is proud of but
studiously modest about the big
vehicle and his ability as a tractorpuller.
“I can’t compete with Nick,” he
grins. “But I do OK.”
Since 2005, Jared has spent dozens of weekends with his wife, Angie, their children, and his father
and mother, Janie, at tractor pulls
in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama,
and Ohio. Driving the modified
machine he dubbed “Tennessee
Red” in the 9,300-pound Super
Farm division, Jared competes in
25 to 30 pulls per year. At these
events, his machine is among a
variety of loud and colorful tractors
that must drag a weighted sled as
far as possible down a dirt track.
The sport is derived from
friendly competitions between
19th-century farmers to see whose
horse could pull a barn door the
furthest down a designated path.
As the horse progressed, people
would jump onto the door until
the horse could pull no further.
Though the animals have been
replaced by, in some cases, massive
machines barely resembling tractors, the sport remains a favorite
pastime among
farmers.
“Honestly,
it just gives us
something fun
to do to get
our minds off
of work,” says
Jared. “And we
work a lot.”
Indeed, the
Bradley farm
is one of the
larger operations in the
county, comprising roughly
800 acres of
corn, 850 acres
of cotton, and
about 1,350
acres of soybeans that are
tended exclusively by Jared
Miniature tractors and sleds rumble down the track of 7-year-old
and Tommy.
Nick Bradley’s pulling table accompanied by the boy’s verbal engine
The elder Brad- noises. Jared says his son loves imaginary pulling and the real thing.
ley says it was
a combination of a lack of recreto sit on a tractor, Jared has worked
ation and a family emergency that
almost seven days a week,” Tommy
spurred the family to jump into the says. “We’ve just never taken the
sport of tractor-pulling four years
time to do anything else. But, in
ago.
2004, our priorities changed when
“Ever since he was old enough
a close relative was diagnosed
LEFT: Lincoln Farmers Co-op agronomy specialist John Hankins, right, and Jared discuss the modified pulling tractor dubbed “Tennessee Red.” RIGHT: Jared and wife Angie’s
daughter, Anna Belle, takes a make-believe spin on her dad’s tractor. The entire family often travels to weekend tractor pulls in Tennessee and surrounding states.
with cancer. I told my wife that if
we were ever going to have some
fun and do something interesting,
we needed to do it now. We had
always enjoyed tractor pulls and
thought we could do it without
investing a fortune, so Jared and I
started looking on the Internet for
a tractor we could buy.”
They found what they were looking for just up the road between
Woodbury and Murfreesboro.
“It was a pulling tractor when
we found it,” Jared says of the late1960s-era machine. “The man was
doing pretty well with it, but we
wanted to get something we could
work on, so we changed a lot of
it. When we got it, the tractor had
a 466-cubic-inch block that we’ve
bored and stroked into a 640 now.
We installed a larger [fuel] pump, a
three-by-three turbo charger, and a
solid-steel clutch. In the transmission, we changed up all the gears
to increase speed.”
Other changes, Jared says,
include installing disc brakes, a
lighter axle, aluminum wheels, and
a new roll cage.
“Really, though, horsepower is
the difference between doing well
and not doing well,” says Jared,
adding that since the initial modifications the Bradleys rarely spend
more than two or three hours
a week working on the tractor.
“Sure, there is some advantage to
‘setting’ the tractor correctly for
the conditions, using the right
gear and tire pressure, and putting
your weight where you want it, but
there’s no substitute for horsepower.”
Although many of the pulling
tractors display almost unthinkably powerful engines, Tommy
says there are rarely incidents or
problems aside from the shortterm hearing loss of an unprepared
spectator.
“The National Tractor Pullers
Association [NTPA] really stresses
safety,” says Tommy, who helps
his son maintain the tractor and,
since bad knees prohibit him from
driving, attends every event as the
“pit crew.” “That is one of the
things we really like about them.
They check the tractors at every
pull to make sure everything is up
to specification. They really run a
good show.”
When not restricted by the demands of the farm and kids’ school
responsibilities, the Bradleys often
make a weekend trip to a pulling
event. Last winter, they purchased
a tractor-trailer rig to haul Tennessee Red and even outfitted it with
a small living area that boasts airconditioning, bunks for four, and
a bathroom. Jared says the trips
have become part of family life.
“Anna Belle gets a little bored
at times, but she still wants to go
on most trips,” he says. “Nick just
loves it. Even at home, given the
opportunity, he comes to the shed
here and plays with his pedal tractors, doing imaginary pulls. At the
house, he’s usually playing with
his pull table. He’d rather do that
than Nintendo.”
The family-oriented atmosphere
and spirit of cooperation among
competitors of the Mid-South
Pullers Association, an NTPAsanctioned group of which the
Bradleys are members, make each
trip enjoyable, adds Tommy.
“You go to a NASCAR race, and
everybody is feuding, fighting, and
arguing,” he points out. “Tractor
pulls aren’t that way. Honestly,
there isn’t enough money in it to
create friction between drivers.
It’s a good group of people, mostly
farmers like ourselves, who are
always willing to help each other,
and we have made wonderful
friends over the past four years.”
Jared says that although he has
yet to win first place in a MidSouth event, the sheer enjoyment
of the sport keeps him coming back
week after week.
“You don’t do it for the money,”
says the farmer, who has several
third- and fourth-place showings.
“You do it for the fun, which is why
we started in the first place. Our
pullers association has some of the
best tractors in the country, so the
competition is extremely tough. If
we can field a consistent top-five
tractor, I will be very satisfied.
“But we’ve already accomplished
our goal — to get away from work
for a while and enjoy life!”
To learn more about the MidSouth Tractor Pullers Association,
visit the organization’s Web site at
www.midsouthpullers.com.
Jared and Tennessee Red roar down the track at the April 28 AGR Charity Tractor Pull in Murray, Ky. Jared placed fourth out of 60 pullers
at the event which raised funds for St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
August 2009
33
McMinn County beef cattle and swine producer
Jonathan Pierce stands in front of a sign made for
his family’s Athens farm by some of his former
agriculture students at Polk County High School,
where he began his teaching career in 1979 before
transferring to McMinn County High School five years
later. The Valley Farmers Co-op director has been
one of the most active promoters of agriculture in
East Tennessee for the past 30 years.
34
August 2009
Every Farmer Has A Story Jonathan Pierce
A Farmer First
McMinn County educator Jonathan Pierce has had
a positive influence on ag students for 30 years
Story and photos by Chris Villines
F
armer and educator Jonathan Pierce has a knack for
seeing a person’s untapped
potential and caring enough to
cultivate that undeveloped talent. Just ask former student Andy
Burchfield, manager of Foothills
Farmers Cooperative in Sweetwater.
“If I could put my finger on
one person who’s been the most
influential in my life, it would be
Mr. Pierce, without question,”
says Andy.
In 1990, Andy was a shy, disinterested freshman at McMinn
County High School (MCHS), and
Jonathan was his ag teacher. One
day early in the school year, Jonathan circulated a sign-up sheet
urging class members to become
more involved in Future Farmers
of America. When the sheet landed on Andy’s desk, he immediately
passed it to the person behind him
without so much as a glance.
Others in the class had done
the same thing, but for some reason Andy’s nonchalant dismissal
touched a nerve with Jonathan.
Athens
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“He stopped what he was doing,
took the sign-up sheet from the
person behind me, and slammed
it back on my desk,” Andy says.
“He looked me right in the eyes
and said, ‘You will put your name
on this sheet, and you will be on
a team.’ To this day I still don’t
know why he did that, but I’m glad
he did. It set in motion the course
my life would take.”
Throughout his 30-year career
in education as an agriculture
instructor and FFA advisor in two
counties — Polk and McMinn —
and now director of career and
technical education for McMinn
County Schools, not to mention
a lifetime of farming on the land
that’s been in his family since
1865, Jonathan has positively impacted hundreds of students and
promoted the agricultural industry
in the process. He has a neverending quest to see young people
succeed, and, he says, that’s what
drives him as much today as it did
when he first entered teaching.
“Promoting agriculture, but
more importantly, teaching kids
that there is more to agriculture
than just farming, has always
been my passion,” says Jonathan,
a 1975 graduate of Calhoun High
School and state FFA officer after
his senior year. “Now that I have
the opportunity to impact all of
the career and technical programs
in this county, I have a slogan that
every graduate of McMinn County
Schools will have a career of some
kind.”
That mindset, says another
former pupil, Valley Farmers Cooperative employee Jill Wilson, is
what makes “Pierce,” as she refers
to him, such an effective and
influential leader.
“He really expects the best out
of you,” says Jill, a 1995 MCHS
graduate. “And he lives for, and
through, his students. He’s passionate about what he does, and
he makes you passionate about
what you do. He’s been like a
second father to me.”
Jonathan’s stubborn refusal to
let others settle for mediocrity
can partly be traced to the trials
he faced while a youngster on the
family’s 700 owned and rented
acres near Athens, where he and
his brother, Charles, still raise
hogs, show pigs, and beef cattle
and harvest timber.
Just two months before Jonathan was to graduate from high
school, his world — and indeed
that of his entire family — was
shattered by the untimely death
of his father, Ben. With Jonathan
just 17 years old, Charles 14, and
a younger sister, Elizabeth 12, the
farm’s future was uncertain.
But the brothers had learned
enough from their father and
refused to give it up. Jonathan
finished high school, began college at nearby Cleveland State
Community College, and helped
run the farm.
“The rumor was going around
that the farm was for sale,” he
says. “No, sir. It was in our
blood. We may have been young,
but we were going to run this
farm. It was the only way we had
to generate money, so it was an
easy decision.”
Jonathan entered college
with the intention of becoming
a veterinarian. But after finish-
ing at Cleveland
State and enrolling at the UniverValley Farmers Cooperative employee Jill Wilson, a former
sity of Tennessee
student of Jonathan’s at McMinn County High, holds one of the
in Knoxville to
farm’s young pigs as Jonathan, third from left, and his brother
complete his deCharles, far left, look on. Also pictured are brothers Wesley,
second from left, and Payton Green, far right, neighbors who
gree, those plans
help around the farm and are active in showing.
changed.
“Dr. John Todd, an ag education the Farmers Co-op,” says Jonathan, who still lives on the farm
professor at UT, helped me with
with his wife, Kay, across from the
registering my first year there,”
old farmhouse built in 1914 where
explains Jonathan. “I thought the
his mother, Della, resides. “My
least I could do was put down ag
thoughts are that I’ve always been
education as one of my majors, so
a farmer first. As an ag teacher I
I did. I did my student teaching
[at McMinn Central High School] felt like, and still feel, if I wasn’t a
farmer I couldn’t teach the subject
and had no intentions of a career
because I had to know what it was
in teaching until the first week
like to get kicked by a cow or to
in the classroom. I really liked
have a geranium wilt in front of
working with the kids and talking
about agriculture and said, ‘This is me.”
“And I enjoy being involved
for me.’”
with the Farmers Co-op, too,” he
Thus began a vocation where
adds. “Notice I said Farmers CoJonathan could display his natural talents and find the same in
op. We need to keep farmer front
others. Whether it’s been in the
and center because if we forget
classroom, at a livestock judging
what we’re about, then pretty soon
event with one of his state chamwe will lose our identity. It’s all
pion FFA teams, raising a pig on
about the relationships that our
the farm for one of his students to people in the Co-op build with our
show, serving in his current capac- customers. People don’t care how
ity as a director of Valley Farmers
much you know until they know
Cooperative, or even teaching
how much you care.”
Sunday School at Short Creek
One of the framed pictures
Baptist Church, Jonathan has deon his wall shows Jonathan and
voted his life to building relationTravis Crisp, Matt’s cousin, at an
ships, promoting agriculture, and
FFA event. Travis, who recently
developing young minds.
began working for Valley Farmers,
“He’s the wise old owl to me,”
wrote this note on the picture:
says Matt Crisp, a former MCHS
“Mr. Pierce, I cannot express how
student now working at Southeast- much you have meant to me.”
ern Farmers Cooperative in Cleve“He taught me that you’ve got
land. “I look to him for a lot of
to make yourself the best, that it’s
knowledge and wisdom in agriculnot going to be given to you,” says
ture. When he sees the potential
Travis. “And I also learned there’s
in you, he will push you to succeed no substitute for hard work. He
and accomplish your goals. He’s
taught me a lot about life, not just
been a big influence in my life.”
farming. I still to this day quote a
The feeling is mutual, Jonathan
lot of the things he said.”
will quickly tell you. He admits to
Jonathan says people ask him
missing the classroom and doesn’t
how, and sometimes even why, he
rule out a return but is currently
holds down a full-time job and
content to reflect on the 20-plus
helps run the farm, too. He says
years of memories and accomplish- it’s an easy question to answer:
ments, some of which are docu“As soon as I get home from
mented in photos, plaques, and
work I put on my favorite attire
certificates on the walls of his of— overalls,” says Jonathan. “A
fice at the McMinn County Board
coworker asked me the other day
of Education in downtown Athens. if I was going to take a vacation
“My joy now is admiring the
this year. Shoot, I am on vacation!
impact the agriculture program
God gave me the chance to work
and the FFA program at McMinn
and be a steward of agriculture,
County High School has had on
and it’s what I love to do. So every
people and on organizations like
day is like a vacation to me.”
August 2009
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August 2009