Tennessee

TN AgrAbility hosted a ZOOM in-service for University of TN Extension and TN State University Extension to remind Extension of AgrAbility's services and state partnerships to help farmers with disabilities keep farming. All of Extension was invited to participate: agricultural, family consumer sciences, and 4-H. Extension brings research-based education to community about agriculture, family and consumer sciences, and resource development to the people of Tennessee where they live and work. The AgrAbility partnership between Cooperative Extension at a land grant university, and the disability community brings the expertise of the two organizations together to better serve the farmer with a disability. Extension is in all 95 counties in TN and is a key partner in helping to reach farmers!

March 23 was National Ag Day! Charley Jordan, UT/TSU Extension veteran to ag consultant and flower farmer, reminds us that "Agriculture is essential and should be celebrated every day of the year. Farming is more than a passion: it's saved my life more than once. No matter my mindset at the time, which unfortunately can go from one extreme to the other, putting my hands in the dirt can instantly change me - taking me away to a happy place while freeing up my mind to enjoy life. As the days get warmer and you enjoy fresh fruits, meats, vegetables, and of course flowers, remember the farmers that brought it to you."

The TN New Farmer Academy is well under way in Central and East TN. TNAP presented for these classes to a total of 133 participants with 10 TN AgrAbility scholarships to support beginning farmers. Fifteen of the 133 were veterans with disabilities. The team will be working with the beginning farmers over the next seven months to help make their dreams reality.

TN FVC continues in the planning phases with the national Farmer Veteran Coalition. Save the date for November 17-19, 2021, for a regional Farmer Veteran Coalition meeting in Knoxville, TN. More details coming soon! Join the farmer veteran community for education and networking. If planning to attend or wanting to present a topic of interest to beginning farmers and veterans with disabilities at the conference, contact staff at agrability@tennessee.edu.

The Lower Middle TN Priority Program Team that includes agents from Maury, Lawrence, Hickman, Marshall, Lewis, Perry, Wayne, and Giles Counties held a very special and successful program conducted at the Middle TN Research and Education Center. The team planned and implemented a grain bin safety and rescue training with the help of the TN Association of Rescue Squads, Tennessee AgrAbility, and the TN Department of Agriculture. This program was the idea of Megan Harris in Wayne County and she, Joetta T. White and Troy Dugger with TN AgrAbility, and the rest of the team spent months meeting, planning, and raising funds to make it happen.

The audience included county rescue squad and emergency personnel, local farmers, farm bureau members, and UT personnel. The goal was to provide grain rescue training for the emergency personnel and include grain farmers so all could understand the process of a grain entrapment rescue. All counties participating in the training received a Great Wall of Rescue and Turtle Tube Grain Rescue Tubes that can be used in rescues. If you are not familiar with Great Wall of Rescue or Turtle Tube Grain Rescue Tube, please see the links below to learn more. One point learned by all was that there is a need for farmers and emergency personnel to know each other and to understand each other's rolls in an on-farm rescue.

A special shout out to Kevin Thompson and the staff of MTREC who "bent over backwards" to make their facilities available for the training. The main focus of the hands-on training was with the use of a grain filled trailer that was backed into their shop due to rain experienced over the weekend. The setting was perfect for the training as seen in videos and images.

TN Farm Bureau, TN Farmers Cooperator, and UTIA Marketing and Communications were on-hand to film and interview participants, and their participation was greatly appreciated.

As a result, 28 emergency personnel, farmers, and UT employees attended the two-day event, and $44,186.20 was raised in funding or in-kind support to conduct the training and provide the rescue resources. Sponsor money was used to purchase seven Great Wall Rescue Tubes and 27 Turtle Tubes for each county plus meals.

Kevin Rose, county director and ANR Extension agent UT TSU Extension said, "I have been with UT Extension for more than 33 years and I think this may be the most impactful training I have been a part of. If one life is saved as a result of this program, then UT Extension has had the greatest impact it can have on our clientele."

Submitted by TN AgrAbility Project