Root of the Matter

Sweetwater Valley Farm is one of the few dairies left in Tennessee. Owner John Harrison has grown the operation and turned it into an agritourism destination with their famous cheese being a big draw. On this episode of Root of The Matter Thomas Capps sits down with John and his son Charles to talk about how SweetWater Valley Farm was created and how they continue to evolve and grow.

The Herbert College of Agriculture at the University of Tennessee Knoxville hit record enrollment this fall. University of Tennessee Senior Vice Chancellor Keith Carver sat down with Lee Maddox to talk about this major milestone for the Herbert College of Agriculture and why he believes this is just the beginning for growth.

Each year on November 11th we pause as a Nation to honor our great veterans for their service. On this special Veterans Day episode of Root of The Matter Lee Maddox talks with veterans David Hochreiter & Ron Bridges who is the President of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Tennessee. They discuss what it means to them to have served and why it’s important to honor veterans on Veterans Day & everyday.

It’s been more than a month since Hurricane Helene left behind destruction in upper East Tennessee. Dr. Aaron Smith with University Of Tennessee Institute Of Agriculture has been working to put an estimate on the economic impact the storm damage will have on agriculture in the area. They estimate that the damage will cost a little more than $1 billion dollars in the agriculture sector in East Tennessee alone. Lee Maddox talked with Smith about their findings and how it’s more than what soime expected. If you’d like to help farmers impacted by Helene you can Donate to the Farm and Forest Families of Tennessee Relief Fund. All money donated will go directly towards helping farm families recover their losses and to food programs in the area.

Cotton has been a staple crop in the southern United States for centuries. That’s not the case in other parts of the country or even world. A French newspaper reporter is spending several weeks in Alabama and southern Tennessee researching and talking to cotton growers with the intent of writing a 10 page article for the publication she writes for back in France. Her research lead her to Lincoln County, Tennessee for Josh Ogle’s cotton picking day. That’s where Lee Maddox talked to her about her project and the interest in US cotton in France.

Joseph & Meredith Redman are all in on the farm to table agritourism scene. Their Grace Meadows Farm in Washington County has become a go to destination for folks to take in the beautiful scenery on their farm and to eat at the restaurant they have there. They recently won the Tennessee Young Farmers & Ranchers Excellence In Agriculture competition. On this episode the Redman’s discuss what it means to win this award and talk about their Grace Meadows Farm.

The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) is deploying its mobile veterinary clinic to Carter County, Tennessee, in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. This deployment is in response to a request from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).

UT Veterinarian College Deploys Mobile Care Unit

People in Northeast Tennessee that were impacted by the massive flooding from Hurricane Helene are still assessing and dealing with the nightmare that is now their reality. Tons of donated supplies and volunteers have poured into the impacted area but the need is still great. Lee Maddox checked in with Tennessee Farm Bureau Area Field Director Steven Huff to get an update on the recovery effort and what is needed now. There is also a new initiative to collect donations to help farmers impacted by the flooding. The Farm and Forest Families Of Tennessee Disaster Relief Fund is collecting monetary donations that will go directly towards helping family farmers and food related initiatives in the impacted areas of East Tennessee. You can donate by clicking here.

Northeast Tennessee is reeling from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene. More than 30 inches of rain fell in Western North Carolina, sending massive amounts of water down river into East Tennessee and causing excessive flooding. People lost homes, bridges have been wiped out, crops are gone and much of the area is without water. Tennessee Farm Bureau field director for upper East Tennessee, Steven Huff, updates on conditions on the ground there, and Shelli Rampold with UT Extension discusses resources they’re offering to people impacted.

The beef industry is ever evolving from genetics to the latest technology and feeding practices. Beef cattle farmers are constantly trying to stay up to date on the latest industry practices to improve beef quality and to meet a growing demand for American beef. Those cutting-edge practices don’t just happen as it takes hours of research. That’s why the work that the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture does on their research farms across the state is so important. For the third year the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture held their Beef and Forage Field Day at the Middle Tennessee Ag Research and Education Center in Spring Hill, Tennessee to showcase the latest research projects in the beef industry for producers. We talked with several of the researchers there to find out about some of the latest advancements being discovered in the beef industry.