Agriculture is big business in Grainger County. Here are some Ag Facts to prove it:
- Over 650 Greenhouses
- 923 farms
- 87,117 acres in farm land
- 18,218 acres of hay/corn silage
- 500 Acres of Field Vegetables
- 22,385 Head of Cattle
- Livestock make up 45% of Ag sales
- Ranked 44th in state for livestock
Agriculture is alive and well in Grainger County. Extension is heavily involved in bringing educational classes that meet the needs of the citizens. Here is a list of many of our programs.
Below are some pages of interest by topic: mouse over them and click to follow link.
Available Programs
January 7
Record Keeping Importance (New pocket Record Book Handed out) – Ag Pavilion Drive-in 6:30pm
January 21
Farmer Success Stories Panel Discussion – Ag Pavilion Drive-in 6:30pm
Feb 4
New Herbicide Duracor – Dr. Rhodes, UT Specialist – Ag Pavilion, Drive-in 6:30pm
Feb 18
Beef Nutrition – Dr. Katie Mason, UT Specialist – Ag Pavilion, Drive-in 6:30pm
March 4
Soil Conservation and FSA Programs – Ag Pavilion, Drive-in 6:30pm
March 25
Cattlemen’s Talk (what every producer should know and be telling) – Ag Pavilion, Drive-in 6:30pm
TBA
Forage Field Day – TBA, Drive-in
Drive-in Classes – Everyone stays in vehicle and tunes in radio station. Handouts will be given out as you arrive. Presentations will be viewed on a big screen. Questions can be texted in for answers.
The TN Master Beef Producer Program is an educational program designed to continue providing information to the beef producers of Tennessee. There have been 2 other names of the program in the past, but the goal is to deliver profit making education to our producers. Nearly 12,000 Tennessee cattle producers have participated in the 1st level program. The “Advanced” level provided even more topics and events. The program has seen changes, but it will always provide education to improve producers’ profitability, knowledge, and marketing of their beef herd. Anyone, whether they attended any other level of the program or not, can attend the TN Master Beef Producer Program. The program is recognized as one the most successful beef educational programs in the country. This is a three year certification.
Beef Classes will be held in Grainger County each year. These classes are open to the public for educational, and will count towards an TN Master Beef Producer certificate. There will be several classes throughout the year. Producers are asked to attend at least 6 of the classes to be certified. A roster will be at every beef related class. At the end of the year, producers that have attended the required classes can pay the TNMBP fee and receive a certificate good for 3 years.
If you are unsure when you took the UT Master Beef Producer Course, please contact your local UT Extension Agent under which the course was conducted. Please see a tentative schedule to the right.
Always Classy
Spring Weed ID & Control Video
Summer Weed ID & Control Video
This program covers the basics of managing cattle. Nutrition, vaccinations, and safe handling is the major focus of this program. Participants will be certified for 2 years as a Beef Quality Assurance producer. This certification is required at some special sells and for the TAEP grant program. There is a small fee for this hour long class.
These cost-share grants put money back onto the farm as investments to livestock handling equipment, registered bulls, hay storage barns, hay feeders and much more. There are two levels of funding: 35% and 50% cost-share dollars. These grants turn on in May of each year. I am available to help explain and help fill-out the grant paperwork. Feel free to contact me in the month of May to get started. Here is the TAEP website
Goat and Sheep are also numerous in the county. The majority of the small ruminates are used for meat production. In the past, Master Meat Goat and Sheep Programs have been held. There are classes offered in the region and some field days focus on improving production. Here is a list of some publications that can help:
Goat Pasture & Hay Field Guidelines
The Best Time to Market Sheep and Goats
Vaccination Protocol for a Goat Herd
Herd Health Program for Meat Goats
Managing Internal Parasitism in Sheep and Goats
Tax Exemption For Agriculture Producers – This application is used to exempt producers from sales tax on agriculture products. For more information on tax exemptions visit https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/sales-and-use-tax/agricultural-exemption.html
The form is located at this link:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/revenue/documents/forms/sales/f1308401.pdf
Contact Information
Anthony Carver
Ext Agent III & Co Dir
Phone: (865) 828-3411
Email: bcarver4@tennessee.edu
General Topics
Tomato Festival
The largest free festival in Tennessee is held the last full weekend in July. Don’t miss out on all the fun, food, entertainment, and of course great tasting Grainger County Tomatoes! To see a tomato wars video follow the homeowner link above.
The Tennessee Century Farms Program
is administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU in partnership with the Department of Agriculture.
It is meant to celebrate the efforts of farm families producing on the same ground for over 100 years. To become a Century Farm please follow this link and fill out the application and follow the instruction there in.
