By Conor Fay, Public Affairs Specialist
 

Samm and Bubba Roberson have lived in Fayette County since September 2018 shortly after getting married.
Bubba was raised around the dairy and cattle industry but ventured away through work. When they moved to Fayette County, Bubba took Samm to a cattle sale to show her what it was all about. The two ended up leaving with a trailer load of cattle with no tractor, trailer or fence to put them in.
Since this time, they have acquired a 600-acre farm and roughly 4,500 cattle. Since the two were new to the area, they decided to lean on fellow cattle farmers in Fayette County for advice on how to bolster their operation and combat some of the issues they had been facing on their property. It was from this community of local farmers that they first heard about the NRCS.
“[Samm and Bubba] knew there were several issues that needed to be corrected to make the farm more efficient,” said Rhea Taylor, Somerville Field Office Soil Conservationist.
 

Specifically, the pair needed help with their rotational grazing program as the lack of protective infrastructure on the property meant that cattle could venture into the woods and consume toxic berries and acorns.
To help, NRCS staff visited the property and utilized an $82,000 grant to install 32,000 feet of cross fencing isolating the woods from the property’s pasture.
This fencing system has made it easier for the Roberson’s to control their herd such that the land can benefit from efficient and effective rotational grazing, while simultaneously ensuring the health of the cattle who no longer have access to the harmful food found in the woods of Roberson’s family farm.
“We greatly appreciate the professionalism shown to us from the NRCS agents and team,” Bubba Roberson said. “Rhea Taylor, Steven Morris, [Somerville Field Office District Conservationist], and Paula Gould, [Somerville Field Office Secretary], were amazing to work with and were very helpful throughout the entire process.”
Samm and Bubba are currently under NRCS contracts to install nine automatic watering stations and are hoping to work with the agency to tackle erosion on their property as they find new ways to protect and care for their cattle and their land.

By Chip Rose, Pulaski Field Office District Conservationist, published in Minority Landowners Magazine

Chris Griffin has been involved with USDA programs for years through the Pulaski Field Office. He started with a small commercial herd on his farm in Prospect, Tennessee, along Richland Creek.
We initially started working with Griffin because of his interest in rotational grazing and the need for an alternative water source on his property.
We developed a water intake utilizing Richland Creek as the source and a solar pumping system to distribute the water.
Griffin was able to create a way to build a platform to get this system up out of the floodplain and pump water to a large storage tank on the high spot on his farm.
This provided a clean source of drinking water to multiple frost-proof tanks in his paddock rotational grazing system.
His 50-acre farm, adjacent to one of the largest creeks in the county, had no cross fences and was utilizing a pond for water, that was in the front corner of the farm.
Now the farm has six paddocks, three watering facilities, and he has completely excluded livestock access to the surface water on his property.
A winter-feeding area was developed to help maintain animal health in the winter hay feeding months.
There have also been multiple Conservation Stewardship Program contracts with Griffin to implement enhancements on his farm, such as inter-seeding legumes in his pastures.
Griffin recently inherited the farm next to his at the passing of his late uncle. This almost doubled the size of the acres he now manages for his cattle operation.
Having taken over this new farm, Griffin has been quick to implement rotational grazing practices on this farm as well. In addition to working full-time and managing his farm, he is also a member of the Giles County, Tennessee, Farm Service Agency County Committee, which meets monthly at the Giles County office to help implement the FSA programs.
 

Click here to view this article in the Minority Landowners Magazine.

By Sara Glover, Trenton Field Office Soil Conservationist

Dawn Kelly and her husband sold their property in Colorado in 2021 and purchased a small farm in Dyer, Tennessee. The small farm in Gibson County had not been operational for several years and was a blank canvas to start their farming operation.
Kelly was informed by a neighbor that NRCS could assist with her agricultural needs because she was new to the area and new to farming. Kelly visited the local field office and asked the staff about beneficial programs and practices.
The first goal was to establish a high tunnel to grow fruits and vegetables for their family and local community. After meeting the Trenton Field Office staff, they decided to complete an EQIP application.
The field office went out to inspect an area that would be a good spot for the high tunnel. Later that year, Kelly got the call that she had been funded through EQIP. After all necessary documentation had been completed, she was ready to start the project.
Once the construction of the high tunnel was completed, the field office staff went out to take measurements and pictures.
Kelly said she is extremely thankful to receive assistance from the NRCS and intends to grow and sell produce yearlong.

Ryan Blackwood, Trenton Field Office District Conservationist, tours Gibson County resident Dawn Kelly’s high tunnel. Below photo: Gibson County resident Dawn Kelly’s high tunnel. (Photos by Beth Watts, Trenton Field Office Secretary.

By Cam McGinnis, Morristown Field Office Soil Conservationist

Flowing along Highway 11 West, Richland Creek is a large stream that collects much of the surrounding smaller tributaries in the Rutledge and Blaine areas before emptying into the Holston River.
Due to its large watershed area, landowners along its flow path experience yearly flood events that present challenges when it comes to managing livestock and hay ground adjacent to the creek.
To compound these issues, the creek is also listed as in impaired stream primarily due to E Coli, which has led our local district to apply for and receive 319 funding for further improvements beyond what the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and EQIP can fund.
Jason Day, who operates a beef cattle farm along Richland Creek, was facing a common issue of extensive bank erosion that is shared by most landowners along the creek.
With the help of Morristown Field Office engineering staff, Day received help with a streambank stabilization project that should be able to handle possible flood events.
Day knows that he will never be able to stop the flooding, but by armoring the banks, he feels that he can now mitigate the erosion and further loss of usable land, while also being better able to manage and care for his livestock.

By Ruth Groce, Fayetteville Field Office Technician

“Where is all this water coming from?”
This question is one that Dennis Parr could never quite answer.
With a huge gully eating away at his pasture, he was desperately seeking answers. Even after riding up to his mini watershed in a torrential rainstorm to see just exactly how much water was coming off the hills, Parr still couldn’t put his finger on where so much damaging water was originating.
Parr decided that enough was enough and he was not going to lose any more of his pasture for his cattle.
He called the Fayetteville Field Office to get advice and resources for repairs to the land.
Upon visiting the site, Kevin Edge, Fayetteville Field Office District Conservationist, and his team understood that this was a massive project and needed to call in the big guns.
When Tony Lampert, Murfreesboro Area Office Engineer, and his team of area engineers arrived on scene, they got to work surveying and taking careful measurements. They worked tirelessly together and produced a design that would withstand a 100-year flood for Parr.
Truthfully, the project started out rough. There were mistakes made, and remedial actions to be taken, but a rough and bumpy beginning does not mean that the ending will be a flop. This is exactly what happened for Parr. It showed exactly what could happen when a landowner, field office, engineers, and contractor come together to get a project completed.

USDA certified organic farm the first of its kind in impoverished food desert community

By Katherine K. Burse, State Public Affairs Officer

Imagine a community where zip codes make up a city’s highest rates in poverty, school dropouts, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, gang activity, and youth violence, all while boasting the highest childhood hunger and obesity rates simultaneously.

Now imagine a lifelong resident of that very community, a person of faith, a visionary, a hard worker, a trailblazer who has devoted his time, talents, and treasures to start an organization that would serve as the foundation to address the myriad of challenges this same community faced, specifically as it relates to the need for food security and food access.

After experiencing loss first-hand from gun violence that caused the death of his childhood best friend, Marlon Foster committed his life to community development and educating youth, grades Pre-K through 12, and families in South Memphis “to maximize their potential through intellectual and character development.” So, he founded the non-profit organization Knowledge Quest in 1998.

One year later, Foster began his first agricultural efforts by installing the organization’s first community garden in a nearby public housing community to teach children where their food came from and to promote healthy eating and nutrition. He also wanted an activity that would bring together four generations of neighboring residents into one single activity.

On the farm, Knowledge Quest students and community members learned how to grow food in ways that built community and increased the neighborhood’s access to healthy foods while decreasing the harsh realities of poverty, drugs, and criminal activity in the area.

“My vision was to grow food in ways that built community and promoted wellness,” said Foster. It turns out that while we were increasing our neighborhood's access to healthy fruits and vegetables, we were supporting healthy eaters, entrepreneurs, and advocates for social and environmental justice.”

Memphis ranked in the top ten of the most food-insecure cities in the nation in 2010 and the nearest full-service grocery store was three miles from where Foster resides in Soulsville. Recognizing the need for food access and food security in his community, Foster began operating Green Leaf Learning Farm in 2010 as an expansion program of Knowledge Quest to support the nutritional needs of the community. He transformed 30 vacant lots and four abandoned buildings into the only USDA-certified organic micro farm operation in South Memphis.

Green Leaf Learning Farm centers on 3 acres in the heart of South Memphis and focuses its efforts on student education, community and economic development, and food access/food security. There Foster has planted several gardens, started culinary and gardening academies, and built dormitories to house college students who want to learn about agriculture firsthand. The farm has proven to be a model for nutrition and education but also for how other communities can rethink land use.

Over the years, Foster has led the investment of millions of dollars to promote healthy eating and community development in Soulsville. In 2012, his efforts caught the attention of former U.S. President Barack Obama, and he was honored as a champion of change as part of the nation’s Winning the Future initiative.

A pillar in his community, Foster continues to seek ways to expand his growing operation and was recently selected for an urban farming and education/outreach grant partnership with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service in Tennessee. He currently serves as an active and valued member on the NRCS State Technical Committee for Urban Agriculture in Tennessee.

Through his participation in USDA programs, Foster promoted water conservation through irrigation upgrades; partnered with other federal and nonfederal agencies on education and outreach efforts; and hosted several informational sessions for regional growers in minority communities.

“USDA programs have impacted my operation by providing organic certification to Green Leaf and supplying me with the resources I need to expand my operation,” said Foster. “I truly appreciate the education and outreach support by Tennessee NRCS to help steward the impact of agriculture in our region.”

His future plans for Green Leaf Learning Farm are to continue to grow his operation by incorporating indoor agriculture on the farm with additional high tunnels and also to further develop his education and agritourism efforts and on-site retail options through the renovation of two vacant buildings. One building will be converted into a corner store and the other will host his culinary academy and a farm-to-table restaurant concept.

Foster is a shining example of how to lead by example while continuing to live, work, and worship in the same historically underserved community he has loved and cherished his entire life.
 

Click on link below to read pdf version.

By Roger RyDell Daniels, NRCS Tennessee Public Affairs Specialist, and Craig Underwood, Shelbyville Field Office Soil Conservationist 
 

So many farms these days are being sold and split up because no one in the family wants to continue the traditions of the past or put in the hard work or long hours it takes to keep operating. 
Bedford County farmer Chris Cooper is not one of those people.
Cooper’s hard work on his 100.6-acre, cow-calf farm, his dedication toward natural resources conservation, and his utilization of several NRCS contracts to improve his farm through conservation practices helped him earn the 2023 Bedford County Soil Conservation District (SWCD) Farmer of the Year Award, which recognizes a special farmer who is not afraid of trying new ideas in the hope of finding a better way of doing things. 
Cooper’s farm-work ethic was developed as a kid from spending time with his grandfather on the Unionville, Tennessee, farm that has been in his family since 1942.   
The desire to create the same memories for his three children and four grandchildren inspired Cooper to purchase the farm in 2016 from his father and aunt.
The work ethic may have started as a kid, but his journey to farm ownership began after high school when he enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial studies. After graduating, he stayed in the Murfreesboro area working for Schneider Electric and raising a family with Lauren, his wife of 39 years.

Farm success through NRCS partnership

After taking control of the farm, Cooper started making major improvements and just a year later, in 2017, with aid from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), he installed 2,000 feet of fence and 4,600 feet of pipeline to supply three watering facilities. This allowed him to rotationally graze 58 acres of pasture. 
Cooper said although his partnership with NRCS has created recent success, it’s not the first time NRCS has partnered with the third-generation family farm.
“I still have a document from when my grandfather worked with them [NRCS] in the 1960s,” Cooper said. “Without the NRCS technical and financial help, I would not be able to be successful. I would like to try other programs such as the Conservation Stewardship Program and work on access roads through the farm.”

From cool season to native warm season grass

Murfreesboro Area Office Resource Conservationist Cory Hodge said he helped Cooper in 2017 receive his first EQIP contract to implement a rotational grazing system. 
“After talking to Mr. Cooper about prescribed grazing and the opportunities he had through EQIP, he decided that was the route he wanted to go. He had areas that were overgrazed and a wet field he wanted to control cattle access to when it was dry,” Hodge said. “We set up a grazing system with cross fencing, pipeline, heavy use areas and water troughs.”
Hodge said additional EQIP contracts helped Cooper convert about 11.6 acres of cool season grass to native warm season grass to his rotational system. The improved forage production helped reduce the need for hay during the year. 
Cooper continues improving his land by planting fruit trees and has one beehive and planning another in the spring to produce honey and help with the pollination needed on the farm.
“The orchards and the bees, I’m learning that part of farming because I haven’t done it before. I’m reading what I can, joined a bee group, and taking beginner beekeeper classes,” he said.
Shelbyville Field Office District Conservationist Logan Dugger said Cooper has addressed multiple resource concerns during the past few contracts including sheet and rill erosion, feed and forage imbalance and degraded plant condition. 
“It has been a pleasure to work with Mr. Cooper,” Dugger said. “He is constantly looking at ways to improve his farm not only now but also for future generations.” 
 

By Ruth Groce, Fayetteville Field Office District Technician
 

It’s a beautiful spring Tennessee day in Lincoln County. The sun is shining, birds are happily chirping, and the weather is a wonderful 75 degrees. Suddenly, you see a tower of smoke coming from your neighbor’s hay field and it’s on fire. 
As you drive by, you see that Lincoln County cattle producer Gary Byers is standing beside his burning field but he seems to be taking pleasure in watching this field that he has put his blood, sweat, and tears into; his source of income, go up in smoke. Looking closer, you see a team of people standing around this burning field. 
They are also not bothered by the burning hay field. If you speak with these people, they will tell you they are with the Fayetteville Field Office and are conducting a controlled burn of this native warm season grass field under the exceptional guidance of Clint Borum, a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency biologist. 
Byers planted this field with the assistance of the Fayetteville Field Office in 2023 and decided to burn this field. 
But why? 
He has spent so much time and money establishing this planting. 
Why on earth would he want to burn it all down? 
Byers has received guidance from NRCS and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency experts. He knows that native warm season grasses love fire and burning these dormant grasses can have many benefits. 
What kind of benefits could you possibly get from a prescribed burn? 
There are many benefits to prescribed burns, but Byers uses this field for hay production, and he is looking for a few specific benefits. 
Prescribed burns can help manage undesirable vegetation within your native warm season grass stand and can also help to improve plant community structure and composition. 
This would take out much of the encroaching undesirable plants within this field and give the native grasses more room to grow with less effort. Burning would also improve plant and seed production, quantity, and quality. Meaning, Byers would have a higher quality hay crop with a higher biomass harvested. 
Finally, burning this field can also improve and maintain the habitat for soil organisms and help to enhance the soil health of this field. A healthy soil will make a happy plant.
In addition to the previously mentioned benefits of a prescribed burn, it can also help manage pests, pathogens, and diseases; reduce wildfire hazards; improve terrestrial habitat for wildlife; and facilitate distribution of grazing animals to improve forage-animal balance. 
The people involved with these burns can give you firsthand testimony of the incredible regeneration of plants that will come afterward. 

By Jason A. Miller, Madisonville Field Office District Conservationist

Dean and Brenda Williams, owners of DW Farms of Vonore, recently utilized state and federal programs to install best management practices to improve natural resources on their farm.  
The project evolved because a group named Tellico Water Group had been testing the watershed that contributes to the Tellico Lake because high levels of pathogens and sediment was observed. 
Over the course of several years of testing the watershed, Bat Creek was selected for improvement. This watershed was already a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation 319 impaired watershed. 
With time, the Waters Group helped develop a watershed base plan with help from University of Tennessee Extension, Monroe County SWCD, and NRCS. The plan was submitted and a TDA 319 grant was awarded for the Bat Creek Watershed.
Several sites were identified throughout Bat Creek as point sources and the Williams’ farm was within the area and adjacent to Tellico Lake. The Williams had already been working with Madisonville District Conservationist Jason Miller with an EQIP contract to address resource concerns on one of the farm tracts. 
The 319 grant expedited the project and expanded it to address all issues to reduce pathogens and sediment loads running into Bat Creek. 
Example practices that were installed were 4,500 feet of exclusion fence and more than 2,100 feet of rock lined waterways protected by erosion control fabric and with a grass buffer. Additionally, 3,000 feet of pipeline were installed to distribute water to five automatic water facilities protected with rock and fabric heavy use areas around them.
This project was a total success for the Williams’ farm and community and serves as a great example to showcase what best management practice can do to protect our natural resources utilizing federal, state and local programs and funds.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

By Conor Fay, NRCS Tennessee Public Affairs Specialist
 

Above photo: Fayette County farm owners Cleo and Dolly Montgomery inside the high tunnel on their property. (Courtesy photo).

Cleophus ‘Cleo’ Montgomery and his wife Dollie moved from Bartlett, Tennessee, in 2019 to a five-acre farm in Fayette County. They produce a wide variety of fruits and vegetables on their lands and raise several different types of chickens.
As a fourth-generation farmer, Cleo is no stranger to this line of work.
Since moving to Fayette County, Cleo and Dollie have sold products directly from their farm to urban and food desert communities and have managed to retain many of the same customers from their time in Bartlett with strong relationships and quality products.
Shelby County Extension agents introduced Cleo and Dollie to Memphis Field Office District Conservationist Fred Walker in 2019. Walker helped the couple establish their first high tunnel. Two years later, Jackson Area Office Resource Conservationist Dexter Howard helped the pair to install a micro drip irrigation system, a practice designed to increase efficiency and decrease energy use throughout the watering process.
These measures aim to help reduce weed barriers and Cleo’s working time on the farm. Cleo has earned numerous accolades including Most Improved Beginning Farmer from Tennessee State University and Best Produce at the Farmers Market in Bartlett. Additionally, the Montgomerys hosted members of the Tennessee Leadership Team in 2021 for the state quality assurance review. During this visit, Cleo and Dollie shared their story with the leadership team and explained how the Environmental Quality Incentives Program has benefited their operation and natural resources. The leadership team received a tour of the Montgomerys’ property.
The couple reconnected with NRCS in 2023 to establish a second high tunnel with the help of Somerville Field Office District Conservationist Steven Morris. This addition helped bolster their capacity for production and improve resilience to weather and pests. The second high tunnel also includes micro irrigation which he will install this year.
Looking forward, Cleo and Dollie have their sights set on improving their operation in Fayette County. They are currently approved in the Conservation Stewardship Program. They recognize the benefit that the technical and financial assistance made available through NRCS programs has had on their land and their ability to nourish their community. Additionally, they hope to continue using their farm to educate local school children and their fellow farmers on best practices in agriculture that they have learned over the years.

By Michaela Slagle-Saylor, Washington County SWCD
District Office Manager and Conor Fay, NRCS Tennessee Public Affairs Specialist
 

Above photo: Jonesborough Field Office utilized prescribed fire in Washington and Unicoi Counties using IRA funding. (Stock photo).

The Inflation Reduction Act was signed in August 2022. The new law provided an additional $19.5 billion over five years to support USDA’s conservation programs. This represents the single largest investment in clean energy solutions in American history. Its impact could be felt right here in Tennessee as NRCS programs support local producers.
The Jonesborough Field Office has been hard at work utilizing this funding to improve the health of the land for wildlife and plant diversity. The field office is also promoting practices that offer greater control to landowners regarding the types of species that grow on their property and the times in which crops can be grown throughout the year.
The Jonesborough Field Office worked with wildlife forest management practices to accomplish many of these projects. For instance, prescribed fire was utilized at several sites to promote a healthy herbaceous habitat and enhance the understory of the forests in both Washington and Unicoi Counties. These efforts, in conjunction with tree and shrub management systems worked to improve the habitat of native wildlife and produce sufficient and stable vegetation in the area. Through a collaborative effort between biologists, NRCS staff and technical service providers, the office was able to create a management plan to control invasive species to improve the habitat for native species.
Additionally, the Jonesborough Field Office utilized this funding to provide common conservation practices such as high tunnel implementation and prescribed grazing for cattle. High tunnels are frequently used as a way to improve the health and vigor of plants and soil such that the growing season can be extended and pesticide use can be reduced. In a similar way, prescribed grazing allows landowners to maintain control over the desired plant species that are grown on their property.
In Washington County, staff has assisted farmers in creating grazing plans that address the intensity, the frequency, and the timing of livestock grazing with the intent of improving forage quality for all involved. These efforts have served to wholistically sustain pastures and have provided great opportunity for Jonesborough to act as an educational resource for others to gain a better understanding of the importance of soil health.

By Ruth Groce, Lincoln County District Technician, and Mary Douglas Hastings, Fayetteville Field Office Soil Conservationist.

Above photo: Fayetteville Field Office District Conservationist Kevin Edge inspects a no-till drill to ensure seeds are being released. (Courtesy photo).

To plant or not to plant?
The answer for Lincoln County resident Rebecca Coble is always to plant.
Coble owns the 87-acre Luna Hollow Farm in Lincoln County. The family farm goes back several generations.
Coble loves all things natural and is dedicated to turning her farm into an oasis for creatures large and small. With determination and a goal in mind, she set to work on her own planting pollinators such as milkweed and purple coneflower, pulling Jimsonweed by hand, and battling invasive species in her hay fields. Coble was absolutely determined to get the upper hand on the trespassers without the use of chemicals, but she was only making minimal headway.
She visited the Fayetteville Field Office in 2018 for assistance with her dream. Using EQIP, the Fayetteville Field Office worked with Coble to implement several conservation practices, including forest stand improvement, brush management, and herbaceous weed control. Coble currently has her farm enrolled in the Conservation Stewardship Program and she hopes to make additional improvements to wildlife habitat.
Most recently, she has taken a hay field out of production and installed a conservation cover mix that is filled with pollinator species. With Fayetteville Field Office District Conservationist Kevin Edge monitoring the no till drill, and a neighbor at the wheel, the field was successfully planted.
Coble said the thought of what’s to come with her most recent project has her delighted and dancing with anticipation. She said she is looking forward to the day that she can look over a field of wildflowers, engulfed in butterflies and pollinators. She has a tom and hen turkey that have already taken up residence in this field. Coble said she is delighted that this field will be able to provide a nesting opportunity and food source for her feathered friends.
Coble is excited about the progress that has been made on her land over the past few years.

By Limarie D. Jones-Thillet, NRCS Tennessee Earth Team Volunteer, and Haydee Thillet, Clinton Field Office District Conservationist

Above photo from left to right: Clinton Field Office District Secretary/Technician Emily Harmon (Webb), Soil Conservationist Student Trainee Samuel Laws and Natural Resource Specialist Destinee Braden stand with Anderson County resident Charlotte Wyrich inside her high tunnel.

During the height of the 2020 pandemic, one chance conversation set off a domino effect that changed the course of an entire family's life. Anderson County resident Charlotte Wyrich met Clinton Field Office District Conservationist Haydee Thillet while on a weekend grocery run in Clinton, Tennessee. The two casually spoke about choosing avocados, which quickly led to a conversation about food production. Haydee spoke about high tunnel systems, and Wyrich left with the promise that she would reach out once she spoke with her husband. 
In summer 2022, Wyrich called the Clinton Field Office telling a story about a lady she had met at the grocery store two years earlier. The Wyrich family own a two-acre property and they were committed to extend their growing season and produce more food for their family. Reaching out to NRCS was the first step in that process. In 2023, the Wyrich family's EQIP application was funded in the urban category. Wyrich knew installing the high tunnel system would help her family's situation and also be manageable for a beginner farmer. Her family rallied together to install the structure, finishing on May 31, 2024. 
“When we arrived at the property, we could see the joy in Mrs. Wyrich's eyes as the satisfaction of the hard work she and her family had put into the project was about to be showcased,” said Limarie D. Jones-Thillet, a NRCS Tennessee Earth Team Volunteer. “She was so proud of how far she had come and ready for what would come in the future.”
Jones-Thillet said Wyrich expressed her deepest appreciation for NRCS, and she is looking forward to producing more food for her family and providing additional income by selling the excess. 
Thanks to a simple 15-minute conversation, an entire family is now more secure in their ability to provide for themselves.

Above: Before and after (with yellow top) photos of the installation of a heavy use area and watering facility on Anderson Farms Below photo: Attendees view the heavy use area and watering facility during a farm day on Anderson Farms in Overton County. (Photos by Robert Halfacre, Livingston Field Office District Conservationist, and courtesy photos).

By Robert Halfacre, Livingston Field Office District Conservationist

Anderson Farms is a family-owned century farm in Overton County. Chuck Anderson is the eighth generation within the family to utilize the land for agricultural production. Chuck manages a cow-calf operation where he markets his calves both commercially and direct to customer. 
He also utilizes annuals and perennials that produce hay for supplemental forage on the farm. Anderson knew there were opportunities to improve his operation as the farm has long utilized open ponds for the cattle to get water from. With animal health being one of his top priorities, he knew that a fresh water source would be vital to the long-term success of his operation. 
He calculated the daily consumption rates for his 100 head of beef cows and quickly saw that providing municipal water to his herd would be very cost prohibitive. Continuing to search for options, he remembered a small wet area located near one end of the 215-acre farm. This area turned out to be a substantial spring about five feet under the ground surface.
The location of the spring was more than 1,000 feet from any electrical source and with the rising cost of commodities (including electricity and city water), Anderson decided to try a solar pump to supply fresh water to the cattle. 
He developed the spring into a shallow well and found a simple pump and solar panel that was sufficient to pump water up-hill roughly 30 feet to a flat area where he could place a water trough. The water was tested for livestock consumption and came back with all results within range. This system ran for roughly a year providing him with the proof of concept he needed before planning to expand the water source to the other end of the farm (5,500 feet away) which was where the largest percentage of his grazing acres were.  
Anderson, being an engineer by trade, worked with a company to plan and size a system that would pump water uphill from the spring to a 1,000-gallon storage tank. The system would include a secondary transfer pump to move water from the storage tank across the farm (6,000 feet) to multiple permanent watering facilities and quick connects to be used for mobile water stations. Having done extensive planning and research, Anderson visited the Livingston Field Office for assistance in implementing the project.
Though past experiences had concluded with more failures of solar systems than those that had success, several agencies began working together to determine if the solar pumping system that had been proposed would be a viable option. They ran numerous calculations for pumping requirements and conducted multiple field visits to determine if the system would perform as planned. With the information that had been gathered throughout this process and in considering Anderson’s extensive planning, research, and proven success running the experiment pump, it was agreed to pursue the implementation of this system. Anderson worked with the staff to develop a conservation plan that would implement a rotational grazing system across the farm as well as remove the cattle from the ponds.
During the project execution, the material shortage impacted some of the capabilities to get some supplies. 
However, he was successful in installing the engineered system to include four 4 ball water troughs and 21 quick connects. He purchased two 2 ball water troughs and built platforms with skids to place them on. These now portable water troughs allow him to utilize the quick connects while moving cattle across the farm. He also utilizes temporary fencing to create smaller paddocks which increase his grazing efficiency.
Staff from the Overton County University of Tennessee/Tennessee State University Extension, NRCS, SWCD, and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture participated in a field day at Anderson Farms in May to showcase this system and educate others on the options and opportunities that are available to agricultural producers. 
The event was attended by several producers and extension agents. Anderson received the Overton County SWCD 2023 Conservation Farmer of the Year and the Tennessee State University’s 2023 Small Farmer of the Year. 
 

Fred Moody, the owner of the Sawbriar at Big South Fork in Allardt, Tennessee, has been a frequent visitor to the Jamestown Field Office renting seed drills to plant a variety of different species for upland bird habitat and discuss their operations and their goals. 

“I am doing, in my mind, a good job of conservation for what I do, but there has to be something that I am missing to make good, better,” Fred asked Jesse Tussing, Jamestown Field Office Soil Conservationist.

Tussing said he explained different ideas and NRCS has different partners that would be able to make a field visit, offer suggestions, and develop a wildlife management plan. 

Partners including representatives from the local high school, the University of Tennessee/Tennessee State University Extension, Quail Forever, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency met at the Sawbriar at Big South Fork to discuss the future of agriculture, outreach, student involvement, and educational advancement. 

The following videos were shot on June 27, 2024, by Plateau Creative, Crossville, Tennessee, to highlight NRCS Tennessee and how NRCS can help Fred Moody and other individuals who are interested with applying conservation.