Robbie and Gail Corum welcomed the 16 counties of East Tennessee Regional Leadership Association (ETRLA) to Union County recently for Agriculture Day.
Presentations and tours included Tater Valley Nursery and Century Farm, Mayor Jason Bailey, UCHS Career & Technical Education, Union County Farmers Market, Union County Soil Conservation, and UT Extension Union County.
Lunch and some of the presentations were at the historic Hubbs Grove Missionary Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. Pete's Place catered the lunch of grilled chicken salad, and Dionne's lemonade pie with fruit compote pretty much made Maynardville a “foodie destination.”
First tour stop was Tater Valley Nursery owned by Dale and Debbie Corum. The couple gave a seedling planting demonstration, demonstrated the newest technology in their remote-controlled greenhouse, and related a short history of the Booker Century Farm.
Dale stressed the importance of building relationships to make a business successful. He talked about offering products for a fair price and understanding the unique needs of clients.
The class learned that Tater Valley Nursery is not only a local operation but also sells to patrons in much of the southeast as well as states north of Tennessee.
The Corums related several stories of people from other states who travel to the farm annually to obtain heirloom plants. Everyone was encouraged to visit when the farm is particularly scenic in the spring and early summer when most plants are in bloom.
From the farm, the group traveled back to the church for Mayor Jason Bailey's presentation on the grants associated with the Union County Farmers Market and other examples of progress in Union County.
Bailey related the cooperation between all agencies to make the farmers market a reality. He told how Commissioner Earl Cox had discovered that Union County owned the land. He then explained how Commissioner Danny Cooke and Superintendent of Roads David Cox had agreed to do excavation.
He noted that his contacts through East Tennessee Development District helped obtain the grants and the Amish to build the shed and the building. The class learned that among the grants was one for a commercial kitchen that took the cooperation of the market, the county, nonprofits, and several private businesses to accomplish.
The commercial kitchen will be a business incubator for the manufacturing of canned produce and baked goods for small businesses who lack commercial grade facilities.
Extension Agent Alyshia Victoria will also use the kitchen for Family and Consumer Science education classes.
Later in the afternoon the class toured the Union County Farmers Market and met the market manager and the staff to learn how the farmers market has been a welcome and needed addition to Union County.
Bailey ended his remarks with a summary of the new million-dollar sports complex in Luttrell.
After lunch, ETRLA proceeded to Union County High School where Bryan Shoffner, Career and Technical Director, summarized the C&TE Program. He noted the program included courses in agriculture and horticulture, criminal justice, architecture and construction, manufacturing, health science, cosmetology, office management, leadership and government with JROTC, banking and finance and automotive maintenance and light repair.
He related how the cooperation of state representatives, local leaders and the school system is working to build a Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) on the campus of UCHS. Participants also learned that agreements with KUB, GRIID and other businesses were in process to hire the graduates of the TCAT program.
A return to Hubbs Grove Fellowship Hall offered presentations from Union County Soil Conservation and UT Extension Union County. The class learned that the soil conservation agency works with area land owners to efficiently use, conserve and maintain a high level of soil and water quality in Union County and operates under the US Department of Agriculture.
Mike Shoffner and Bobby Ellison and their staff have made available over $1M annually to landowners for conservation practices. Costly equipment, too expensive for a small farmer too own, is also maintained and offered for rent. The class also learned that the staff of UT Extension Union County, Shannon DeWitt, Alyshia Victoria, Ashley Mike and Beth Bergeron provide services as an outreach of UT Extension to promote the best practices in agriculture, consumer science and education and youth activities that are associated with these practices. Most notably are the Master Beef Program, FCE Clubs, and 4H.
ETRLA Agriculture Day closed with door prizes of handmade items and products from Union County, an evaluation of the day, and most notably the realization that teamwork, vision and honor for the past are truly keys to not only agriculture, but progress in general.
On November 9, Robbie and Gail Corum will graduate as members of the ETRLA Class of 2020-21.
If anyone would like to be a member of Leadership Union County Class of 2022 or would like more information regarding ETRLA, please contact Colleen Beeler at beelerc@bellsouth.net.