Hello! My name is Joshua Bowlin and I am the newest member of the Union County Extension Office. My role is the office administrator. I reside in Washburn where I was born and raised, with my wife Brittany. I grew up on a small hobby farm where I helped my Grandfather take care of many different farm animals. Most of the animals we had might have been my idea. Brittany and I currently have two horses, a dog, and two cats on our farm.

After graduating from high school in 2009, I thought I wanted to work in heating and air conditioning. I found out this was not for me after working in this field for a few months. Due to some fortunate events, I started Walters State Community College where I began my college career in general studies, as I was still unsure what I really wanted to do. After being there for a couple of semesters I decided to change my major to agriculture. One of the best decisions I could have made. I graduated from Walters State in 2014 with an Associate of Science Degree in Agriculture.

Upon completing my degree at Walters State, I took a position at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital. Here I worked in the rehabilitation center helping to treat horses; we did everything from conditioning them in the underwater treadmill to helping with lameness exams. Working at U.T. gave me the opportunity to go back to college and receive my Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture. I was only able to take one, or two classes a semester, so it took me almost five years to complete my degree. My perseverance finally paid off in May of 2021, in the completion of my program of study.

Why did I decide to work in extension? While at U.T., I always wanted to work in extension. Agriculture has always been a part of who I am and I enjoy helping people. My last semester gave me the opportunity to work in an extension setting. I volunteered two days a week in the Knox County office. Working there sealed the deal and I knew that extension is where I needed to be. Being the newest hire here at the extension office, I am looking forward to meet and getting to know everyone that walks through the door. Stop in and say Hello soon!