Inspired by memories of curled shavings piled on the porch or under the tree to be caught by little children or the wind, “The Whittler” reminds us of a time when grandpas and many of the men would gather to tell stories, swap Case knives, and whittle.

Ironweed (Veronia altissima) is the purple flowers you see growing on a tall, slender stalk in pasture and hay fields while driving down the road.

Ironweed can grow to a height of 7 to 10 feet in deep moist soils, but usually averages around 5 feet. The stem of the plant is very hard and stiff, hence the name. Spear shaped leaves around 6 inches long grow all along the length of the stem.

Union County 4-H members recently showed off their grilling talents in two exciting events, displaying their culinary skills and competitive spirit.
1st Annual Union County 4-H Grill Team Competition
Last month, local 4-H members gathered for the Fall Palooza at the Union County Farmers Market for the inaugural Union County 4-H Grill Team Competition. These talented young grillers, split into two divisions, impressed the crowd with their mastery over the grill.
Junior Division Results:
- 1st Place: Harlynn Dodd (poultry)
- 2nd Place: Aspen Davis (pork)

The Union County 4-H annual Chick Chain Auction took place at Trevor Jones Livestock Auction, and it was nothing short of a success. Despite the forecast hinting at rain, the skies stayed clear throughout the event, allowing the auction to proceed without a hitch—though we were well-prepared with covered accommodations.

The young lady caught her high school principal’s eye the moment she walked through the door of the building. She was seemingly swarmed by a crowd of boys who were more than appreciative of the dress she had chosen to wear to school that day. They were checking her “out” for sure.
The principal, who was in a race to reach retirement, was born in the “old days.” It seemed to his students and a lot of the community that the hospital, the nursing home, and the grave were in a race to see which would check him “out” first.

It’s sometimes unavoidable that we have to lift a heavy or cumbersome object. Using some basic precautions, you can minimize the likelihood of pulling a muscle or otherwise injuring yourself in the process of lifting.

The most important thing to remember is to bend at the knees when lifting a heavy weight. Let your leg muscles do the lifting. If you bend at the waist and straighten up with the weight, you’re making your back muscles bear the weight.

Once a month, generally the third Wednesday of each month, volunteers from Lions clubs all over East Tennessee gather at the Fountain City Lions Club to test the vision of folks who cannot afford eye exams and glasses. Two of the Union County Lions, Debbie Sylvia-Gardner and Shirlee Grabko, participate every month in various duties.

Plant life is absolutely lush in our part of the world. If land is not paved or has a building on it, it usually has plants growing on it or trying to get a toe hold, which brings up the topic of how plants spread if they are literally rooted to the ground? The answer is in seed design, and several ingenious mechanisms are used to allow plant embryos (seeds) to move away from the shadows of their mother plant.

Thursday October 3, 2024

WATE 6 On Your Side is proud to once again to be partnering with Operation Honor Guard, a 501(c)(3) organization with their annual donation drive. It is the goal of all Honor Guards to offer a last tribute of respect to their departed comrades by rendering military funeral honors to any honorably discharged veteran, without any regard to sex, race, color, creed, national origin, or military rank. There is no cost to the family for this service.

Attention Beef Cattle Farmers: UT Extension Union County is excited to announce that we will be hosting the Tennessee Master Beef Producer Program this October and November. This comprehensive educational initiative is designed to help Tennessee cattle producers enhance the profitability of their cow-calf operations.

Cool season cover crops offer numerous benefits for gardening and farming, especially in regions where summer conditions can be less favorable. These crops improve soil structure and fertility by adding organic matter, which enhances water infiltration and nutrient retention, crucial for subsequent crop growth.
They also establish quickly, effectively suppressing weeds by competing for light, water and nutrients, thereby reducing the need for herbicides.

We all have memories of unusual things. Well, I remember when you could buy gas cheap, really cheap . That was back in 1940, a long time ago. Don’t believe me? I have the picture to prove it. Mother took a picture of goats pulling some sort of contraption. The gas station sign happened to be in the picture, too. There it is – anti-knock for fourteen cents per gallon and ethyl for fifteen cents per gallon. For a penny more, you got their better grade. Do you remember when the engine would knock if you used too low a grade of gasoline? I do.

Maybe you aren't familiar with the plant, but perhaps you’ve noticed Witch Hazel as an ingredient found in after-shave lotion, skin ointments, eyewash, or hemorrhoid medication. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a small tree common in our forests. It usually only reaches 15 to 20 feet in height, and tends to have a thick, crooked crown with a lot of branching. The leaves are round or oval shaped with wavy edges. The bottom of the leaf at the stem is always offset, where the leaf edges don’t meet the stem at the same level. The bark of the tree is light brown and scaly.

On August 28, Plainview Mayor Lynn Beeler administered the oath of office to Kenny Crider, Plainview's new police chief. Chief Crider comes to Plainview with a wealth of experience in law enforcement and investigation.

Daniel Monday, from Slamdot, addressed the Union County Business & Professional Association on the topic of “Building Your Brand” at the regular September meeting last month. Monday related that the most important aspects of branding a business is reflecting your mission and core values to the target audience. A business needs to choose a strong brand including a logo with color tones that reflect the core values. Repetition and consistency are also key to building the brand.

Because of the relocating of 1100 families in Union County, the building of Norris Dam and the flooding during the building, the 4-H programs had to be put on hold. In 1936 Agent C.B. Barnes started the programs back up with 77 boys in Luttrell, Big Sinks and Rush Strong. The boys had “Pig” Clubs and performed well in competition. The Sears and Roebuck Company sponsored an essay contest .

A word we have seen a lot lately in the local and national news is champions. The 2024 Summer Olympics just came to a close and we have seen or heard numerous stories about the US medal winners and Olympic athletes that attended the University of Tennessee. We have spent the last few months celebrating the Tennessee Vols baseball team winning their first ever national championship.

I have subscribed to the magazine Farm Show off and on for many years. It is full of inventive ideas farmers do to solve their everyday problems. It shows how creative farmers can be. Of course, you learn to “make do” with homemade things when money is tight. For a farmer, that is almost always. He probably had to borrow from the bank for seed in the spring, hoping to pay it back when he harvested in the fall. A farmer is always looking for ways to save money. Isn’t that the definition of invention, looking for a cheaper or easier ways to do something?

We were on a mission. When Tim and I walked into the back bedroom in our daughter
Sara’s house, we were ready to help turn it into a nursery. Unfortunately, we weren’t prepared for the damage we saw.

In 1934, the Union County Extension agents, along with the local farmers, started the Tobacco Control Program. That year there were 1,100 family farms that were located in fertile bottoms where Norris Lake is presently located. There were 1,374 farms throughout Union County.
In 1935, an extra agent, Mabel Moore, was assigned to Union County as a Special Home Demonstration Agent. She was working along with TVA to mainly focus on Soil Erosion through the Erosion Control Association. Another agent, Oma Whorley, was assigned to serve District IV.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
If you read my stuff much, you know that I am unabashedly proud to be mountain bred. I love our southern Appalachian mountains. The terrain, the climate, the plants and animals, the culture and history, all blend together to form a unique place to live.

Schools director Greg Clay reported to the Union County Commission on August 26 that excavation has begun for the new middle school on John Deere Drive. The formal groundbreaking ceremony will be on Wednesday, September 4, at 9:30 a.m. at the site.
Several property items were considered by the commission. The Luttrell Industrial Park Property was the subject of a motion by Greg Dyer and a second by Mike Boles to appraise the property for possible sale that the commission approved. Voting ‘No’ on the motion was Sidney Jesse.

The Plainview Board of Aldermen awarded a $10,000 check to Luttrell Volunteer Fire Department at the August meeting.
Plainview recently built an extended bay for the fire department and is planning to help with furnishing the living quarters. Chief Brad Woods accepted the donation and expressed his gratitude for Plainview's support.

At their meeting in August, the Plainview Planning Commission recommended and the Plainview Board of Aldermen approved a resolution to change the building permit fee for manufactured and modular homes. Manufactured and modular homes, according to the state, had building requirements upgraded before 2020. These upgrades made the construction of manufactured and modular homes equal to "stick built" homes. So Plainview will charge the same 50 cents per square foot fees for double wide, manufactured, modular and stick built homes. Homes will have three inspections during construction.