The UNION COUNTY Extensions began in 1917 on an Emergency War Time Basis. Agent E.G. Vickers was assigned to Union County by the University of Tennessee located in nearby Knoxville Tennessee. He only served three months and then was replaced by J.W. Kyker who was assigned to Union County to assist the local farmers and their families prosper. In 1911 the University of Tennessee Agriculture saw a great need and created the Extension Department with (6) Agents, hiring local farmers that were good at farming techniques. The first Agent arrived in late January 1918. In his first report that was hand written, he reported that heavy snow had fallen, this kept him handicapped for several days. There was no local newspaper at that time. He made posters and put them out inviting local farmers to learn about new Government Programs about selling Nitrate to help their farms. The local farmers were not interested.

He resolved this by traveling to the local communities throughout the county. He wrote in his report that he wouldn’t consider Union County a County, because it only consisted of a jail, court house and two country stores. He wrote that there was a need to educate local farmers about Soil Erosion and how to replenish their once fertile soil. There was a lack of fertilizer and knowledge about crop rotation. The soil was being bleached of its natural fertilizer from the soil. This was known as the “Farm Demonstration Program”. Their only means of fertilizer was manure at that time. It was spread on the gardens and field in Spring time. Horses and Mules provided the main source of farm power. There were 2300 mules and horses in the county according to the 1910 annual report. It stayed that way for the next two decades. Slowly Kyker began to see progress.

Kyker found it difficult to get farmers together, they pretty much stayed within their communities. The names of the communities were: Paulette, Big Ridge, Loyston, Cedar Grove, Luttrell, Sharps Chapel, Brock, Raccoon Valley, Walker’s Ford, Hinds Creek, Hamiltons Cross Roads, Bull Run Station, Ailor Gap, Big Valley, Lost Creek, Maynardville, Pleasant View, Skaggs, Little Valley, Loys X Roads, Lone Mountain, Black Fox, Powder Springs, Täter Valley, Cedar Ford, Heiskel, Clear Branch, Nave Hill, Warwicks Chapel, Crooked Creek, Blue Springs, Lead Mine Bend, Hickory Valley, Oak Grove, Chestnut Ridge, Bryan’s Fork, Pennington Chapel, Hubbs Grove, Plainview, Cedar Flat, Fall Creek, Hurricane Hollow, Pine Grove, Little Barren, Big Sinks, New Prospect, Speedwell, Meltabarger, and Chesney.