385 Magazine - Fall Issue

Fall • 2023

Our People • Our Stories

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Dr. Jeff Moore’s Incredible Hip Replacement Journey “Today I’m able to do anything I want to,” said Dr. Moore. “Everything was incredible.”

Dr. Moore and wife Jill

D

r. Jeff Moore, a general surgeon at Cookeville Regional egional Medical Center, learned he had a disease that caused hip pain so bad that his daily activities became difficult. He went to orthopedic surgeon

Dr. Greg Roberts, who replaced both hips using an anterior approach that significantly shortened Dr. Moore’s recovery time, allowing him to return more quickly to his work and his active lifestyle.

Cookeville Regional — Incredible Things Are Happening Here.

Volume 8 | Issue 1

from the

Editor Staff St ff Editor Lindsay Pride lindsay.pride@herald-citizen.com

Graphic Designer Carrie Pettit Contributors Lindsay Pride Jim Herrin Brian Wilmoth

Advertising Roger Wells Stephanie Garrett Austin Cherry

Circulation & Distribution Pat Long

385 Magazine is a publication of and distributed quarterly by the Herald-Citizen, a division of Paxton Media Group. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored for retrieval by any means without written consent from the publisher.

385 Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited materials and the publisher accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of claims in any advertisement in any issue. 385 Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or changes in information. The opinions of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine and its publisher.

Our mission is to promote the 385 zip code areas of the Upper Cumberland and to showcase their many attributes. We welcome ideas and suggestions for future editions of the magazine. Just send us a brief note via email. © 2023 Herald-Citizen 385 Magazine P.O. Box 2729 Cookeville, TN 38502 931.526.9715 Email: 385Magazine@herald-citizen.com

4•385 •Our People•Our Stories

Fall in the Upper Cumberland brings more than relief from summer's hot temperatures. It's also the beginning of numerous community events to welcome the holidays.

In this special edition of our quarterly 385 magazine, news editor Jim Herrin writes about a Tennessee Tech graduate who designs and builds unique "mutant" vehicles that have been featured in a world renowned festival. Reporter Brian Wilmoth interviews a descendant of the Jacob Hyder family who owns Putnam County's oldest farm as well as the owners of another of the county's oldest farms — the Huddleston Farm.

Wayne Key, a University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture agent in Putnam County, answers questions about his life and work in our standing feature "Why I Love," and we take a look at some of the most fun events of the year in our 385 calendar beginning with the beloved "Cooking on the Square" to benefit Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity.

We are always honored to share your stories with our readers.

If you have a story idea you'd like us to consider in an upcoming edition, email us at 385magazine@herald-citizen.com.

Thanks for reading.

Lindsay Pride, Editor

on the

Cover

Brian Smith Designs touts, "We design and build stuff."

This is his creation Stardust.

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Hyder Farm

Events Calendar

"Weird Stuff"

A history of Putnam County's oldest farm.

2023-2024 Calendar for upcoming holiday events is featured.

Designer Brian Smith expresses his love of "Mutant Vehicle" design and building.

16• Calendar Continued

The Events Calendar is continued.

I love...

23• Why Featuring University of Tennessee Institute

of Agriculture Extension Agent Wayne Key in Putnam County.

6•385 •Our People•Our Stories

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Hyder Farm family and Putnam County Fair Board

Putnam County's oldest farms

BY BRIAN WILMOTH HERALD-CITIZEN

W

hen we think of historical preservation, some of the first things that come to mind are, of course, historical documents or historical buildings. Students of history in the United States also call for preservation of battlefields, especially from the time of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. However, one of the most important parts of history is how a society feeds itself. Throughout American history, farms have often been the driving force behind whether a community thrives or dies.

In our state, one of the ways agriculture history is preserved is through the Tennessee Century Farm program. More

than 2,100 farms are recognized as having that distinction.

Eighteen of those are in Putnam County, and the oldest is Hyder Farm, founded in 1812.

Karen Hyder Hawkins’ ancestors came over from Germany in 1729 from Hamburg through Rotterdam in the Netherlands. They arrived in Philadelphia before moving on to Hampshire County, Virginia before then moving into North Carolina.

“In North Carolina, was the Michael Hyder from where I trace my roots back to,” Hawkins said. “He was associated and involved with the Watauga Association, which was the first government west of the Appalachians.”

From there, one of Michael Hyder’s sons, Jacob, moved over the mountains to what is now Putnam County,

Tennessee.

“The interesting thing about his dad (Michael) that he left back in the Elizabethan area was he made black gunpowder for the Revolutionary War,” Hawkins said.

Jacob Hyder settled in what was then White County. Hawkins said she found a deed in the White County courthouse made in 1812 from Nathanial Taylor to Jacob Hyder, the earliest evidence of Jacob working the land.

“In the deed, it said he was deeding to Jacob Hyder, ‘the land on which he was living,’” Hawkins said. “So, I don’t know how early he was living there, but it wasn’t his land at the time.”

Another historic Putnam County property on the Tennessee Century Farm list is the Isaac Huddleston Farm founded in 1841.

Fall •2023•7

The Granary on the Huddleston Farm is the oldest remaining structure on the historic property.

“It was settled by the Robinsons in 1841,” Roe Huddleston said. “I think they moved here from North Carolina.”

Huddleston said there was an old house on what is now the farm when his family moved to the property in 1950 that was said to date from the 1850s.

He said his family initially lived in that house.

“We lived in it a few years before we tore it down,” he said. “It was a real old house. It had an old dog trot down the middle and a fireplace on each end of it.

You could freeze to death in that thing.”

A granary is the oldest building on the property. Huddleston said he is not sure when it was built, but is was considered old when his family moved onto the farm.

“I have carried wheat in there,” Huddleston said. “We used to raise wheat, and I have carried it in there in sacks and spread out in that old grain house.”

Huddleston said he has worked on the farm almost as long as he can remember, through both good times and bad.

“I can remember working just as soon as I could do any work at all,” he said.

“We used to put up loose hay in an old

8•385 •Our People•Our Stories

log barn that stood down here, and it’s no telling how old it was. I’ve worked here mostly all my life.”

Huddleston said his family’s farm has seen a number of changes over the decades, with cattle as a driving force up until about five years ago.

“We used to be into hogs,” he said.

“Then it became so you couldn’t squeeze out a living with them, so we got out of them and got into Black Angus cattle. Of course, we always raised a tobacco patch ever since we’ve been here.”

Hawkins said some of her earliest memories were similar to Huddleston’s, living in an old house on the Hyder Farm.

“One of the things I remember when I was probably around five years old, we lived in an old log house that I’m thinking was built in around 1825 that was probably built by Jacob, the settler,” Hawkins said. “I remember it was cold.

I think my mother told me she had to dress me up in a good, warm playsuit to keep me warm. I remember the old fireplace with the rock and everything.”

Hawkins said during the process of

In addition to farming, the Hyder Family was also instrumental in establishing Cookeville and Putnam County.

The Huddleston Farm is one of 18 Putnam County farms certified as a Tennessee Century Farm. place to grow a green bean.”

Hawkins said she believes it is important for future generations to know the importance of farms in their community’s history.

“I think it’s important for children to recognize the agricultural history of the area, and that they, basically, know where milk comes from,” she said. “I know that progress must happen, but I think if we could protect some of the history of the county and be proud of a lot it, then it would certainly be nice.” getting the Hyder Farm certified as a Century Farm, she said she became really interested in finding more of her family’s history and its intersection with Putnam County and Cookeville history.

“The more history I found, the more interesting it became,” she said.

Hawkins said she discovered a great-great grandfather was a county commissioner when Putnam County was organized in 1854. She said that body sold lots to the new town of Cookeville, with a jail and courthouse in the planning stages.

“I was kind of proud that one of my ancestors had been a part of that,” she said.

Both Hawkins and Huddleston said they were concerned with maintaining a sense of agriculture history with their farms. Hawkins said that was one of the reasons she wanted the Hyder Farm officially recognized.

“I think agriculture is still an important part of this county,” Hawkins said. “You hate for some of the old things to just disappear. Along with the heritage and ancestors, there are things you can learn from.”

One of the things Huddleston said distresses him is seeing what was once vibrant farmland being turned into subdivisions. He said that although he understands progress is necessary, we lose a part of our history when the farms are gone.

“They need to be recognized as farms and not just subdivisions and lots and houses,” Huddleston said. “We have 145 acres here, and we’d like for it to stay together at least as long as we’re living. There’s going to have to be something a little bit different somewhere along the line or there won’t be a

Karen Hyder Hawkins Hyder Farm • 385 •

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“I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN TO RECOGNIZE THE AGRICULTURAL HISTORY OF THE AREA, AND THAT THEY, BASICALLY, KNOW WHERE MILK COMES FROM."

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Fall •2023•9

Today I’m able to do anything I want to.

DR. JEFFREY MOORE – Hip Replacement Patient

FROM PAIN TO RENEWED MOBILITY –

Dr. Jeffrey Moore Discusses His Double Hip Replacement at Cookeville Regional

A

re you living with chronic hip pain, wondering if there’s a way to regain your active lifestyle?

care,” said Dr. Moore, who is on his feet for most of his work and loves to hunt and fish in his free time. “I could not do the things that I normally do, and I’m a pretty active person.”

Dr. Jeffrey Moore, a general surgeon at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, faced a similar predicament but found hope and healing right here in his hometown.

He went to Dr. Greg Roberts, an orthopedic surgeon with Cookeville Regional and Tier 1 Orthopedic.

“I had started hurting probably three months before I sought medical

“The reason I chose Dr. Roberts is that I’ve known him for years, and

Dr. Moore, an avid outdoorsman, is glad to be able to enjoy his favorite activities again.

From the same-day staff, nursing staff, into the After doing X-rays and performing some other tests, operating room, operating Dr. Roberts confirmed that room staff and postDr. Moore had a condition called avascular necrosis operative staff, everything of the femoral head. The condition results from decreased blood flow to the was incredible. he does a large number of total hip replacements, and I felt very comfortable.”

end of the bone, causing significant pain and requiring total hip replacement.

Choosing Cookeville Regional for both of his hip replacements was an easy decision for Dr. Moore.

“It’s the hospital we go to for all of our various medical needs,” said Dr. Moore. “We know that the physicians and staff have state-of-theart equipment there, and we know that anything that can be done in the big city can be done in Cookeville. And it’s close to home.”

Dr. Roberts’ use of an anterior (frontal) approach to hip replacement significantly shortened Dr. Moore’s recovery time compared to the traditional posterior approach. This approach allowed him to put weight on his leg immediately after surgery, expediting his return to work and an active lifestyle.

“Today I’m able to do anything I want to,” said Dr. Moore. “I’m back to how it was before all this happened.”

For more information about the orthopedic program at Cookeville Regional, visit www.crmchealth.org/services/orthopedics

Dr. Moore, right, talks with Dr. Greg Roberts, who performed his hip replacement surgeries, about how he’s doing now.

Reflecting on his surgical experience at Cookeville Regional, Dr. Moore highlights the exceptional care he received.

“From the same-day staff, nursing staff, into the operating room, operating room staff and post-operative staff, everything was incredible,” said Dr. Moore. “It really was seamless. I felt that everyone cared, and that’s important.”

Dr. Moore strongly encourages others who need surgery to consider Cookeville Regional Medical Center.

“I would without question recommend Cookeville Regional Medical Center for any ailment.”

COOKEVILLE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

Awarded Advanced Hip and Knee Replacements Accreditation from The Joint Commission Cookeville Regional Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Total Hip and Knee Replacement Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.

Cookeville Regional’s orthopedic program has made great strides over the past several years.

BUFFY KEY – CEO-Cookeville Regional nal

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ookeville Regional recently underwent a rigorous, unannounced on-site review. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with advanced total hip and knee replacement standards spanning several areas, including environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, medication management, and rights and responsibilities of the individual.

The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted on-site observations and interviews.

“As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” said Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing executive at The Joint Commission. “We commend Cookeville Regional Medical Center for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”

“We are pleased to have once again received the advanced total hip and knee replacement accreditation,” said Buffy Key, CEO at Cookeville Regional. “Cookeville Regional’s orthopedic program has made great strides over the past several years, adding different techniques and approaches to surgeries that help our patients’ outcomes and recovery, new technology and the orthopedic nurse navigator, who really walks with the patient through their orthopedic surgery journey. We are dedicated to continually improving our services to provide a higher standard of care for patients undergoing total hip or knee replacements.”

For more information about the orthopedic program at Cookeville Regional, visit www.crmchealth.org/services/orthopedics

2023-2024 Calendar

Friday, October 27 Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity's Cooking on the Square will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the streets around the Putnam County Courthouse.

Tickets available at the gate for $30 each.

Tuesday, October 31 Cookeville Community Trick or Treat Trail from 4 to 6 p.m. along the paths at Dogwood Park for costumed children ages 12 and younger.

Friday, November 3 and Saturday, November 4 20th annual Mistletoe Market at the Leslie Town Centre in Cookeville featuring more than 50 local vendors, selfies with Santa, food trucks, door prizes, a silent 14•385 •Our People•Our Stories

auction benefiting Friends of the Cookeville-Putnam County Animal Shelter and the WOW Bus. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at 1 W. 1st St. Admission is $2.

Friday, November 10 Cinderella Ball benefiting Mustard Seed Ranch from 6 to 10 p.m. at Life Church in Cookeville.

Tickets are $30. Visit the Facebook page or contact 931-5257333.

Friday, November 17Saturday, November 18 Christmas at the Fair will include motorcycle races at 6 p.m.

Nov. 17 and Bump and Run Nov. 18 at 2 p.m., followed by Demolition Derby at the Putnam County Fairgrounds. Grandma's Barn Yard will host Santa and Mrs. Claus with vendors and food booths.

Sunday, November 26 Cookeville Community Band Holiday Concert at 3 p.m. at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center.

Come and Enjoy all Cookeville has to offer!!!

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2023-2024 Calendar Thursday, November 30Sunday, December 31 Christmas Forest at the Cookeville History Museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at the Cookeville History Museum.

Friday, December 1 Baxter Christmas Parade begins at 7 p.m. in downtown Baxter.

16•385 •Our People•Our Stories

Saturday, December 2 Christmas at the Depot from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cookeville Depot featuring games, model trains and other free holiday fun.

Santa will be available for photos, and he takes a cookie break from noon to 1 p.m.

Reindeer Market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 6700 Nashville Highway in Baxter featuring a craft show with Christmas shopping and many local businesses.

2023-2024 Calendar The 67th annual Monterey Monday, December 4 Christmas Parade sponsored by the Monterey Civitan Club, Monte- -Wednesday, December 6 rey Depot Historical Society and "The Best Thing About Christthe Town of Monterey begins at mas" show at 7 p.m. at Cookev6:30 p.m. ille Performing Arts Center. Get Sunday, December 3 tickets at cpactn.com The ninth annual Cookeville Christmas tree lighting at Dogwood Park at 6 p.m. with music and a synchronized 15-minute light show that will continue throughout the holiday season every hour from 5 to 9 p.m. nightly.

Friday, December 8Monday, December 18 Free visits with Santa and his elves at Dogwood Park from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 8, 15, 16 and 18; and 3-6 p.m. Dec. 10 and 17.

Friday, December 8 Algood Christmas Parade at 6 p.m. Find more information at algood-tn.com.

Saturday, December 9 Christmas in the Cumberland at Holiday Inn, an IHG Hotel, in Cookeville featuring Santa's Workshop, make your own crafts or toys, write a Santa letter, make an ornament, take Santa photos and enjoy a petting zoo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce presents the 2023 Christmas Parade theme "In Awe of Christmas" at 6 p.m. near the Putnam County Courthouse.

January 19, 20, 23, 25-27

18•385 •Our People•Our Stories

"Launch Day" (Love stories from the year 2108) by Michael Higgins and directed by Kimberly Frick-Welker at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center. Tickets at 931-528-1313 or cpactn.com.

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Brian Smith with his mutant vehicle Stardust at the Burning Man festival.

Designing and building 'weird stuff'

BY JIM HERRIN HERALD-CITIZEN

D

riving through a quiet subdivision east of Cookeville, you might never notice that "mutant vehicles" are being fabricated at the home of a Tennessee Tech engineering graduate with a decidedly artistic bent.

Brian Smith grew up in the Dodson Branch community and went to a private school in Sparta before moving to Cookeville and graduating from Cookeville High School. From there, he

20•385 •Our People•Our Stories

was inspired, at least in part by his father, to study engineering at Tennessee Tech.

"Everyone says 'I grew up loving to build things,' but I really did," Smith said. "My dad built an experimental airplane when I was five years old, and I can remember helping a little bit with the wiring and stuff that he couldn't reach. He would often buy two totaled cars and cut them in half to make one good car out of it," Smith said he also got experience while growing up "doing little electronic projects — soldering things."

"Eventually, that led to welding, and today I do a lot of welding

A post-storm rainbow arches over Brian Smith's Stardust vehicle at this year's Burning Man festival. in my job," he said.

He was drawn to Tennessee Tech because of its Formula SAE program, which challenges students to design, manufacture and compete with formula-style racing cars.

"I guess I like cars," he says with a smile.

"So I definitely wanted to go to a school that had that program."

Graduating from Tech in 2007 with a mechanical engineering degree, Smith took a relatively traditional job, working for a small company in Cookeville.

"We were a consulting company, which just meant that we worked on anything and everything," he said. "We did filter designs, we designed refrigerators, and, in fact, the first thing I designed there was a dump truck bed. People from a wide variety of industries would contact us."

When the company was bought out five years later, Smith and his partner, Brooke Wilson, found themselves out of a job, but rather than looking for employment elsewhere, they decided to follow their muse

and go into business for themselves.

"I started Brian Smith Design, and Brooke finished getting her master's," Smith recalls. "It was like starting from scratch, but I did have one medical company that I had been working for who asked me to do more work for them."

He solicited business from freelance websites like UpWork and also put together his own company website that said simply, "We design and build stuff."

"I don't know what our specialty would be other than CAD design," Smith said.

"And somehow we've fallen into doing a lot of tig welding. It's hard to find somebody who will design something and also build it, but we design weird stuff and we build it.

People hire us for that."

One of his first customers was "James from New Zealand," who found Smith online and hired him to build a race car.

"That was at least a year-long project that I took on to design the whole thing and build it," he said. "The car was extremely lightweight, and for its weight, it had a lot

Brian poses atop the structure of the Titanic's End mutant vehicle under construction in his backyard.

Fall •2023•21

of power. I drove it around the neighborhood until the cops showed up and said 'you can't do that.'"

After the law enforcement encounter, Smith moved to the parking lot of Hyder Burks Ag Pavilion to do additional testing.

"We did have one problem on that first test run," he recalls. "We melted a part that was too close to the exhaust."

While Smith's New Zealand customer mostly paid for the fabrication of the vehicle, he ended up deciding not to ship it overseas, "He told me I could keep it," Smith said.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with it.

I figure if I ever have a nice office, I might hang it on the wall or something."

From there, Smith moved on to another vehicular project.

"This guy, Max, from San Francisco wanted to build this weird car, and he wanted someone to design it for him," Smith said. "I contacted him and asked 'Is this for Burning Man?' Because I've always wanted to build a car for that."

What is Burning Man, you may ask.

Per their website, "Burning Man is a network of people ... united in the pursuit of a more creative and connected existence in the world." Others describe it as "a week-long large-scale desert event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance."

"Every year, about 200 different people bring art cars to Burning Man," Smith said.

"They call them mutant vehicles. They're supposed to not look like a car at all. That appealed to me, so we just got to talking about it, and we ended up building a car together."

Smith completed all of the design and fabrication of Stardust in his Cookeville shop.

"The car was entirely designed in 3D CAD software," he said on his website. "We rapid-prototyped over 30 components and tig welded all of the steel tube frame and body panels. Working part time, we took

JIM HERRIN | HERALD-CITIZEN

Brian works on a project from the garage of his home in Cookeville. this Stardust from idea to a running vehicle in about four months."

Stardust was a hit at Burning Man in 2018 and has returned three more times, becoming something of a necessity at the event this year when unexpected rain at the desert site stranded some people in the mud.

"We're a taxi when we're there," Smith said. "It's a big area, and the only cars that are allowed to drive around are these mutant vehicles."

But bigger projects were on the horizon — literally.

"I worked on all kinds of little projects," Smith said. "Boring engineering projects as far as I'm concerned because I'd much rather do art."

He got that opportunity when "a guy named Eddie" rode on Stardust one year at Burning Man. "He got to talking to me about how I built it, and in 2022, he contacted me," Smith said. "There's this really big car at Burning Man called Mayan Warrior. It's huge. And he said 'I want to build a car that's a lot bigger. We want to have more lights and more lasers and more sound.

Do you want to build it?' And I said, 'Yeah, I'll do it.'"

22•385 •Our People•Our Stories

Much like Stardust, Smith ended up designing and building the new, bigger vehicle — dubbed Titanic's End — in the backyard of his Cookeville home.

"The yard's a hundred feet wide, and we took up 65 feet of it, which was enough space to get on every side with scaffolding," Smith said. "We brought a 50-foot trailer from a semi back here and parked it there for eight months."

From the website: "This was a huge undertaking involving months of design time and many 60-hour weeks of jigging, climbing, and welding. The car is 65’ long and 38’ tall. It is equipped with a 125kw generator, a state of the art Danley sound system, and a wirelessly controlled hydrostatic robot hidden under the outer frame. It is covered by over 80,000 LEDs and has 10 cuckoo bananas sized lasers."

Smith admits that some may consider him "cuckoo bananas" for taking on such projects, but he says it has provided a pretty decent living so far. Anyone who would like to commission his next engineering marvel — or even more traditional, "boring" work can find more information at briansmithdesign.com.

• 385 •

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Why I Love…

Putnam County Wayne Key

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Extension Agent When and how did you become an agriculture extension agent?

I first learned about possibilities with UT Extension when I was a senior at Tennessee Tech majoring in Ag Engineering Technology. I attended a job fair on campus for agriculture majors with several agribusinesses on site for students to talk with and share resumes. I learned how Extension makes a difference in the lives of Tennessee’s farm families through programs in agriculture, family and consumer science and 4-H youth development. I knew at that moment, this is the type of job I wanted — helping others! I began my career in Rhea County in Dayton, Tennessee as a 4-H agent working with youth from across the county. After a few years of learning my new role, I moved to Cumberland County UT Extension where I worked before coming back to Cookeville. I’ve made this my home and have always felt it was since coming to TTU as a freshman from middle Tennessee.

or climate can dictate problems or issues homeowners and farmers are having and that can determine what the day will look like. Every day is different and unique in my job. One minute a call comes in about problems in a garden someone is having, and the next a farmer is in the office with questions needing help with pasture weeds.

I do like the fact that in 29 years, I’ve never had two days just alike.

What do you love about your job?

I love that my job lets me work with the public in helping solve problems across the county. I get to meet some of the county’s most resourceful and delightful people every day. I love the staff in the UT Extension office and enjoy each day we get to work together for the people in this county. It has shown me how important it is to not only love the job you do, but also to have a work family you enjoy being with on a daily basis.

What made you want to do that job?

Tell us more about what you do.

What do you love about living and working in Putnam and Overton counties?

I have always felt that helping others was the most rewarding job any of us could do. I wanted to have the opportunity to make a difference with those we serve.

Each day I get to help solve people’s agriculture and homeowner problems. Of course, that means I deal with phone calls and office visits related to anything regarding insects, diseases, livestock, lawns and the list goes on.

My family and I raise beef cattle on our farm in Overton County, which is truly my favorite hobby away from work and what I guess I enjoy the most about my life. I love working in Putnam County simply because of the farm families and homeowners I get to work with here.

I have the most rewarding job I feel I could have been involved with all these years and I don’t think I would have had the experiences I’ve had working anywhere else. The Upper Cumberland is not only a great place to work, but also a delightful opportunity to raise a family and enjoy the vast natural resources.

What is a typical day like?

No day is typical in agriculture. The weather, time of year

Fall •2023•23