Farmland Recovery Continues After Helene Flooding
BY SPENCER MORRELL STAFF WRITER
Farmers along the Nolichucky River are working to recover from historic flooding that occurred when remnants of Hurricane Helene swept through the region in late-September 2024.
Hundreds of acres of farmland were impacted by the flooding with floodwaters damaging everything from soybean and corn crops to hay fields and tomato producers.
University of Tennessee
Agricultural Extension Agent Milton Orr has been an extension agent for 40 years in Greene County. He said he had never seen a disaster like September’s flooding in his lifetime.
He said that graduate students with the university are currently working to determine how many acres of land in Greene County and the region were affected by the flooding.
Orr noted that the flooding “really hurt” grain farmers and row crop farmers, and that “there’s never a good time” for something like the flooding disaster to occur.
“A lot of those crops were still standing, and in some areas the crops was just no longer there. There was nothing to salvage. For others the crop as still there, but maybe their soybeans were full of sand and dirt,” Orr said. “You have to consider, ‘Am I getting more than it’s going to cost me with wear and tear on my machinery if I try to get these beans.’”
Orr said that some corn crops were able to be harvested due to corn being high on the stalk, but others were ruined, as well.
“At the end of the day nobody got what they were expecting to get,” Orr said. “Some were maybe able to salvage 80% and some nothing.”
Greene County’s Ag Extension Office jumped into action after the flood and set up a relief center for farmers that were victims of the flood.
The center was set up at the Greene County Fairgrounds, and included everything from cattle feed to fencing materials for those in need.
Orr said the center was able to keep up with its inventory of donated supplies until 80 trucks of donations showed up in late October in one day.
He said the center supplied over 4,000 round bales of hay, 6,000 square bales, over 100 tons of bagged feed and over $30,000 worth of fencing materials. He noted that over 15 pallets of taco flour used for hog feed was distributed, as well.
He said deliveries came into the relief center from across the nation, including from as far as Arizona and Kansas.
“It was just amazing how people stepped up and tried to help each other. You find out your community is not just right here,” Orr said.
The relief center ceased daily operations in mid-February 2025.
Orr said he believed the outpouring of support for local farmers was record-setting.
“It was just unbelievable. We’ve seen several disasters. Smaller floods and of course the tornadoes. We’ve seen a large outpouring of support before, but nothing as large as this, which goes along with not seeing a flood like this before, either,” Orr said.
Though the relief center is now closed, the local Ag Extension Office continues to conduct free soil
sample tests for producers whose farmland was affected by the flood.
Orr said the office is testing for contaminations such as sewage or metal contaminants.
“A day or two after the flood we were out pulling sample and trying to get sample tests done,” Orr said.
“Basically the first question was, ‘Is it safe?”
The tests also measure the pH levels in the soil, which must be within the correct range to adequately support crop growth.
Orr said the soil tests from Greene County have come back with positive results when it comes to both contamination concerns and pH levels.
“As a whole, we have not found any irreversible issues. It’s going to take awhile for the sand and silt to mix back together and the drainage to get corrected, but there is nothing that is going to stop us from doing that,” Orr said.
Orr said the extension office is now looking at how to get affected farmland “productive again.”
“How do we get from A to B?” Orr said.
Orr said some farmers have already made strides to recover their farmland, while others are moving a bit slower. He noted that some may be ready to seed, while it could still take others years to recover.
He said Phillips & Jordan, the contractor cleaning up debris from the Nolichucky River, has helped some farmers as crews clean along farmland next to the river. However, the contractor only cleans along the river, and there is still work to do.
“I think most everybody has done something toward progress. I think some have done a lot more than others. Everybody that had damage, it was serious to them. Those that had relatively less tonnage to move have made the greatest progress, of course. A lot of those guys are back to get ready for seeding, but for some other places it is going to be a lot longer than that,” Orr said.
Orr said he is confident that producers will be able to restore their farmland, and that there will hopefully not be a lot of permanent effects on local agriculture from the flood.
“Of course, the river has changed. I hesitate to say that things won’t change 100%. I know we will be able to make the land productive again. Will it look exactly like it did? I don’t know. What used to be corn may not be corn, and what used to be hay may not be hay,” Orr said.
Orr also said the age of the average farmer is becoming “fairly advanced,” and some may decide to retire after the disaster. He said that could lead to some changes in farmland.
No matter what happens, Orr said the Greene County UT Extension Office will be there to help farmers.
“We will continue to work with
farmers just as we have since 1900. We will continue helping them with best management practices. Now since the flood, some of those
practices may change, but we’ll be there to help,” Orr said. “We’ve been here since day one, and we’re going to be here now to eternity.”
John Ottinger Jr. stands next to a massive pile of debris that washed up on his farm in Caney Branch in September 2024.
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This tractor was tossed a quarter-mile by floodwaters in the Caney Branch community in September 2024. UT Agriculture Extension Agent Milton Parham said farm equipment and material was strewn from Unicoi County to Douglas Lake.
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John Ottinger Jr. looks over where the flooding Nolichucky River completely washed away farmland. He noted in September 2024 he probably totally lost an acre of land while others lost more.
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John Ottinger Jr. holds a muddied ear of corn plucked from his destroyed corn field in September 2024. Flood-damaged crops such as this were not harvestable after the flood.
John Ottinger Jr. stands in the middle of his cornfield in the Caney Branch community that was decimated by floodwaters from the Nolichucky River in September 2024. The Ottinger farm was one of many impacted by the historic flooding caused by remnants of Hurricane Helene.
UT And TSU Agricultural Extension Office Makes Move To Takoma Campus, Changes Name
BY SPENCER MORRELL STAFF WRITER
The University of Tennessee and Tennessee State University Agricultural Extension office moved to a new home in April 2024.
The office moved from the Greene County Courthouse Annex to what will soon become the new county government office complex on the campus of the former Takoma Hospital at 303 Takoma Ave.
The office moved into the old Adventist church on the former hospital campus. The campus was purchased by Greene County and is set to become the new Greene County Administration Building.
The UT and TSU Ag Extension office joined the Greene County employee clinic at the new campus.
The office, which used to be known only as the UT Ag Extension office, underwent a name change in September 2024 when a staff member funded by Tennessee State University joined the team.
Katelynn Rector joined the office through TSU as a 4-H agent. She joins UT 4-H agent Christian Dalton.
UT Extension Agent Milton Orr said the addition of the TSU agent has enabled the office to do even more for children in Greene County.
“That has allowed us to do so much more. Our 4-H program is growing by leaps and bounds. With a single agent it was outgrowing our manpower resource. Having that extra person has allowed us to be able to expand more into more schools and project groups. We’re able to offer so much more for our youth,” Orr said. “Building the program here successfully created the need.”
Orr said he expected the position to be permanent, and said office is now a cooperative effort between UT, TSU and Greene County.
The additional staff member fits well into the office’s new two-story facility.
A large reception area welcomes visitors to the office, which includes individual offices for extension agents on the top floor and a conference room, work room, large assembly room and commercial instruction kitchen on the ground floor.
The assembly room includes the latest in audio and visual technology, and adjoins the commercial kitchen. The kitchen can be opened up to the large room by way of a big roll-up door.
Orr said the new teaching space has made workshops at the office
much more efficient and impactful. He noted that the large space allows the office to reach more people, as well.
“We can fit 90 in a workshop comfortably. In our old officer we could fit maybe 30 uncomfortably,” Orr said.
Orr called the facility “state of the art.”
He said the space allows for more hands-on experience and visual examples, rather than just “dry lectures.”
“It’s great that we can have more people and a functional space. We can have more hands-on activities, and people learn better,” Orr said.
“Now we’ve got a facility where we no longer just talk about it, but talk about it and see it and do it. It’s a great learning area for youth and adults.”
Orr said the new commercial kitchen has also enhanced instruction at the office.
“A great deal of our teaching, especially in family and consumer science workshops, have to do with food preparation and preservation,” Orr said. “Before, we had a single four-burner stove. Now we have the ability to bring folks in and run multiple canners at one time, and more people can be a part of the workshop. It has expanded our capability from an educational aspect.”
The larger and more functional facility has greatly increased the effectiveness of the workshops that include everything from cattle classes to canning classes.
“It’s the same people doing the teaching and covering the same topics, but being able to do it in a different and more effective way has made it much more useful for the producers,” Orr said.
A new UT and TSU Extension Outdoor Learning Center was completed across the street from the new office in December 2024, as well.
The pavilion was constructed at a total cost of a little over $200,000, according to Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison, with the help of a Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program grant in the amount $150,000. The county contributed about $50,000 to the construction of the structure.
The pavilion has both electricity and plumbing.
The structure is 60 feet by 32 feet in size, has two bathrooms, is handicap accessible, has a concrete floor and includes numerous large
garage doors. The pavilion also includes large fans to circulate air, and an interior storage room. A utility sink was also installed in the pavilion for use during agricultural projects or exhibitions.
Orr said the new pavilion could fit 50 to 60 people for classes and demonstrations.
“We’re very pleased with that building and the opportunities that will create,” Orr said.
The pavilion will be used by the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension office, 4-H Youth Development Program, and
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SUN PHOTOS BY SPENCER MORRELL
UT Agricultural Extension Agent Milton Orr sits in his new office space at the new UT and TSU Ag Extension Office on Takoma Avenue.
This large instruction room at the new UT and TSU Agricultural Extension office can fit around 90 people for workshops and instructional courses.
The commercial kitchen at the Ag Extension office opens up to a large teaching area by way of a roll-up garage door.
Agritourism Blooming At Many Greene County Farms
BY KEN LITTLE STAFF WRITER
Economic uncertainties continue this year for Tennessee farmers, one reason some are diversifying into forms of agritourism.
A statewide pioneer in agritourism and her family operate a successful farm in Greene County.
“They’re popping up so much now” across the state, said Vera Ann Myers, of Myers Farm in Bulls Gap, also known as Myers Pumpkin Patch & Greenhouses.
Myers was the first president of the Tennessee Agritourism Association and remains active in the organization, which promotes agritourism offered by farms across the state.
Agritourism “is a form of commercial enterprise that links agricultural production or processing with tourism to attract visitors onto a farm, ranch, or other agricultural business for the purposes of entertaining or educating the visitors while generating income for the business owner,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The fifth-generation Myers Farm has been an agritourism innovator in east Tennessee since the 1990s. At one time, the farm was dairy-oriented and then transitioned to beef cattle.
Myers Farm also began offering opportunities to the public to learn more about agriculture and farming, Myers said.
“For me personally, agritourism was a way for this farm to diversify,” she said. “Everybody thought agritourism was just a pumpkin patch, and it’s so much more. People have become more diversified on how they do agritourism.”
Agritourism can include “pick your own” vegetables or flowers, on-site produce sales, bees and honey, farm tours, and day camps and field trips for students and other groups.
“As the dairy industry became more volatile, I was teaching, so the educational aspect of it is very important, (having the public) understanding how products get to the table. Many people don’t understand that process,” Myers said. “They don’t realize the dedication that farmers have.”
According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, there were 63,105 farms in Tennessee in 2022, including
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN
A Greene County farm was featured in an article on agritourism in the fall 2022 issue of Tennessee Home & Farm, a magazine published for members of the Tennessee Farm Bureau. On the cover of the magazine, seen here, Scott Armstrong holds daughter Harper in the corn maze at Horse Creek Farms in Chuckey. The article and photos are online at tnhomeandfarm. com .
2,344 in Greene County covering 209,228 acres. The average farm size is Greene County as of 2022 was 89 acres, indicating many smaller family run farms still in operation.
The USDA census, released in 2024, showed strong growth in valueadded agriculture between 2017 and 2022 in Tennessee.
“While the overall number of farms in Tennessee declined 9.8% from 69,983 to 63,105, “local family farms are still a vibrant and vital part of local communities and economies across the state,” according to the federal agency.
Myers Farm at 3415 Gap Creek Road covers about 450 acres.
Pumpkins have been grown there since 1990. Student field trips were started in 1997. A corn maze was created in 2000.
While the farm is a popular destination for autumn activities relating to pumpkins, beef cattle and other crops are also raised on the property, Myers said. Myers Farm hosts events year-round, she added.
Officials with the Center for Profitable Agriculture, a partnership between the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, were encouraged by the data.
“The census shows that Tennessee farmers continue to expand their activities related to value-added agriculture,” said Rob Holland, director of the Center for Profitable Agriculture. “Consumers more than ever are interested in making connections to farms.”
Myers helped establish the Tennessee Agritourism Association in 2003.
Fluctuating prices and the overall agricultural outlook in the U.S. is a cause for concern among many farmers.
“I am just a little nervous these days. Everybody is. I know the end result is we can’t survive without farmers, and the small farmers are just as important for (agriculture),” Myers said.
Given uncertain economic factors relating to agriculture, “We do expect a bigger customer base for vegetable plants because people want to grow their own food,” Myers said.
The public has trended in that direction since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life five years ago, she added.
“That first COVID year, people wanted to grow their own food” and the practice has continued, Myers said.
Megan Leffew, marketing specialist with the Center for Profitable Agriculture, said that with “the loss of farms and farmland being a major challenge to Tennessee agriculture, the state’s economy and quality of life, the growth in direct farm marketing, value-added processing and agritourism highlights opportunities for Tennessee farmers to survive and thrive.”
Some Greene County farms sustained extensive damage during the catastrophic Nolichucky River flooding in September 2024 caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
“We’ve been helping and continue to support those who lost a lot. This isn’t a competition. We want everyone to succeed,” Myers said. “When a fellow farmer is (affected) we all still feel the pain.”
Myers remains optimistic farms will survive in Tennessee, many by incorporating forms of agritourism.
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Picking out pumpkins to take home is a popular fall pastime at Myers Farm and Pumpkin Patch on Gap Creek Road. Looking over several possibilities during a fall visit several years ago were Allison Reaves and her brother, Ryder Reaves.
Northeast Tennessee AgResearch And Education Center Helping Farmers
BY NELSON MORAIS STAFF WRITER
The Northeast Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center (NETREC), more historically known locally as the Tobacco Experiment Station, continues to serve as a research hub for farmers in the region, the state and the country at its East Allens Bridge Road location.
The facility, which is comprised of about 500 acres, was established in 1932 to research tobacco.
It now conducts studies and experiments in various agricultural commodities and sciences.
NETREC is supported by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. UT AgResearch has 10 locations across Tennessee that address the diverse agricultural needs of the state.
NETREC is the only center located east of UT’s flagship campus in Knoxville.
Numerous agricultural science activities are being conducted at NETREC, which range from cattle studies to grassland research.
The center is part of a $30 million grant received by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture from the United States Department of Agriculture for a climate-smart grassland partnership study.
The University of Tennessee is the lead partner on the project that includes several states in the southeastern part of the country.
The study is testing warm season native grasses and tall fescue grass to discern what grass species exhibit better efficiency in carbon sequestration and productivity.
In May of 2024, the center acquired about 100 katahdin sheep.
“The sheep study is a new benchmark for us, part of a three-year study,” Research Center Director Justin McKinney stated.
He said the sheep are being used on the farm there for grazing on three different kinds of grass species to determine if the animals can be raised on forages outside tall fescue in northeast Tennessee.
Parasite loads and toxins in the grasses are determined by analyzing the sheep’s livers, he explained.
“When tall fescue is struggling to make it” on farmland in northeast Tennessee, switchgrass and big blue stem and little blue stem are warm season grasses that can grow 6 feet tall and up six months out of the year.
“We’re seeing how sheep will graze to be able to improve production on farms without the increase in their parasite loads,” he said.
McKinney said in Tennessee there are currently up to 56,000 sheep, which includes wool and hair sheep.
“We’re only doing research on hair sheep” for their protein use, he explained. There is very little production of wool sheep in the state, he added.
McKinney said another highlight for the center last year was its role in providing a distribution point for donated agricultural and household goods immediately after the remnants of Hurricane Helene hit in late September.
“We unloaded, stored and then sent out” supplies to people affected by the storm in Tennessee and North Carolina, he stated.
“Outside (our) research scope, we answered the call” to help those hurt by the storm, he said.
He said over 500 tractor-trailers of water were unloaded and then distributed, as well as three tractor-trailers full of household goods and eight tractor-trailer loads of hay and other farming supplies.
The donated goods, which included water, clothes, garbage bags, charcoal, bleach and more, came from all over the U.S., McKinney stated.
“Kudos to the noble people of our country!” McKinney said.
NETREC also designated 40 acres of its land for a location for several months where debris from the riverbanks and people’s yards could be deposited, he stated.
In addition, the center “quickly assembled team researchers to analyze damaged farmland to determine what will grow now.”
That effort is “ongoing,” he said in March 2025.
“We want to be able to provide real-life solutions to our farmers in need (that is) backed by scientific rigor,” McKinney stated. “We’ll plant and let science tell us what works after the flooding from Hurricane Helene.”
In addition, the center may build two new greenhouses by the end of 2027, he stated, or remodel and update the four existing greenhouses “to conduct 21st century research.”
NETREC is also planning on building a new cattle backgrounding barn and a commodity barn, which will help enhance its “UT Beef” program, “while opening the door for future beef industry research,” according to McKinney.
Farmers interested in knowing what grows best in northeast Tennessee based on the center’s research can go to utcrops.com, and find information about corn, cotton, wheat, soybeans, sorghum and other crops.
“Every year we work to provide that information,” McKinney stated.
For example, the center has five years of
Funeral
ralHome Guide
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McKinney
Bridge Road in the county.
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katahdin sheep
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massive
Hurricane Helene hit the area
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Justin McKinney, director of the Northeast Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center on East Allens Bridge Road in the county, stands with some of the supplies donated to the center following Hurricane Helene that were distributed to those in need.
the Greene County agricultural community.
Orr has been a UT Extension agent for 40 years and has been a part of moving the office several times. He said the new facility in Greene County is the best in the state.
“I’ve seen a lot of things over the years. This is the fifth time I’ve moved this office since I’ve been working here. I’ve visited almost all of the 95 offices across Tennessee, and I’m proud to say this is the best one I’ve ever worked in,” Orr said. “It had the best people, and now it’s the best facility.”
Other local farms that offer agritourism events and activities include Buffalo Trail Orchard, 1890 Dodd Branch Road; Sunnyhill Greenhouse, 1150 House Road; Horse Creek Farms, 1748 Wilhoit Road, Chuckey; Hartman’s Corn Maze, 7941 Blue Springs Parkway, Mosheim; and Fender’s Farm, 254 Highway 107, Jonesborough.
“We are true farmers and we are generational farmers, and we will do what we have to do to keep the farm going,” Myers said. “Agriculture will continue, and we just need to hold our breath as we get through this process. We all need to keep a positive attitude.”
For more information on Myers Farm, visit www. myerspumpkinpatch.com , the farm Facebook page or call 423-235-4796.
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Phillip Ottinger, who operates Buffalo Trail Orchard on Dodd Branch Road in the Cedar Creek community, points out a row of growing apple trees he planted in this 2021 photo.
Visitors to the new UT and TSU Agricultural Extension office are welcomed by a large reception area.
SUN PHOTOS BY SPENCER MORRELL
The new commercial instructional kitchen at the UT and TSU Ag Extension Office includes a stove top twice as large as the one in the office’s previous facility. The new Ag Extension office includes a large supply and work room for the employees.
Annual Report Details More Economic Struggles For Tennessee’s Ag Sectors
In 2024, Tennessee’s agricultural and forestry industrial complex was significantly impacted by six major factors: drought, agricultural land loss, trade deficits, decreasing foreign market demand, below average yields and relatively lower prices for major commodities. Researchers and Extension specialists from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics also suggest that the outlook for 2025 could vary depending on the sector.
In the annual economic report to the governor of Tennessee prepared by the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the UT Haslam College of Business, the agricultural and resource economists provide an economic outlook for the state’s farmers and foresters. “The state’s agricultural and forestry industries directly and indirectly contributed $103 billion to the Tennessee economy,” says Andrew Muhammad, UTIA professor of agricultural economics. “2024 was a struggle for many of our producers and sectors. Next year could also be difficult, with trade policy uncertainty, low crop prices, drought- and hurricane-reduced feed supplies and high input costs.” Muhammad is a co-author of the report and holds the Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy.
In terms of gross output, the agricultural and forestry industrial complex measured 11% of the economic activity conducted in Tennessee in 2024. An estimated 385,743 individuals worked in industries supported by the complex, which is 8.8% of the state’s total employment.
“Due to the dramatic declines in gross revenue in 2024, many crop producers will struggle with obtaining financing for the 2025 crop, which could affect production and result in consolidation in the row crop sector in Tennessee,” Muhammad and his co-authors write in the report. They add that negative factors affecting the livestock, poultry and dairy industries in 2025 will be continued high interest rates when financing operations and equipment as well as inflation and reduced discretionary spending available to consumers.
The report includes economic indicators for both agricultural and forestry production as well as related manufacturing and processing. The data are consolidated from a number of sources, including the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service and Economic Research Service, the Farm
Service Agency and others.
Corn, cotton, soybeans and wheat are Tennessee’s top crops, and prices for each fell in 2024. Over the last five years prices for each of the commodities have fallen, with cotton prices having fallen the least over five years (10.8% on average), while corn, soybeans and wheat have all fallen by at least 20% during the period 2019-2024.
Tennessee also had below average yields in 2024, which when combined with price declines and changes in harvested acreage, will result in a dramatic decline in gross cash receipts. Based on current estimates of average prices, yields, and acreage harvested, gross cash receipts for Tennessee corn, cotton, soybeans and wheat will decline by $582.3 million compared to 2023, a drop from $2.2 billion to $1.6 billion. For the 20242025 marketing year, Tennessee farm-gate prices are projected to be similar: $4-$5.20 per bushel for corn; 67 cents-78 cents per pound for cotton; $10-$11.50 per bushel for soybeans; and $5.30$6.50 per bushel for wheat.
The value of animals and animal products increased slightly in 2024, accounting for approximately 40% ($2.1 billion) of Tennessee’s agricultural receipts. At the beginning of 2024, Tennessee ranked 16th nationally in terms of
the total cattle and calves inventory (1.6 million head including 835,000 beef cows and 25,000 dairy cows), which is the same ranking as a year ago. Tennessee ranked 12th in total beef cow numbers. Kentucky and Florida are the only states east of the Mississippi River with larger beef cow inventories. Tennessee is ranked fourth nationally in meat goat numbers at 72,000 head. In addition to cattle, with cash receipts valued at $876.7 million in 2024, the state has a significant broiler production industry ($794.4 million). Hogs (2.6% of cash receipts), dairy products and milk (1.9%) and chicken eggs (1.7%) round out the top valuations. A big question mark for the agricultural sector in 2025 will be U.S. trade policies. In FY 2024, Tennessee’s agricultural and related exports were $2.7 billion, down $313.7 million or 10.4% when compared to the previous fiscal year ($3 billion). While exports to China and Germany, two of our top agricultural trading partners, increased — primarily because of China’s interest in purchasing cotton — exports of intermediate products such as soybean meal and oil and other feeds fell by 10.5%, due in large part to a 60% decline in distilled spirits exports to the Netherlands. In better news, related-product exports, which are mostly forest products, were up $15.4 million to a total of $174.8 million, an increase of 9.7%.
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Although Tennessee producers planted 14.7% more soybeans in 2024 than the previous year (1.8 million acres as compared to 1.57 million acres), prices paid to producers fell by 16% compared to 2023.