Tennessee.gov News Center

- Governor celebrates Tennessee’s oldest farms -

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Governor Phil Bredesen, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation today honored Tennessee’s oldest farms at a luncheon during the Tennessee Farmland Legacy Conference. Pioneer farms are farms founded in or before 1796 that have remained in the […]

-Pine Orchards Scheduled for Removal-

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee departments of Agriculture and Environment and Conservation are taking steps in a long-term effort to help restore remaining portions of Pinson Mounds, a Native American archeological site.
As part of an agreement between the agencies, the Agriculture Department’s Division of Forestry will begin removing aging pine trees […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn.– Hundreds of visitors will head for Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville Oct. 18-19 for the 16th Annual Music & Molasses Arts & Crafts Festival.
“This is a huge weekend of family fun,” said Anne Dale, director of the Tennessee Agricultural Museum. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to […]

-Diversification projects give economic options for farmers-
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For more than 200 farmers across Tennessee, the hope to expand or improve their farming operations just became a reality. Governor Phil Bredesen and Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens today announced Producer Diversification cost share awards totaling nearly $1.2 million to help 204 Tennessee farmers invest […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Everybody knows that autumn is harvest time.  Lots of traditional crops are gathered in as frosts approach, and you expect grocery aisles to be filled with apples, hard squashes, sweet potatoes, nuts and all sorts of foods that come with the season. You may not know, however, that fall is also good […]

 NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After spending the last six months digging, planting, weeding, mowing and trimming, the thrill of gardening is gone. It’s time to sit back and let nature do all the work. For a while.
Truth is, you know that come March, that old yearning will be back—wouldn’t it […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennesseans tend to pursue two basic flowering plants in the fall: chrysanthemums, and, for even cooler weather, pansies. Mums and pansies are great staples in Tennessee to add to fall color, but there are several other types of flowering plants that do very well for fall in Tennessee.
It just makes sense to […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Forget cell phones, wireless Internet, flash mobs and blogging. There’s a cheaper, more timeless way to go “global” this time of year: head out to the country to pick up some seasonal spheres at an apple orchard.
Tennessee’s apple crop is ripe for picking to the tune of about nine million pounds statewide. […]

Nashville, September 4–   “For now, many farms and farmers markets still stock the colors of summer gardens,” says food expert Tammy Algood, “with red tomatoes, yellow summer squash, and bright green peppers.  Soon though, those colors will turn to orange and gold as most summer produce makes […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is now accepting grant proposals for projects that will help improve water quality and reduce or eliminate nonpoint source pollution. The deadline for submitting grant proposals is Dec. 1. Proposals will be evaluated based on program goals and objectives, performance evaluation criteria and applicable EPA Nonpoint Source […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Governor Phil Bredesen and state Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens today announced a $25,000 grant to the Knox County MPC and city of Knoxville to assist with urban forestry resource conservation planning and management.
“Our urban forests are an important resource and, managed properly, can help reduce heat buildup, control storm water and improve […]

HARTSVILLE, Tenn. – Governor Phil Bredesen today joined state Rep. Stratton Bone Jr., USDA Rural Development and county officials to dedicate the new Trousdale County Agricultural Pavilion at the Trousdale County High School.
“This project is a prime example of how we’re working with local governments to invest in agricultural education and rural economic development,” […]

Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee departments of Agriculture and Health are urging horse owners to protect their horses from mosquitoes and to review vaccination records for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and other mosquito-borne diseases including West Nile Virus (WNV).
“Outbreaks of viral encephalitis in horses are a seasonal occurrence due to the prevalence of mosquitoes in […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Registration is now open for the Tennessee Farmland Legacy Conference. The conference will take place on October 9 - 10 at Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, TN. Farmers, landowners, and community leaders will have the opportunity to learn about protecting and growing today’s farms for tomorrow’s families and communities.
“The conference will […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture today announced the recipients of the animal spay/neuter grants at the Nashville Humane Association. The grants supports low cost spay/neuter programs in Tennessee and are funded through Animal Friendly license plate sales.“This is a great program that not only helps control the number of unwanted animals but […]

MARTIN, Tenn. – USDA Rural Development State Director Ruth Tackett and Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture Ken Givens joined University of Tennessee at Martin Chancellor Tom Rakes and other state and local officials today to announce the expansion of the Ray and Wilma Smith Livestock Merchandising Facility on the UT Martin campus.The expansion project, funded […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Three workshops addressing farm safety issues for agritourism operators are scheduled at locations across the state Aug. 5-7.  Workshops will be conducted August 5 in Jackson at the UT Agricultural Experiment Station; Aug. 6 in Nashville at the Ellington Agricultural Center Ed Jones Auditorium; and Aug. 7 in Morristown at the Walters […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is continuing to accept applications for the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program through August 1. Applicants are encouraged to reach out to their county UT Extension agent for application information or the department toll-free at 800-342-8206. Most applications are accepted on a first come, first serve basis and […]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry added crews over the weekend to assist firefighters in battling a wildfire on Chilhowee Mountain in Blount County.  The blaze is believed to have been started by lightening last Tuesday, and has been difficult to manage due to its remote location and […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – “They’re here. They’re all here—the really fresh, just picked, tastes-better-than-anything-else-in-the-world fruits, vegetables and herbs we wait all year for,” says Tammy Algood.
“Starting just about now and lasting until frost, we’ll steam, bake, boil, skewer and grill everything as it comes into season. The great thing is, lots of Tennessee’s produce […]