Tobacco, Cattle, Touring And Learning at Field Day

Source from:  tobaccofarmquarterly.com Tuesday, July 3, 2007 07/06/2007

Tobacco, beef and soybeans were the topic of discussion during Field Day on June 28. The event was hosted by and held at the Highland Rim Research and Education Center in Greeneville, Tennessee. The Times newspaper of Robertson County, Tennessee reported the event. The event is a combination of two events centered around tobacco and beef from the previous year, Barry Sims, director of the research center, said. White passenger vans and tractor-pulled trolleys escorted visitors to presentations held in tents at different locations on the center's 615-acre farm. University of Tennessee professors spoke to visitors about tobacco production and curing, beef, small fruits, and soybeans. Assistant Professor Kelly Tiller of the UT Agricultural Policy Analysis Center gave the featured lecture about biofuels during the event's lunch presentation. Larry Jernigan, a 67-year-old farmer who lives near Cross Plains, said he enjoyed his first visit to a field day event in several years. He attended two lectures, one about developments in the dark and burley varieties of tobacco and another about leaf spots and what they might indicate. "Tobacco pays the bills," Jernigan said. "I started raising tobacco when I was 7 years old and I haven't missed a crop yet." Jason Head, a 22-year old graduate of UT Martin with a degree in plant science, worked at a field day event last year. Now, he's studying for his masters in biosystem engineering and technology and is a visitor to this year's event. "I learned some tips on dark-firing tobacco," Head said. His family has a 500-acre farm on the Robertson-Montgomery county line. The Highland Rim Research and Education Center hosts field day events annually. Enditem