Tennessee Home & Farm Radio

Farmers across Tennessee continue harvest as the reality of the agriculture financial crisis sets in. Row farmers in West Tennessee explain why they need financial assistance sooner rather than later.

As of today, many federal government functions, including those from USDA, are still temporarily suspended. Chad Smith has details on what this means for farmers and ranchers.

Row crop farmers are facing difficult times. As they harvest the 2025 crop, many are grappling with losses ranging from $150 to $250 per acre. According to new projections from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), Tennessee row crop farmers are expected to collectively lose approximately $430 million this year.

Every day whether its on the farm or at home, the one item, besides food, we're all dependent on is electricity.  And Tennesseans are fortunate right now in that Mike Partin, CEO of the Sequatchie Valley Electric Cooperative, is serving as president of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

For nearly 90 years, Ducks Unlimited has been dedicated to conserving and protecting wetlands across the United States. Today, that mission lives on through partnerships with farmers, providing them with valuable resources and support to implement effective conservation practices.

Several economic headwinds are combining to create a difficult financial environment for some farmers. Chad Smith has more on how farmers are managing in the midst of harvest.

Gov. Bill Lee has sworn-in Weakley County's Andy Holt as the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

Practicing farm safety is often taken for granted. For Kary Robinson of Franklin County, however, it's a deeply personal issue following a close call he experienced while baling straw several years ago. He recalls the terrifying incident and urges others to take farm safety seriously.

Recent data from the US Department of Agriculture demonstrates the important role small farms play in our food system. Mike Davis has more.

This week is National Farm Safety & Health Week. It's a time when the agriculture industry pauses to focus on practicing safety on the farm and reducing accidents. Shelli Rampold with UT Extension shares some ways to stay mindful of farm safety, along with resources Extension offers to learn more.

Although increased awareness of mental health challenges and resources continue, also still ongoing is efforts in suicide prevention. Rod Bain has more.

For 11 years the agriculture community in Tennessee has come together to help rase money to feed hungry Tennesseans. Shooting Hunger is a clay sporting event that takes place in all three grand divisions. After all the events for the year all the money raised is divided evenly among all 95 counties and given to school backpack programs.

Finding new markets for U.S. farmers to sell commodities is more important than ever before. While China continues to hold out on buying American soybeans, other nations in the European Union have increased their imports. A group of people from various European nations is in Tennessee this week, learning how our farmers grow soybeans using sustainable practices. The hope is that this tour will lead to Europe purchasing even more U.S. soybeans.

Dr. Akumu Clement and his team at Tennessee State University is driving research into Precision agriculture. The technologies coming from this research is helping farmers save money on input costs and be more profitable.

This time of year for our farmers should be one of excitement and payoff for their hard work during the growing season as they harvest their row crops like soybeans and corn. But because of markets, inflation and weather, it could be 'catastrophic.'

As input costs continue to put a strain on farmers' bottom lines, a concerning trend has emerged for fertilizer prices. Mike Davis takes a look at the numbers.

More than 2,000 pounds of pork was donated to Cul2vate to go towards feeding hungry Tennesseans. The meat was donated by Tosh Farms and the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation paid to have it processed.

A highly anticipated report from the Make America Healthy Again Commission was finally published. Mike Davis explains how the report recognizes contributions of farmers in making America healthy.

It's often said that, collectively, we as a generation are disconnected from how our food is grown. Less than two percent of our population farms—but you don't have to live on a farm to grow food. Dr. Steven Kennedy, with Tennessee State University's Agriculture Department, is helping people learn how they can grow fresh produce through hydroponic systems at home.

The Tennessee Valley Fair is up and going this week. They're celebrating their 105th year and keeping true to their mission of being centered around agriculture.

The Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville is up and running this week. It got started last Friday with a Hamburger grill off between local radio stations in Knoxville and a team of 4-H and FFA students – all to highlight agriculture and the delicious products produced right here in Tennessee.

Mike Taliento spent nearly 30 years serving our nation in the Army, and now he's dedicating his time and energy to raising beef cattle alongside his wife on their ranch in Montgomery County. He was recently recognized as the Tennessee Small Farmer of The Year at the TSU Small Farm Expo.

Dr. Charlie Hatcher announced Wednesday that he will be retiring as Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture effective October 1st. After nearly seven years as commissioner, Hatcher says his dairy farm in Williamson County and family is calling him back home. Governor Bill Lee has appointed current Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Andy Holt to succeed Hatcher as Tennessee Ag Commissioner.

A group of farmers in upper East Tennessee banded together to help solve the shortage of meat processing facilities in Tennessee. Together they formed the Appalachian Producers Cooperative, which is a USDA inspected processing facility that can harvest around 125 head per week.

The University of Tennessee's Herbert College of Agriculture on the ag campus in Knoxville is bustling with students these days, perhaps more so than any other time.

A district court has overturned a burdensome aspect of a 2023 labor rule, which is good news for farmers and ranchers.

No other event quite like the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration which will crown a new world champion under the spotlight tomorrow night in Shelbyville.

Obviously, predicting the weather is harder than it seems. And for our farmers, its one of the most frustrating aspects of the growing season.  Just look at what's happened this year across Tennessee.  Thankfully, Eric Snodgrass, a Senior Science Fellow and an Atmospheric Scientist with Nutrien Ag Solutions, studies the weather, basically everyday of the year to help better inform farmers about weather impacts.

Every day whether its on the farm or at home, the one item, besides food, we're all dependent on is electricity.  And Tennesseans are fortunate right now in that Mike Partin, CEO of the Sequatchie Valley Electric Cooperative, is serving as president of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Several reports have reinforced that farmers and ranchers are facing economic challenges.

Combines are beginning to hit fields as the 2025 harvest begins. Ricky Chandler is one of the first to get started, shelling white corn on one of their locations in Carroll County. Chandler says dry weather late in the growing season, combined with low commodity prices are making this season tough.

Rob & Leah Holman will soon be riding around in a new Kubota tractor on their farm in Obion County. The Holmans finished second in the Tennessee Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award competition and get to use a brand-new Kubota tractor for up to 250 hours on their farm as their prize.

What a great experience at the Wilson County/Tennessee State Fair the past few days, especially for 4-H'er's across the state as they have been competing in livestock shows and showing off their talents in the 4-H and FFA building.  And their 10th annual Picnic at the Fair was one for the record books as they raised more than $93,000 to help assist kids attend 4-H camp.

Consumers are seeing what exactly it takes to get a bacon cheeseburger and fries. The expanded Agventures Barn at the Tennessee State Fair shows how long it takes to grow and produce each ingredient in a bacon cheeseburger. The hope is that consumers will be better educated about where their food comes from and have a new found appreciation for the farmer that grew it.

U.S. Secretary of AGriculture Brook Rollins made a visit to the Volunteer State Monday. She addressed the 10th annual Tennessee FFA Ham Breakfast at the Tennessee State Fair. Rollins was joined by Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden. Both Rollins and Vaden also took part in a listening session with Tennessee farmers from across the state, listening to their concerns about the current tough farm economy.

With the start of harvest season in Tennessee, a lot of uncertainty for our row crop farmers as markets continue to remain low and other production costs continue to rise.  Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus at Virginia Tech shared insights recently at the 27th Annual Mid-South Ag Finance Conference at UT Martin.

The Tennessee State Fair kicked off with the annual media hamburger grill off. TV personalities from nashville media competed against one another to see who could make the best burger using Tennessee products. The contest is a great way to kick off the fair and shine a light on agriculture.

Ag research at UTIA has fulfilled the mission of the land-grant university at the University of Tennessee for decades. UT Knoxville Chancellor Dr. Donde Plowman says that UTIA's ag research is now the model that the rest of the University it trying to follow.

Since 1818, farmers and now many Americans have come to expect and enjoy the Farmers Almanac.  And now the 2026 edition is out and available and packed with offbeat wisdom, tips and hacks and of course its pretty accurate long-range weather forecast.

Andy Curliss is the Vice President of Strategic Engagement for the National Pork Producers Council. He's warning farmers that there are influencers with deep pockets that are trying to change our agriculture system in the United States, and not for the better. Curliss says while they pour millions of dollars into their tactics against agriculture, farmers have the upper hand in the conversation.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Stephen Vaden, was in Tennessee Friday addressing Tennessee farmers at the Tennessee Farm Bureau County Presidents Conference. Vaden updated on some of the things the Trump administration is doing to boost American agriculture & how he's fighting for them daily at USDA.

It's often said that farmers need to tell their story to better inform the public about where their food comes from. Dr. Ben West with UT Extension specializes in strategic communication and is spending time with county farm bureau leaders, teaching them new approaches to leading at the grassroots level and being better communicators.

Patrick Jaynes is the new Tennessee State Director for USDA Rural Development. Jaynes describes what it means to him to serve in this role and how he's using his background of growing up in rural Tennessee to help rural Tennesseans.

Shop Springs Creamery has been opened for about about six years now. Owner Jeffrey Turner explains why they opned the creamery and how it's adding value to their family dairy.

Growing up on the farm in Western Kentucky, Darwin Newton has always been close to the land, and throughout his storied professional career that spans over 60 years, its been specifically all about the soil.  And this week he was honored as newest member of the Southeast Region Conservation Hall of Fame.

This is National Farmers Market Week with celebrations in Washington DC and Nashville.

A flurry of recent trade agreements and frameworks have been announced by the Trump administration. Chad Smith has more on what this means for American agriculture.

Tennessee Agriculture & Forestry Program has been in West Tennessee this week touring farming operations in the region. A couple of the participants describe what it's been like seeing different aspects of agriculture and how the program has benefited them greatly.

Farmers from across Tennessee are gathering in their communities for policy development meetings. Put on by the Tennessee Farm Bureau, these meetings give farmers a chance to voice their concern on issues facing them and the entire agriculture industry.

Lance Pekus has the title of both rancher and worldwide ninja warrior competitor. He's been on the NBC TV show American Ninja Warrior for about ten years now and continues to ranch with his wife and kids in Idaho. Pekus shares how his platform through Ninja warrior has allowed him to be a strong voice for agriculture on the world stage.

Emily Ivey of Loudon County is the 2025 Tennessee Young Farmers and Ranchers Environmental Stewardship Award Winner. Ivey explains what environmental practices she is implementing on her farm and how it's helping produce a better end product while also preserving the farm for another generation.