UTIA faculty, staff, students and alumni are groundbreakers, collaborators, educators and leaders in the agriculture industry. Their work impacts others every day in the grocery store, on a golf course, in the great forests and natural areas, in homes and just about everywhere. UTIA is proud to share an ongoing series of web-based Q&A-style articles featuring these impressive individuals.
Visit “Outstanding in Their Field” at utia.tennessee.edu/spotlights.
Veterinary Medicine Celebrates 50
The UT College of Veterinary Medicine has planned a yearlong 50th anniversary celebration to thank those that have been or are essential partners.
In 1967, Clyde York, president of the Tennessee Farm Bureau and member of the UT Board of Trustees, recommended UT study the possibility of establishing a veterinary school to help alleviate the lack of access to veterinarians and provide more Tennesseans the opportunity to attend veterinary school.
That study recommended establishing the school on the Knoxville campus, and the Tennessee General Assembly directed the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to conduct a formal study. THEC consultant Dr. Willis W. Armistead, dean of Michigan State University’s veterinary college, was hired, and his report became the foundation for the college.
On March 11, 1974, legislation passed the House (unanimous vote) and Senate (32-1 vote) establishing a veterinary college, and Gov. Winfield Dunn (HSC ’55) signed the legislation a few days later.
Learn more about the school’s history and planned events at vetmed.tennessee.edu/50th-anniversary.
National Champion Tree Program Replanted at UTIA
The National Champion Tree Program, which was started 83 years ago by American Forests to discover the largest living trees in the United States, has moved its headquarters from Washington, D.C. The organization is providing $200,000 through April 2025 to the School of Natural Resources to support the program’s transition to UTIA.
The school also directs the state Champion Tree Program, which the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry managed until 2016. Former Tennessee Champion Tree Program Director and UT graduate Jaq Payne (Knoxville ’21, ’23) has been appointed as the national program director.
Grant Aids Conservation in West Tennessee
UT Extension and partners Agricenter International and Tennessee Wildlife Federation have received a $15.9 million grant to advance conservation practices in West Tennessee. While the 21-county region is rich in cropland and forestland, new manufacturing facilities and subsequent urbanization and population growth are increasing pressure on its natural resources.
The goals are to increase practices that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and wind and water erosion, increase carbon sequestration, and improve water quality and resilient wildlife habitat.
The project will address common barriers for West Tennessee producers and landowners to adopt conservation measures. Three-quarters of the funds will be used for direct payments.
