Ruth Henderson McQueen (Knoxville ’73, ’75) has been involved with 4-H Youth Development since she was a fifth grader growing up in Philadelphia, Tennessee. In recognition of her lifetime contributions, she was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame in 2024. McQueen spent 26 years working as a Sequatchie County 4-H agent and then as associate professor specializing in staff development and training. At the induction ceremony in Boise, Idaho, McQueen, seated in the center, was joined by a delegation from her home state.
Floor Relief Efforts
Recovery from Hurricane Helene flooding in East Tennessee likely will take years, maybe decades. Faculty, staff and students representing all UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) units jumped into action to deploy relief efforts to farmers, producers, homeowners and residents with pets and livestock. UT Extension provided resources online and in person. UT College of Veterinary Medicine, designated by the state of Tennessee to coordinate donations for animals, collected an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 pounds of supplies and treated nearly 200 animals in the mobile unit and ambulatory truck deployed to Elizabethton, Tennessee. UT AgResearch made available a site for environmentally sound disposal of debris at its Northeast AgResearch and Education Center in Greeneville, Tennessee. UTIA leaders and UT System President Randy Boyd toured the hard-hit counties. In the last few months, assistance has changed gears to support what will be a long process of rebuilding from literally the ground up—from rehabilitating productive fields covered in silt, sand and debris to helping residents apply for state and federal assistance.
For more information about assistance, visit our website: utextension.tennessee.edu/flood-related-resources. Watch a video of UTIA relief efforts: tiny.utk.edu/reliefvideo2024
Growing Greatness
The UT Board of Trustees approved UTIA’s 2025-2030 strategic plan in October. Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver presented the plan after a committee spent months distilling information gathered from more than 800 stakeholders that coalesced into five goals: expand educational opportunities, foster innovation and discovery, encourage and increase collaboration, share our collective success, and nurture our talent. The plan provides a roadmap for UT AgResearch, UT Extension, the Herbert College of Agriculture, and the College of Veterinary Medicine, combined as one of the few land-grant university institutes of agriculture in the country. For more information, visit utia.tennessee.edu/strategic-plan.
Bradley County Cannery
Sisters Pam Rogers and Sharon Goodeare among the hundreds of Bradley County residents who each year take advantage of the cannery facility, the only one in Tennessee that is owned by a county and run by UT Extension. In 2024, residents canned 7,359 quarts of vegetables and fruit, saving them an estimated $15,389. The cannery is free to any county resident. To watch a video about the cannery, visit tiny.utk.edu/can.
