Tennessee farmers were later getting to the fields this spring due to wet weather delays. From East to West, persistent rains hindered progress for farmers needing to spray, spread fertilizer, and plant. Even though the state’s producers were later getting their crops into the ground, many remain hopeful for a successful 2022 harvest.
For the first time, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative (TFC) has launched a “Grow22” campaign on social media to track the progress of three farmers representing each of Tennessee’s Grand Divisions. Follow “#Grow22” on Facebook and Twitter for updates on their progress as well as videos and photos, most of which will be shared through TFC’s various channels. The farmers will also be highlighted in the October/November 2022 issue of The Cooperator with a recap of the harvest season.
East Tennessee
Zalen Williams, an East Tennessee nurseryman, produce farmer, and Grainger Farmers Co-op member, operates 25 greenhouses and grows floral hanging baskets, four-inch pots, and a variety of vegetable plants on 160 acres. In the fields, Williams grows corn, tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, squash, cucumbers, watermelon, and cantaloupes. In the fall, the farm produces mums in two 288-foot-long greenhouses.
“We start planting hanging baskets and the flowering plants the first week of February,” says Williams. “We are planting continuously in the greenhouses through mid-May and then transition to the fields to plant.”
Zalen and his wife, Sherry, also have 75 head of cattle and sell their produce and flowers at Rogersville Produce, Farm Fresh Produce in Knoxville, and other local markets in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
“Farming is in my blood,” says Williams. “My mom sat on a bushel basket packing tomatoes in the front yard the day I was born. Farming has always been a part of my life and always will be.”
Weather and labor shortages are challenges that the Williamses often face on their farm, but they are optimistic about a successful 2022 growing season.
Middle Tennessee
United Farm & Home Co-op members Jon Bone and Ed Morgan farm 412 acres of corn and 310 acres of soybeans in Hickman and Maury counties.
“We’ve had delays with planting due to the weather and getting parts in for our equipment,” says Bone. “Farmers, including myself, are always in a hurry to get the crop planted, and often we have to have patience; it’s out of our control in a lot of ways.”
Bone and Morgan have been farming together for 10 years and say they are proud members of their local Co-op. Morgan says the staff at the Columbia location of United Farm & Home Co-op truly cares about their success and touches base with them throughout the growing season.
“We anticipated input costs being
much higher this year,” says Morgan. “Chemicals and fertilizer prices have risen, but on the flip side, commodity prices are rising too.”
The farmers trade with Tennessee Valley Commodities in Lawrenceburg, and Morgan says they owe their success to the producers who came before them and taught them about the industry.
“Farmers help each other out,” says Bone. “If our equipment is down or if we need a part, the farming community steps up to help. We would do the same from them.”
West Tennessee
Philip Moore, a native of Westport and member of Carroll Farmers Co-op, farms a combined 6,000 acres of row crops in Carroll and Henderson counties with his dad and two sons. Moore says that Carroll Farmers Co-op staff play an integral part of their success and notes that he purchases most of his chemical, seed, and fertilizer from the local store.
Moore says the 2022 growing season has already been “one for the books.”
“We knew this year was going to be strange with costs the way they are,” says Moore, referencing the unprecedented pricing and challenging availability of crop-production products. “We went ahead and got our fertilizer and chemicals booked early, which was a big help.”
Despite the delays in planting and the challenges of a disrupted supply chain related to chemicals and other inputs, Moore still has hope for a good harvest.
“We are late getting the corn planted this year,” says Moore. “However, the wheat crop looks good, so far. You don’t know how well it will do until you run the combine through it, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
Share your #Grow22 story with us on social media using #Grow22 or tag Tennessee Farmers Cooperative to your posts throughout the year for the chance to be featured on the TFC social platforms.
Throughout the year, Co-op and GreenPoint Ag representatives are in the fields and ready to assist farmers. For more information, contact your local Co-op or GreenPoint Ag location.