[072] Public Is Invited to Sept.24 Agriculture Field Day at MTSU Laboratory Farm

Release date: Sept. 3, 2009/UPDATED SEPT. 17, 2009

News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Agriculture Field Day contact: Dr. Warren Gill, 615-898-2404 or wgill@mtsu.edu


Public Is Invited to Sept. 24 Agriculture Field Day at MTSU Laboratory Farm

(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU’s School of Agribusiness and Agriscience is hosting a field day starting at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, on MTSU’s new Agricultural Laboratory Farm at 3301 Guy James Road, said Dr. Warren Gill, director for the school. The event was rescheduled from its original Sept. 17 date because of rain.

“The primary focus this year will be on home gardens and innovative nursery ideas, but there will also be updates on haylage production and use by beef cattle,” Gill said.
Other topics will be presented, including a report on the Switchgrass, Bluestem, Indiangrass and wildlife plots being done in partnership with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Extension Service.

Students will present displays, guide tours and be involved in every aspect of the program, Gill said. Dr. Jessica Carter, an associate professor in the school, will conduct a live animal demonstration with cattle from the MTSU angus herd.

The second Ag Field Day is free and open to the campus community and general public. Please call the extension office at 615-898-7710 or call or e-mail Carter (615-898-2419 or jcarter@mtsu.edu) by Tuesday, Sept. 22, if you plan to attend.

“There also will be an update on the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program that is sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture,” Gill said. “The TDA commissioner, Ken Givens, has been invited to address this topic, and MTSU faculty will tell how the TAEP has been critical to developing the farm laboratory programs.”
MTSU’s ag alumni also are inviting several sponsors to prepare a meal and share product information.

To reach the farm from MTSU, take Halls Hill Pike 4.5 miles past the Rutherford Boulevard-Greenland Drive intersection. Look for a sign for the Ag Field Day, turn left and drive a half-mile to the event site.

For more information, call Carter, Gill (615-898-2404), Dr. Nate Phillips (615-494-8985) or Tim Redd (615-898-2431).

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

###

Media welcomed.