The University of Tennessee Plateau AgResearch and Education Center, also known as the Experiment Station, conducts research based on four areas to assist farmers with making decisions about their crops and livestock.
The Center’s four research areas are livestock, crops, fruits and vegetables, and ornamentals (flowers).
Since research lies in trial and error, the Center’s research team looks at changing one variable to determine if they adjust one thing and what the result will be. The Center’s researchers are completing this research in partnership with UT to create publications that farmers can use to make decisions about their crops and livestock.
The UT faculty will send a request to the Center with a research proposal. Research Center Director at the Plateau AgResearch and Education Center Walt Hitch accepts the proposal and begins the process to facilitate their request.
“You say, ‘This is a research project,’” said Hitch. “Think of it as an experiment. And in an experiment, you simply treat one group different than you treat another, and you measure the differences.”
If the faculty member wishes to research the effectiveness of feeding beef calves twice a day versus three times to yield more beef in two years, the Center will breed and raise 100 calves to start the research. They will separate the calves into two groups. One will be the standard group, and the other half will be the variable group that receives the changes.
“If we can improve any of those things or feed efficiency, then it lessens the cost or increases the output for the producer, which makes them more profitable,” said Hitch.
The Center generates some revenue to help cover the research costs and maintain the farming equipment. Hitch approximated that the Center earns $300,000-350,000.
In 2005, the Center changed its name from the Experiment Station to the UT Plateau AgResearch and Education Center due to negative connotations associated with the word “experiment.” The name developed into what it is known for today because it combines the research it conducts for UT and educates the community about its research findings.
For the education side of the Center, the facility hosts field days. Field days are an opportunity for the community to come out and learn about what the Center has been working on and gain valuable knowledge about their crops and livestock.
One of their field days is called “Steak and Potatoes.” They hold presentations from many speakers. Occasionally, they will invite veterinarians to speak about new vaccines for livestock. The Center will educate about choosing the best bulls and replacement heifers. They can teach about growing fruits and vegetables in the winter to donate to local food banks.
The “Steak and Potatoes” field day will be Aug. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Hitch said that they can see approximately 400 people on these field days.
The second educational opportunity available is called “Fall Gardener’s Festival.” This festival has speakers, presenters and demonstrations. The “Fall Gardener’s Festival” will be Aug. 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hitch said he has seen approximately 1,300 people attend this event. The festival is an outreach event to help people understand more about gardening.
To learn more about the 2024 field days and festival, visit plateau.tennessee.edu/field-days/.
Hitch is a farmer by nature but a researcher at heart. Hitch helps facilitate the UT faculty’s research. He and his team are responsible for maintaining the faculty’s research plan and following it to the best of their ability.
Hitch said he can receive up to 30 to 35 requests from the UT faculty in a year. Currently, the Center is working on looking at four to five proposals.
“I love the numbers part of it, like I said, trying to be able to show that we make some difference,” said Hitch. “And the people. The people in the ag business and in the ag industry. I don’t know any other way to say it, but they are just good people. At least that’s for the most part.”
Hitch has always been around farms. He grew up on a dairy farm and said he never had a day without chores. Hitch felt that growing up on the farm taught him responsibility and hard work. He said he loves the people in agriculture.
“They’re good people, and I think we are all working toward the same end goal, and so we support each other,” said Hitch. “That’s what makes it good.”
To learn more, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6oA5hRTU80 to watch a clip of Hitch explaining more of what the UT Plateau AgResearch and Education Center is capable of.