Three Stewards of Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine and Natural Resources Will Be Honored
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Ag Day, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s annual celebration of the university’s land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, is planned for Saturday, September 14. Beginning at 3:15 p.m. at the Brehm Animal Science Arena on the UT Knoxville campus, hundreds of guests are expected to enjoy activities sponsored by various departments in the UT Herbert College of Agriculture, including the School of Natural Resources; the UT College of Veterinary Medicine; programs in family and consumer sciences; 4-H Youth Development; student clubs; and more.
Activities will include live animal exhibits, music, department-based demonstrations, an interactive selfie station and lots of food available for purchase. Participants can enjoy an insect petting zoo and alumni are invited to reminisce with friends, faculty and staff. Prospective students can learn first hand about the educational opportunities and experiences UTIA has to offer across various disciplines including biosystems engineering; plant, animal, food and soil science; forestry and wildlife studies; and more.
The event will conclude in time for attendees to make their way to Neyland Stadium for the 7:45 p.m. kickoff between the football Vols and Kent State University.
During Ag Day UTIA recognizes outstanding service to agriculture, veterinary medicine and related natural resource industries. For 2024, UTIA is presenting its Meritorious Service Award to Dave Fugate of Greenback, Tennessee. Fugate is a successful beef cattle producer in Blount County, but he has also served as UT’s representative on the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET), which is associated with the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities. He has also found time to serve UTIA, especially UT Extension, in numerous ways at the state and local level, including as the chair of the Eastern Region UTIA Agricultural Advisory Council and on the UTIA Development Board. He is also a member of the Leadership Blount class of 2004.
The UTIA Horizon Award winner is Dr. Addie Reinhard, a 2015 graduate of the UT College of Veterinary Medicine and founder and CEO of MentorVet in Lexington, Kentucky. The company works to improve practitioner and animal well-being by creating a healthier career and community for individual veterinary professionals, including DVMs and veterinary technicians. MentorVet provides resources including peer and paired mentorships, professional skills training, and mental health and financial coaching. Reinhard also has a certificate in Veterinary Human Support from the University of Tennessee, and works in suicide prevention as a certified QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) instructor and SafeTALK trainer.
George McDonald, a producer from Riddleton, Tennessee, will also be honored at Ag Day as the Tennessee Farmer of the Year. Earlier this year UT Extension, in cooperation with the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, awarded the honor to McDonald who is the owner/operator of Catesa Farms. Located 50 miles northeast of Nashville in Smith County, the operation grows more than 9,000 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, and milo and is also famous for watermelons and strawberries. In 2027, his family will celebrate their first century of caring for and managing Catesa Farms. As the Tennessee Farmer of the Year, McDonald will compete in the Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year competition, the winner of which will be announced in October at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch, and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.