UT Institute of Agriculture Presents Top Faculty and Staff Awards for 2025
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The accomplishments of the faculty and staff of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture were celebrated at an annual awards luncheon held on the UT Knoxville campus in the new Agriculture and Natural Resources Building on July 30. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by faculty, alumni and friends of the institute.
UTIA Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver hosted the luncheon and praised the honorees for their work. “The enthusiasm and expertise demonstrated by our UTIA faculty and staff is unparalleled,” he said. “I am always in awe of their dedication to providing real life solutions to the people of Tennessee. These well-deserved awards represent impacts and accomplishments that benefit Tennesseans and society now and for years to come.”
Established by the late Dutch Cavender, former director of UTIA Marketing and Communications, and his late wife, Marilee, the Cavender Outstanding Award for Best Publication recognizes excellence in the development of peer-reviewed material produced by the UT Institute of Agriculture. This year, three authors are being recognized for their contributions to two different publications.
One winner of the award was the Tennessee Value-Added Meats Program Series that includes UT Extension publications Genetic Selection with Feedlot and Carcass Traits in Mind (SP-1043), authored by Troy Rowan, and How to Finish Cattle in Tennessee (SP-1042) and General Production Considerations for Grain and Grass Finished Cattle in Tennessee (PB-1929) authored by Katie Mason. Both Rowan and Mason are assistant professors in animal science and Extension beef specialists.
The second award was given to Applying Tennessee’s Definition of Agriculture to Land Use Questions Regarding Agritourism Activities, UT Extension publication PB 1923, by Megan Bruch Leffew, marketing specialist with the UT Center for Profitable Agriculture, and Kevin Hensley, director of public policy for the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation.
The Tennessee Value-Added Meats Program series provides producers with up-to-date research-based information about genetics and available selection tools for traits important in feedlot and carcass performance to accelerate genetic progress. They also provide guidance on how to select a finishing system for cattle that best matches the unique aspects of an operation, how to achieve finished cattle with each method, and insights into the essential aspects of finishing beef cattle to help producers maximize profits and produce high-quality beef.
UT Extension publications like these help producers navigate changes in their industries. “The series was created to meet the demand for information about finishing beef for local sale and consumption. I am proud to know that these publications are directly serving UT Extension clientele,” Mason said.
“Our beef Extension team always works to find areas where we can provide expertise and guidance. These publications were in direct response to a changing market and emerging opportunities for Tennessee producers. We strive for our work to be relevant, accessible, and rooted in the land grant mission,” Rowan said.
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.