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UT Extension and Elizabethton Farmers Market report post‑flood recovery work, field days and SNAP‑EBT suspension
Summary
UT Extension staff updated the commission on recovery work for farmers after the flood, upcoming farm field days and staffing changes; the Elizabethton Farmers Market reported a successful season but said its SNAP‑EBT program had nearly no usage this year and funds allocated could be repurposed.
UT Extension and the Elizabethton Farmers Market gave updates to the commission that focused on post‑flood agriculture support, upcoming education events, staffing changes and on‑the‑ground needs for local producers.
UT Extension director‑designate Kathleen Davis (speaking for Extension at the meeting) reviewed county contributions to recovery and said the office is working with farmers on seed distribution, hay deliveries and other relief activities after the storm. The office cited participation in a Seeds of Hope program to deliver seed across seven counties and said NRCS/EWP programs had funded $1.6 million for road repair and streambank restoration tied to agricultural recovery work. Extension staff announced a farm field day on Aug. 20 in Limestone and a farm field day on Sept. 6; they said those events will offer chemical‑application continuing‑education and crop‑restoration information for producers.
Donna Kucrebs, market manager for the Elizabethton Farmers Market, told commissioners the market had received budget committee approval for funds but that the market’s SNAP‑EBT program “almost did not run at all” this season. Kucrebs said only five people used SNAP‑EBT at the market this year and that the market had suspended the program for the remainder of the season; she said the allocated county funds had not been spent and suggested the commission consider repurposing those funds for vendor support, including sponsoring vendor fees for veteran‑owned booths.
Extension staff announced a new family and consumer sciences agent, Lucy Timbs, and said 4‑H club activities are resuming with school‑year programming; the office also said it had hired a new program assistant funded by the county. The Extension update stressed partnerships with NRCS, Tennessee Farm Bureau and other agencies that coordinated hay donations and distribution, and cited a county‑led effort to deliver thousands of rolls of hay from multiple states to help affected producers after the flood.
Commissioners and staff thanked the market and Extension for relief work and outreach. No new county funding actions for the market or Extension were recorded during the meeting segment reviewed; Kucrebs’ remarks were presented as a mid‑season report and a request for future direction on how to use the previously authorized funds.
