Dec. 2023 - Jan. 2024 Land-Grant Ledger

December 2023 - January 2024 | Issue No. 13

The Land-Grant Ledger Tennessee State University College of Agriculture

TSU at COP28 (page 5)

Inside this Issue:

Dean’s Message:

Dean’s Message

Dear friends and supporters,

Senegal Seminar Trip

The Tennessee State University College of Agriculture is thrilled to be ushering in 2024, a new year that will see exciting growth and development take place at the College. Of the changes coming to TSUAg in the coming year, none are more exciting than the changes we’ve brought to our academic structure and the growth we’re fostering with respect to our degree offerings. As of the turn of the year, the College is now operating with five academic departments, and we’re excited to see these new units hit the ground running this semester, delivering more focused academic programming and targeted research and outreach for our students.

Along with the new departments, in the near future, we’ll be incorporating new, more specified degree programs into our course offerings, adding undergraduate degrees in Agribusiness, Food and Animal Sciences, and Environmental Sciences, a master’s degree program in Human Nutrition and Wellness, and three new Ph.D. programs in Food and Animal Sciences, Environmental Sciences, and Agricultural Education and Leadership.

Our faculty continue to address the global food security and environmental sustainability challenges through international partnerships and collaborations; read the details of our partnership with Senegal and participation in the U.N. Climate Change Policy discussions in Dubai. Our extension agents continue to serve the stakeholders in the state with excellence.

DeKalb County Extension Update Rutherford County Extension Updates Johnson County Extension Update Hamilton County Extension Update Shelby County Extension Updates Biannual Institute Meeting Dubai COP28 Climate Summit Kyla Hughes at M.I.T. Senegal-bound Students

Enjoy this issue of the Land-Grant Ledger! We’ll see you next month!

Sincerely, Dean Chandra Reddy Dec 2023 - Jan 2024 Newsletter | College of Agriculture

Research

TSUAg Goes Global for Center of Excellence Seminar Development Leaders from the TSU 1890 Center of Excellence for Natural Resources, Renewable Energy, and the Environment have partnered with the Council of American Oversees Research Centers (CAORC) to develop a faculty development seminar in Senegal. The Center of Excellence will collaborate with the West African Research Center (WARC), Centre de Suivi Écologique, and the Department of Horticulture to deliver a 10-day faculty seminar.

Drs. Chandra Reddy, Bill Sutton and De’Etra Young, along with Jeff Badger (CAORC) recently traveled to Dakar to plan for the upcoming seminar. The professional development opportunity will draw on the experience and expertise of a multidisciplinary team with diverse backgrounds in fields such as agriculture, hydrology, geography, and environment. It will feature lectures, site visits, panel discussions, and film screenings on climate change, water management and conservation, sustainable agriculture, natural resources management, sustainable energy, environmental protection and monitoring in West Africa, and their impact. “This initiative signifies our commitment to global collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the pursuit of sustainable solutions,” says Dr. Young. “We look forward to the positive impact this seminar will have on our Center and the 1890 community.”

TSUAg’s 1890 Center of Excellence for Natural Resources, Renewable Energy, and the Environment is collaborating with a number of reasearch partners in delivering a 10-day faculty development seminar in Senegal. Pictured are TSUAg’s Drs. Bill Sutton (left), De’Etra Young and Dean Chandra Reddy (third from right), with some of their partners.

Dec 2023 - Jan 2024 Newsletter | College of Agriculture

Extension

DeKalb County 4-H Member Competes at National BBQ Competition This past November, a member of UT-TSU DeKalb County Extension’s 4-H Youth Development group competed nationally as part of the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference, held in Louisville, KY. Twelfth-grade poultry grilling star Lily Waggoner put her barbecue skills to the test, battling it out with other 4-H grillers in the Poultry BBQ Competition held at the conference. Lily was tasked with creating the best recipe for grilled chicken thighs cooked on a charcoal grill. She also created and rehearsed a presentation on the poultry industry to present to a panel of judges. She competed against 13 other 4-H members from around the U.S. and placed 8th in the nation with her Tennessee 4-H BBQ Chicken Thighs. We are so proud of her and the hard work she has put into this competition.

Congratulations Lily!

In November, DeKalb County 4-H member Lily Waggoner competed at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, KY in the Poultry BBQ Competition.

TSU Rutherford County SNAP-Ed Extension Agent Brittany Satinover spread the message of healthy eating all winter in Rutherford County. Satinover is pictured here at the Smyrna Public Library promoting her “Eat Smart” program on meal planning and preparing food on a budget.

Rutherford County Extension SNAP-Ed Program Spreading the Gospel of Healthy Eating TSU Rutherford County SNAP-Ed Extension Agent Brittany Satinover has been having an impact across her county preaching the message of healthy eating at a slew of events for a variety of audiences in Rutherford. Highlights included trips to Portico Story in Murfreesboro to conduct “Eat Smart Through the Lifecycle” classes for new and expecting parents, to the Smyrna Public Library and the Stones River Church of Christ to promote her “Eat Smart” meal planning program, to the Doors of Hope program where she presented her program to women transitioning from jail into stable housing, to the Murfreesboro Day Reporting Center where she began Eating Smart classes for those transitioning out of probation, and to the Smyrna Senior Activity Center, where she provided classes on making healthy choices for convenience foods. Said one participant of the program: “The recipes are so good and easy to make at home. The class is so informative on teaching us how to understand the labels and eating better.” “I love the recipes,” said another. “The training on eating out has helped me in choosing better foods.”

Dec 2023 - Jan 2024 Newsletter | College of Agriculture

Extension

Johnson County Extension 4-H Feeds Families over the Holidays The UT-TSU Johnson County Extension Office made a huge difference in the lives of local families over the holidays, donating food and providing funding for holiday meals to families in need as part of its “Feed-a-Family” 4-H service project. TSU 4-H Extension Agent Danielle Pleasant provided leadership for the program, which involves fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students from area schools in the process of charitable donation. Each fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade classroom collects and donates non-perishable foods, and the program combines that with funding from community partners through donations that provide for complete, ham-laden-holiday meals for families.

Additional community partners identify and assist with the distribution of food boxes to local families in need. In December of 2023, Johnson County 4-H youth, the Farm and Forest Families of Tennessee, Farm Bureau Insurance Johnson - Mountain City, as well as Hale Community Ministries in Johnson County and Helping Others were privileged to gift 30 families in Johnson County with a holiday meal.

Pictured is Asher Milsap, a Johnson County 4-H Honor Club member, assisting with the 4-H Feed A Family service project.

A Season of Giving for Hamilton County Extension 4-H The UT-TSU Hamilton County Extension team wrapped up a season of giving in December. The group’s 4-H Citizenship Club collected both physical and cash donations for McKamey Animal Center in Chattanooga over the holidays, gifting the facility with no small amount of pet supplies and funds to assist in their mission... and they weren’t done there. The Extension Office’s Master Gardeners, Hamilton County 4-H, and the UT-TSU Extension Office itself partnered up to collect approximately 200 giftwrapped toys and other presents for children this Christmas as well. The project to collect the presents was aided by Hamilton County Master Gardeners President Carlton Mathis and Vice-President Skeeter Gallagher, who was the lead organizer for the effort. TSUAg thanks Skeeter, Mathis, their team, and everyone who brought toys for this toy drive.

The 4-H Citizenship Club had a holiday season of giving. Pictured with their donation for the McKamey Animal Center in Chattanooga are club member Lillian Shank, Extension Agent Maria Sabin, Citizenship Club President DeMitrius Davis, and Club member Kaden Bing.

Dec 2023 - Jan 2024 Newsletter | College of Agriculture

Extension

Shelby County Extension Sharing the Joy of Cooking TSU Shelby County Extension Agent Jasmen Richmond has been making an impact over in Memphis of late, successfully hosting her “Cooking Matters” series. Richmond has partnered with several non-profits to host events in the series, which teaches community members in Memphis some of the basic skills necessary to eat more healthy food by cooking at home. Richmond’s favorite story from the series is from an event she hosted with the South Memphis Farmers Market: “The participant in this particular session had little to no cooking experience. I remember distinctly correcting him about using proper utensils for recipes. He was very open to receiving constructive criticism and looked forward to the next cooking class,” says Richmond. “After successfully cooking a lasagna, he was very proud, and I was very proud to be able to offer this type of class to individuals who may know about eating healthier, but still struggle with the cooking aspect of it all.”

A participant in the TSU Shelby County Extension Office’s “Cooking Matters” series does a “happy dance” after successfully cooking a lasagna without burning it.

Academics

TSUAg Gathers En Masse for Biannual Institute Meeting

A group of almost 100 faculty and staff members from the College of Agriculture met for the biannual Factulty and Staff Institute meeting, held in early January on campus.

The Tennessee State University College of Agriculture’s faculty and staff gathered en masse yesterday to kick off the spring semester for the biannual College Faculty and Staff Institute meeting. The mood was buoyant, as all in attendance were excited and motivated to have a great 2024 spring semester. More than 70 College of Agriculture faculty from all five academic departments, along with a full complement of support staff and administrators were present for the gathering, during which College of Agriculture Dean Dr. Chandra Reddy gave a presentation on the past, present, and future of the College. Topics included the rollout of the College’s new academic departments, undergraduate and graduate student enrollment, facilities upgrades that are currently in process, and research funding successes over the past year.

Dec 2023 - Jan 2024 Newsletter | College of Agriculture

Academics

TSUAg’s Dr. Jianwei Li (far right) was part of a group from four universities who attended the COP28 conference in Dubai. TSU students DaKennya Goines (fourth from right) and Shemicka Holt (third from left) joined Dr. Li in representing TSU at the event.

TSUAg Represented at COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai TSUAg faculty member and soil scientist Dr. Jianwei Li represented the College of Agriculture with pride at the United Nations Climate Change “COP28” Conference, the world’s premier climate change event, held November 30 – December 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dr. Li led a group of three from TSU who attended the conference, as TSU Liberal Arts students Shemicka Holt and DaKennya Goines accompanied him and represented the Tigers at COP28. This year’s trip, and trips the following two years, are part of a grant project titled the “YEAH Climate Leadership Academy.” Dr. Li joined professors from Vanderbilt, Boston University, and Michigan Tech in acquiring the grant and leading the trip, on which 12 total students went along with a professor from each of the four schools.

Classes, lectures, and workshops are other components of the grant, which was awarded to the group by the National Science Foundation.

TSUAg Soph. Hughes Participates in Quantitative Methods Workshop at M.I.T. Standout TSU sophomore student and Agriculture Sciences major Kyla Hughes did us all Tiger proud by spending a portion of her winter break in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she participated in the school’s Quantitative Methods Workshop in December. Hughes, an Ag. Science major specializing in Biotechnology, took part in the seven-day intensive program aimed to familiarize students with quantitative tools and programming languages essential for analyzing experimental data in biology and neuroscience. The workshop covered diverse topics such as cryo-EM, machine learning, and RNAseq, with Python as the primary tool. Kyla had the opportunity to interact with MIT faculty, graduate students, and peers from other universities, contributing to a rich learning experience. “This achievement reflects the College of Agriculture’s commitment to fostering a culture of student success, and Kyla’s participation is a source of pride for the institution,” says Associate Dean of Academics and Landgrant Programs Dr. De’Etra Young of the sophomore.

Dec 2023 - Jan 2024 Newsletter | College of Agriculture

TSU sophomore student and Agriculture Sciences major Kyla Hughes spent a portion of her winter break in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she participated in the school’s Quantitative Methods Workshop | Photo Credit: Kyla Hughes

Academics

TSUAg students (from left) Grace Colvin and Kennedy Bentley were part of a group of four Tigers who recently visited Virginia Tech to prepare for their USDA-sponsored trips to first the Appalachian Region, and then Senegal.

Senegal-bound Students Hone their Message with the Hokies A quartet of TSUAg students recently took a trip to Blacksburg, Virginia to convene a learning session with their student colleagues at Virginia Tech as part of a joint collaboration between the schools that sees a group travel to Senegal, where each summer they perform extension programming in rural communities. The four TSU students, Samira Curry, Kennedy Bentley, Aaliyah Cotton, and Grace Colvin, joined five undergraduates from Virginia Tech for a training session at the school where students hone their message of food preservation that they will deliver first to Extension educators in their states, then to communities in the Appalachian Region this spring, and then to a number of communities in Senegal this summer. The group focuses on tomatoes and mangos. This year’s upcoming trip will be the third the two schools have taken as part of the USDA NIFA grant-funded program, the ostensible goal of which is to bring students into the field of extension education and global outreach. TSUAg’s Dr. John Ricketts is a co-Principal Investigator on the grant, a position he shares with Virginia Tech’s Dr. Rick Rudd.

Dec 2023 - Jan 2024 Newsletter | College of Agriculture

Editor/Writer: Charles Morrison Graphic Designer: Christina Jacob

Phone/Fax: 615-963-7561 Website: www.tnstate.edu/ agriculture

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