Spring cleaning with Boca Christian

THANK YOU 

BOCA RATON 

CHRISTIAN SCHOOL!

Sophomores travelling around the county performing random acts of kindness visited the farm on Tuesday. There were about 50 people buzzing around the farm helping us out with some Spring cleaning.

Tasks Accomplished

Stained the new pavilion

Tilled up soil for future gardens

Constructed a worm box 

Constructed a hoop house 

Transplanted strawberries 

Bagged leaves for teens in our program to use in their at-home gardens

A Place to Play

Support helps to build a new place to play

     Our new pavilion is now complete thanks to support from the Greeneville Morning and Noon Rotary Clubs, Roy Darnell and his construction team and several generous donors.
     We envision the space serving as headquarters for Farm Day Camps as well as an outdoor classroom space for participants in the Farm & Food Teen Training Program. It already served as a space for volunteers to stay dry while building easels for the Lexicon of Sustainability. 

     The dedication ceremony will take place April 5. We will be placing plaques on beams with the names of our pillars of support.

PSSSSSSSTTTTT.....

The Farm Day Camp Challenge is still on!

Are there 100 current, future or former

Farm Day Campers out there willing to give $10? 

DONATE HERE

Pavilion Progress

    

Our Farm's Future

Rural Resources entrusts future of the farm with Foothills Land Conservancy

It's not a takeover. It's a land trust to ensure the Rural Resources farm remains a space for agricultural and educational use in perpetuity. 

"We have put a conservation easement on the land is to ensure that it remains undeveloped with houses and buildings, beyond what has been initially stipulated, for forever," said Rural Resources’ Executive Director Sally Causey. "As Rural Resources moves forward, we will be able to develop a productive agriculture and education space without the worries of development pressure."

The easement is being held by Foothills Land Conservancy, which just completed a record year with 7,000 acres conserved. Rural Resources made up 15.17 acres of the total land conserved. 

"The easement essentially means that they own the development rights for this piece of land," Causey said. "Our future new building and other agricultural/educational structures are allowed like the pavilion being built now with support from Greeneville’s Noon and Morning Rotary Clubs."

The Rural Resources property was formerly owned by the Childress family. 

"Watt and Larry Childress, who inherited the farm from their grandfather, Lawrence “Jimmy” Dobson, established the organization in response to the rapid loss of farmland they observed and desired their four-generation farm and others to be preserved," according to Foothills Land Conservancy Communications Director Elisa Eustace. "Rural Resources is dedicated to the education and training of youth in environmentally sound farming practices and teaching them to run a farm or food related business. The organization plans to continue utilizing the property in a manner that allows for sustainable agricultural practices and supports educating the community for an agrarian way of life into the future."

The easement doesn't have financial benefits for Rural Resources, but it would have tax benefits for families and for-profit businesses. 

"We have done this to let other farm and land owners to know what's possible and to know they have this possibility of preserving their land for future generations to farm and enjoy in its natural state," Causey said. “I am also grateful to Marshall Peterson of Holbrook, Peterson & Smith in Knoxville for his volunteer help and guidance throughout the process of purchasing the land and establishing the conservation easement.”

More information about Rural Resources’ farm and programming is online at ruralresources.net and on Facebook.

For more information about how to begin the process of conserving land, call Foothills Land Conservancy at 865-681-8326 or go online to foothillsland.org.

Global Reach, Local Focus

Locavore Listing List

Rural Resources can be found on a multitude of mobile applications and online listings centered around local farms and businesses. We decided to make a comprehensive list of all the places we can be found. While browsing through the listings list, perhaps you'll be inspired to list your own businesses and farms.

Websites

Click Here

Click Here

Click Here

Click Here

Click Here

Click Here

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Mobile Apps

Download

Download

Download

Download

Grazing Club Pasture Walk

"GET THE HAY OUT!" 

CHALLENGE

The Four Seasons Grazing Club convened Tuesday at Graysburg Hills Farm to see how owners Richard Spain and Michelle Bradley have set themselves up to feed livestock with only grass throughout the winter.

Greg Brann, Michelle Bradley & Richard Spain

Michael McElroy

District Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service Michael McElroy and NRCS Grazing Specialist Greg Brann were on hand to help guests through the particulars of executing this way of feeding livestock on their own farms. Roger McBride with McBride Fencing Innovations also gave a presentation about his patented fence design.

Digging for worm castings, a sign of healthy soil

If you missed it, be sure to check our events page for any upcoming Four Season Grazing Club meetings. We'll see you next time!

Annual Teen Appreciation Dinner

"Cultivating Youth for Tomorrow"

Rural Resources wrapped up this year's Farm & Food Teen Training Program with a delightful celebration in honor of all who participate and help make the program possible. Debbie Strickland, our farm & food teen training program coordinator, hosted the evening at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Greeneville on Dec. 3. Stickland introduced each of the program groups, which are Catastrophic Kitchen — Chicken Nuggets, Food Commanders, Silent Farmers and "THE" Group. Each team took turns giving speeches about what they have accomplished throughout the year. Strickland also announced that some students have applied for Berea College. Rural Resources wishes all the teens the best in their futures.

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TEEN AWARDS

Catastrophic Kitchen — Chicken Nuggets

Food Commanders

Silent Farmers

"THE" Group

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PREPARING LOCALLY-SOURCED FOOD

Strickland asked the Food Commanders to cater the dinner. Why? 

Because they won a recent Teen Chopped event with their delicious chicken alfredo. 

In addition to the pasta, teens prepared a salad with local greens and peach vinaigrette. The meal was served with a side of garlic bread. For dessert, there was a spiced applesauce cake. See the menu below for a list of local farms from which the food was sourced.

 

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All of us here at Rural Resources want to say "Thank you" 

to all who help make our organization successful. 

Farm Volunteer Work Day

Rural Resources' 

Farm Volunteer Work Day

Staff and volunteers came together on Nov. 21 to get some much needed work done around the farm in preparation of winter. The City of Tusculum recently dropped off some disgarded leaves for us to use for various purposes around the farm.

During the volunteer work day, our pigs were showered with leaves. We use them for bedding.

Don't miss the next chance to volunteer at the Rural Resources farm. 

Be sure to check our events page frequently.

EVENTS PAGE