32nd annual “Milan No-Till” Field Day celebrates Tennessee agricultural technologies
The 32nd annual “Milan No-Till” Field Day was met with excitement and relief Thursday as farmers from across the state gathered to celebrate Tennessee agricultural technology, despite heavy rain.
Hundreds of farmers, researchers and agricultural enthusiasts faced the storms to enjoy exhibits, talks and vendors at the UT Ag Research and Education Center in Milan, which centered around the process of planting crops without tilling.
“No-Till Field Day is the largest field day in the entire country, and it’s here to celebrate the revolutionary farming technique called 'no-till,' which was invented by UT professor here at the Ag Research Center,” said Randy Boyd, President of the University of Tennessee system. “This region had the worst soil erosion in the entire country, but because of no-till, now it's much better. 78% of all farms now use the no-till technique!”
Tents full of attendees, displays, tractors and heavy equipment were scattered across the land, with topics such as “Cost Comparisons of Fertilizer for no-till corn,” “Use of Aerial Imagery to Visualize Fungicide Efficacy on Soybeans,” and “Hemp Economics.”
Despite the weather, turnout was significant after last year’s cancellation for COVID-19.
Gov. Bill Lee, who attended the early morning portion of the event, praised the research, saying the no-till technique is a “driving force” of the state’s vital agricultural community.
“Agriculture is the leading economic driver in the state of Tennessee," Lee said, "It's the number one component of our economy, which happens to be the fastest growing economy in the country right now. Ag is the leading component of that."
He said America could be anchor amid global food shortages and instability.
"We're in a time where global instability is causing food shortages around the world. Everyone's aware of that, and the volatility that happens with global instability. One role that America has is to provide stability,” he said.
Boyd agreed with Lee’s assertion.
“It's critical because our population in the world is growing,” he said. “The land that the farmers have to farm is getting smaller and smaller, so we have to get more and more efficient with how we farm."
The annual gathering allows the research center to show off new agricultural technology to aid in farming efficiency, as well as connect farmers who otherwise don’t interact.
“I think for the community, this event is important for them to realize that we're here for them,” said University of Tennessee Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman.
“The university is not just over there in Knoxville. It’s right here. And the ideas, the brainpower of research and our faculty is available to work on problems that they need solved. So I hope that they recognize how important that is.”
Plowman hopes gathering like this encourage the community to keep innovating—especially young farmers.
“We want young people to catch fire, and think ‘you know what, there's a great place for me in agriculture,’” she said. “And when you think about what's ahead of us—feeding the world?— there's so much space in there for young people to make an impact. So that's one of the things I hope for here.”
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