You might think that with people moving into the Upper Cumberland, less land and less opportunity might exist for agriculture here.
But Fentress County Ag Extension Agent John Gunter said a lot of people who are moving here because of agriculture. He said people want the chance to farm, in small gardens and larger acreage.
“Fortunately, you know we got a wealth of material of you know, resources that we can use to direct folks from the public to use that and hopefully better themselves and their endeavors,” Gunter said.
Gunter said a majority of people move to the Upper Cumberland to live a country lifestyle. Gunter said teaching individuals is one way to help grow the agriculture industry in the Upper Cumberland.
“We’re raising up a lot of individuals and a lot of people say, ‘Well, you know, the young people nowadays they don’t know how to do much in terms of farming and agriculture,'” Gunter said. “That may not be the case everywhere. I mean, there are still young folks who are excited and wanting to know how to grow gardens, to be able to grow sustainable food, and things of that nature, so a lot of headway has been made in that direction.”
Gunter said rural counties in the Upper Cumberland rely on agriculture for the majority of their economy. Gunter said if agriculture is not being taught and passed on it could be costly in the future.
“If we don’t have, you know, competent people and young people willing to engage in agriculture, we could use a lot,” Gunter said. “It’s not only the things that we count in terms of food and in terms of sustainable practices in our environment and things, but just a lot of those work ethics and character that’s built by being able to understand how food gets to our tables and it’s not just something that you go down an aisle and pickup. It got there somehow.”
Gunter said the average farmer in the United States feeds roughly 172 individuals. Gunter said 172 is a large number and is glad to see our area push agriculture.
