A Tennessee Tech agriculture expert said that $45 million committed by the state for agriculture funds could be a big help to farmers here in the Upper Cumberland.
State legislators passed a bill to allocate $25 million for the creation of a Farmland Conservation Fund. Another $20 million will fund two existing funds. Tennessee Tech School of Agriculture Director Jinfa Zhang said the funding from the state was urgent for the local agriculture industry.
“We have a lot of small family farms, so they don’t have a lot of more people who make a lot of purchases in equipment and the tools, so they are really limited,” Zhang said.
Zhang said most farms in the Upper Cumberland make anywhere from $20,000 to $150,000 per year. Zhang said access to funding to purchase advanced farming technology can improve agricultural efficiency and quality in the Upper Cumberland.
“Our producers need to be equipped with new tools, new technologies, such as new fences, such as drones, you know, to monitor their crops, their animals, so they can make decisions right away before it’s too late,” Zhang said.
Zhang said the Upper Cumberland is growing in population, and the amount of farmland is shrinking. Zhang said the funding can also help farmers preserve
“We want to improve soil fertility and the health for better farming for sustainable agriculture for years to come,” Zhang said. “So we are in the right direction, and hopefully, our legislators and the governor will do a lot more to help our producers.”
Zhang said the funding can also go towards more agricultural research. Zhang said agricultural research an area where the Upper Cumberland needs to do invest.
