News 2011

Congratulations to the recent graduates of the University of Tennessee Master Beef Producer (MBP) program. Since the inception of the MBP program, one hundred forty-five producers have completed the training in Cannon County. Producers participating in the Master Beef Producer program attended 12 educational sessions focusing on cow-calf production, marketing and issues facing the beef industry. Each producer received a 208 page “Tennessee Master Beef Producers Manual”. This manual serves as a study manual during the course and a reference following the course. Each graduate was awarded a “certificate,” a Master Beef Producer cap and Master Beef Producer sign. 
In addition, each graduate qualifies for an increase in their Tennessee Ag Enhancement cost share reimbursement from 35% to 50%. The Cannon County Extension Office is currently enrolling producers for the upcoming MBP course planned for January. Beginning on Tuesday, January 17, producers in Cannon, Coffee and Warren County will have the opportunity to participate in a Master Beef Producer Class. The Master Beef Producer Program will be taught at Bridgestone/Firestone Learning Center in Morrison. If you are interested in participating in this class, please contact the Cannon County Extension Office at 563-2554.

After spending the first two games on the road, the Cannon County Lions and Lionettes basketball teams played in front of the home crowd at Robert
A. Harris gymnasium hosting the Coffee County Raiders teams from
Manchester.  In the girls game, the Lionettes built a lead of 15 points
before the Lady Red Raiders staged a comeback.  The Lionettes would not
allow the Manchester team to get any closer than 6 points before notching
the win 60-52.  Abbey Sissom scored more than 20 points for the third
consecutive game as she finished with 26 points to help the Lionettes stay
undefeated 3-0.  The Lions kept up with the Coffee County Boys team but
the Red Raiders pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 46-37  Jarrett
Melton was the lone Lion ball player that scored double figures with 10
points.  Cannon County’s next games will be at Robert A Harris Gym when
they host Gwinnett Christian a home school out of Georgia.  The games will
conclude the first day of the Mitch Wilson Classic Friday night starting
at 6:30

The monthly meeting of the Cannon County Planning Commission will be held this evening in the court room of the Cannon County Courthouse.  According
to Chairman Boyd Barker a local planner from the Upper Cumberland
Development District may be in attendance to discuss the possibility of
working with the Commission.  There is also a possibility that the planner
may also discuss zoning in other counties in the Upper Cumberland region.
The meeting will start at 6:00 tonight

MTSU’s Intercultural and Diversity Affairs Center will co-sponsor “Native American Cultural Day” from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, in Cantrell Hall in MTSU’s Tom H. Jackson Building.Traditional Native American dancing, music and food will be parts of the multitribal experience. In addition, there will be a panel discussion of Native American perspectives on various issues, including education, environment and spirituality, ethics of governance, corporate ethics and business policy, intertribal descendants and challenges facing Native American college students.
The program will include Lakota poet Ron Colombe, Shawnee flutist Grady Shadowhawk, Cherokee storyteller Robert RedHawk and contemporary musician and NAMMY nominee Timo Standing Buffalo.
“This is a great opportunity for sharing views and helping the community to know who we are and what we’re about and a wonderful opportunity to taste authentic Native American foods,” said Melissa Shelby, an event coordinator, in a press release.
Shelby, an MTSU master’s degree candidate majoring in professional science, has a personal lineage that includes Cherokee and Choctaw ancestors.
In addition to IDAC, other sponsors and supporters include the MTSU offices of International Affairs and University Studies and the MTSU departments of Recording Industry, Political Science, English and History.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Vincent Windrow, director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs, at 615-898-2238

Grain harvest is winding down and producers throughout the state are busy marketing this year’s crop and planning for the 2012 season. Grain producers use their years of experience along with company and University assistance to plan for the upcoming season. They become soil scientists to match soil types, plant specialists to anticipate weed pressure, meteorologists to anticipate weather patterns, and economists to interpret variety results. Even after all of these decisions, the puzzle is still incomplete. Fertilizer and fuel costs, planting intentions in the United States along with Russia, China and Brazil also play a role in their final decision. Seed and herbicide representatives are requesting planting intentions and herbicide request earlier each year. These early decisions allow companies to align resources in their sales areas and producers can take advantage of company promotions, incentives and availability. Again this year, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Rutherford and Warren Counties plan to host a Crops/Weeds Night in December. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 1 at the Woodbury Lions Club Building beginning at 6:30. We have scheduled Crop Specialist – Angela McClure and Weed Specialist – Larry Steckel. Again this year we want to thank our meeting sponsors, Cindy Anderson with Summitville Grain and Feed, Ken Tucker, Manager of the Rutherford Farmers Coop and Bruce Hooper with Hooper Farm Supply. We greatly appreciate their continued support of agriculture in Middle Tennessee.This meeting will in no way take the place of the Annual Middle Tennessee Grain Conference scheduled for January 26. The University of Tennessee Extension has posted results of several variety, fungicide and weed control plots available to assist in your decisions for 2012. This information is available at the Extension Row Crop website at UTcrops.com. For more information on the upcoming Crops/Weeds meeting, contact Steve Harris (931-723-5141, Mitchell Motes (Rutherford County Extension (615-898-7710), Michael Barry (DeKalb County Extension (615-597-4945), Dale Beaty (Warren County Extension (931-473-8484) or Bruce Steelman (Cannon County Extension 563-2554 office 615-542-1364 cell). Also, please mark your calendars for the Middle Tennessee Grain Conference planned for January 26th, 2012. The conference will be held at the Coffee County Fairgrounds in Manchester, Tn. Please contact the Extension Agent in your county for details.

Donny Green, County Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Cannon County announced that the 2011 FSA county committee elections are underway, as ballots were mailed to eligible voters in Local Administrative Area # 1 on November 4. Dec. 5, 2011, is the deadline for eligible voters to return ballots, either postmarked by mail or in person, to their local FSA offices. “The FSA county committee system is unique among government agencies, because it allows producers to make important decisions concerning the local administration of federal farm programs,” said Green. “I urge all eligible farmers and ranchers, especially minorities and women, to get involved and make a real difference in their communities by voting in this year’s elections.”
Committee members apply their knowledge and judgment to make decisions on disaster and conservation payments, establishment of allotments and yields, producer appeals, employing FSA county executive directors and other local issues. FSA committees operate within official regulations designed to carry out federal laws.
To be an eligible voter, farmers and ranchers must participate or cooperate in FSA programs. A person who is not of legal voting age, but supervises and conducts the farming operations of an entire farm, can also vote. Agricultural producers in each country submitted candidate names during the nomination period held last summer.
Eligible voters in Local Administrative Area # 1 who do not receive a ballot can obtain ballots at their local USDA Service Center. Dec. 5, 2011, is the last day for voters to return ballots to local USDA Service Centers. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Dec. 5th. Newly elected committee members and alternates take office Jan. 1, 2012.
For more information about FSA county committees and FSA programs, visit: http://www.fsa.usda.gov.
 

The Cannon County Lionettes bring their two and oh record back home for aspecial Monday night game as they host the Coffee County Lady Red Raiders
who have started the season 2 and 1. The Lionettes are fresh off their 79
to 26 win against Marion County. Sophomore guard Abbey Sissom has
collected 52 points in just two games.
Sophomore guard Cory Henley will lead the 1 and 1 Cannon County Lions into
Robert A Harris Gymnasium against visiting Coffee County. The Red Raiders
are two and one after pounding Central Magnet Saturday night 68 to 14
while Henley scorched the Marion County nets for 28 points to give Cannon
their first win Friday night against Marion County 87-77.
The day of basketball starts off with the Freshmen and JV games at 3:00.
WBRY AM-1540, FM96.7 will have the live broadcast of the varsity games
beginning at 5:45 with the coaches corner and 6:00 with the tipoff. The
games can also be heard live through our website at wbry.com

The results to Thursday’s Red Cross Blood Drive.  
The goal was 46 units.  57 donors signed in, of which 49 were able to donate, 4 of those gave double red cells giving a total of 53 units collected.
 
The donors who were able to donate are:  Jimmy W. Alexander, Cynthia D. Betts, Robert F. Bogard, Christopher Brushaber, William H. Bryson, Martha Burke, Wallace Burke, Carmella K. Burton, Jeff R. Campbell, Gabriel S. Cantrell, Earl G. Cooper Jr., Barbara Curtis, Randal L. Curtis, Andrew B. Dimartino, Hubert W. Duncan Jr., Mary E. Duncan, James D. Ferrell, Cheryl K. Franklin, Joyce L. Frazier, Rebecca J. Gay, Kay F. Goff, Herbert C. Haley, John Arthur Haugh, Erin T. Higdon, Jonathan B. Higdon, Kayla E. Hindman, Roger G. Hindman, Christopher Johnson, Jennifer M. Johnson, Perry F. Louden, Gina A. Mitchell, Nathan Moore, Stephen R. Moss, Mary A. Parkinson, Rebekah L. Parton, Timothy A. Paul Sr., Steve R. Perkerson, Jan Powell, Gary Wayne Prater, Xavier P. Romero, James Frederick Sabia, Leland Schwamberger, Jonathan Scurlock, Steve A. Smith, Judy P. Stacey, Pamela J. Steakley, Brittany A. Stluka, Micki M. Vinson, and Howard W. Witty.
 
Jimmy W. Alexander donated his 6th gallon, Gabriel S. Cantrell his 2nd Gallon, Hubert W. Duncan Jr. his 3rd gallon, and Timothy A. Paul Sr. his 4th gallon
 
Robert F. Bogard, Christopher Brushaber, John Authur Haugh, and Timothy A. Paul Sr. all gave double red blood cells.
 
The next blood drive will be January 19, 2012.
 

In an effort to save taxpayers over $6,000 while still providingconvenience to voters, the Cannon County Election Commission voted
recently to eliminate or combine three voting locations.
The Election Commission unanimously voted to combine Short Mountain #2
with the Gassaway voting location; combine Short Mountain #4 with the
Eastside voting location; and combine the Pleasant Ridge voting location
with Auburntown.
The changes will become effective with the March 6 Presidential Preference
Primary.
“This move saves the taxpayers a total of $6,641 (per year or per
countywide election?),” said Election Commission Chairman Lindbergh
Dennis, “and voters will not be inconvenienced by our action.”
Dennis said several factors went into the commission’s decision, including
the cost savings and the small number of voters impacted by the move.
“We discussed it thoroughly and all five commissioners believed it was the
right move to make,” Lindbergh added.
Voters affected by the change will be notified by letter of their new
voting location. A new voter registration card will be included with the
letter.

 Tennessee drivers beware. The Governor’s Highway Safety Office (GHSO) is
teaming with the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) and local law enforcement
agencies all across the state beginning today through the busy
Thanksgiving travel season to crack down on traffic safety violations.
State and local law enforcement will be out in force to remind all drivers
and passengers to never drink and drive, always buckle up, obey the speed
limit, and eliminate all distractions inside their vehicles while driving.
This special enforcement crackdown is part of the state’s new “More Cops.
More Stops.” campaign, which will focus on saving lives on Tennessee’s
roadways.
“Unfortunately, the holiday season brings a higher number of injuries and
fatalities on Tennessee roadways,” said Tennessee Department of
Transportation Commissioner John Schroer. “Many of those tragedies could
be prevented by obeying basic highway safety laws. Over the next several
days, drivers can expect ‘More Cops and More Stops’ across the state as we
try to keep everyone safe this Thanksgiving.”
Sixty-nine percent of 18 to 34 year old passenger vehicle occupants killed
in Tennessee crashes in 2009 were NOT wearing their seat belts at the time
of the crash.
“Not wearing your seat belt will get you a ticket, but we will also be
cracking down on speeding and distracted driving, and especially on anyone
drinking and driving,” said THP Colonel Tracy Trott.
Nearly one-third of those killed on Tennessee’s highways in 2009 involved
drivers or motorcycle operators with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
of .08 or above at the time of the deadly crash.
Tennessee is one of only two states partnering with the U.S. Department of
Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on this
important national demonstration project. The ‘More Cops. More Stops.’
project will test the effectiveness of a new combined high visibility
enforcement campaign designed to reduce drunk driving, boost seat belt
use, and crack down on speeding and distracted driving, particularly among
young adult males. Research and fatal crash statistics show that young
adult males are most likely to practice high-risk behaviors while driving,
such as not wearing seat belts and/or drinking and driving.