I have subscribed to the magazine Farm Show off and on for many years. It is full of inventive ideas farmers do to solve their everyday problems. It shows how creative farmers can be. Of course, you learn to “make do” with homemade things when money is tight. For a farmer, that is almost always. He probably had to borrow from the bank for seed in the spring, hoping to pay it back when he harvested in the fall. A farmer is always looking for ways to save money. Isn’t that the definition of invention, looking for a cheaper or easier ways to do something?

When it comes to wildflowers that show up in August and September, two things stand out: yellow is by far the dominant color you’ll see, and many of the flowers have a complex flower structure termed a composite, made up of many flowers. You have to look close to actually see what’s going on here, so let me dive in.

We were on a mission. When Tim and I walked into the back bedroom in our daughter
Sara’s house, we were ready to help turn it into a nursery. Unfortunately, we weren’t prepared for the damage we saw.

One of the perils of advancing age is the fall, which can leave a person with a debilitating injury like a broken hip. Muscle and bone strength deteriorate over the years as does our ability to stay balanced. The American Chiropractic Association recommends a number of practices to help avoid a fall:

Periodically review with your physician the type and dosage of prescriptions you may be taking. Some can cause dizziness or lightheadedness.

In 1934, the Union County Extension agents, along with the local farmers, started the Tobacco Control Program. That year there were 1,100 family farms that were located in fertile bottoms where Norris Lake is presently located. There were 1,374 farms throughout Union County.
In 1935, an extra agent, Mabel Moore, was assigned to Union County as a Special Home Demonstration Agent. She was working along with TVA to mainly focus on Soil Erosion through the Erosion Control Association. Another agent, Oma Whorley, was assigned to serve District IV.

Country Connections
By James and Ellen Perry
As I sit on my front porch listening to Santo and Johnny playing “Tear Drop” on my computer, it puts me in a melancholy mood.
It’s now late August of 2024 and all of my flying friends are coming through on their way to their over-wintering homes either in the deep south of the USA or the butterflies and hummingbirds are heading south crossing the Gulf of Mexico to the Latin Americas or northern South America.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
If you read my stuff much, you know that I am unabashedly proud to be mountain bred. I love our southern Appalachian mountains. The terrain, the climate, the plants and animals, the culture and history, all blend together to form a unique place to live.

Anne was tidying up our barn the other day. She brought a strange looking contraption in for me to identify. It was a line level, of course.
You must be of a certain age and farm bred to recognize it. I answer “yes” to both conditions.

The Tennessee Department of Education defines Work Based Learning (WBL) as an opportunity allowing “students to develop employability skills in a workplace environment to prepare for success in postsecondary education and future careers.”
Using employment experiences, such as internships, apprenticeships and paid work experience, the Union County High School (UCHS) Career and Technical Education (CTE) students (11th and 12th grade CTE students, who are 16 years or older) may earn high school credit for these experiences.

Schools director Greg Clay reported to the Union County Commission on August 26 that excavation has begun for the new middle school on John Deere Drive. The formal groundbreaking ceremony will be on Wednesday, September 4, at 9:30 a.m. at the site.
Several property items were considered by the commission. The Luttrell Industrial Park Property was the subject of a motion by Greg Dyer and a second by Mike Boles to appraise the property for possible sale that the commission approved. Voting ‘No’ on the motion was Sidney Jesse.