Smartt honored by TACD

Smartt received the award at the TACD’s Middle Tennessee Meeting held at the U.T. Agricultural Experiment Station in Spring Hill.

His farming operation is very diverse and consists of approximately 135 herd cow-calf operation. He has a poultry operation of approximately 16,400 capacity taking day-old chicks to 22-week-old replacement layers. He has about 2,200 grape vines on eight acres of land to be sold to Bean’s Creek Winery for wine production. The grape vines are planted on the contour to maximize water conservation. Several thousand feet of drip irrigation pipeline has been installed for grape production.

Approximately 191 acres are used for pasture and hay land, 17 acres of corn, and 12 acres of wildlife habitat. He has six acres of nursery stock consisting of ornamental shade trees and evergreens. 200 acres are devoted to woodland which harvests 15,000 to 35,000 feet annually.

Smartt was named earlier as TACD Area IV Conservation Farmer and was honored by the Warren County Soil Conservation District at last year’s annual luncheon.

Warren County has won the Middle Tennessee Conservation Farmer of the Year award 14 times in the last 24 years. Seven of those have gone on to be named the State Conservation Farmer of the Year.

Smartt will be entered in the TACD State competition along with East and West Tennessee award winners. The state winner will be named at the TACD annual convention in early 2008.

Janice Gilispie, Office Manager for the Warren County Soil Conservation District received the highest level of achievement in the certification program for District Employees, the Professional Master Level II and III from the Tennessee Conservation District Employees Association.