Due to COVID-19 concerns, UT Specialists and agents across the state have been working on developing and delivering several Master Producer Programs virtually. Below are the programs available:
•Tennessee Master Horse Program – This online program will be held on Thursday evenings beginning January 14th and will end on March 25th, 2021. The classes will begin at 6pm CST and end at 7:30pm. Some of the topics are Horse Ownership, Pasture Management, Nutrition, Waste Management, Diseases, Parasites, and Hoof Care. The cost is $175 and includes access to all sessions and content, 130 page manual, forage test, sign, boot towel, and a certificate of completion. If you would like to register, you may do so at tiny.utk.edu/2021tmhp. Deadline to register is January 13th, 2021.
•Tennessee Master Farm Manager – This online program will be held on Thursday evenings beginning January 28th and will end on March 11th, 2021. The classes will begin at 6pm CST. Some of the topics will cover Financial Statements, Veiling the Farm, Equipment Purchase Decision Process, Tax planning, Trade Issues, and Farm Management Transition planning. The cost is $100. If you have previously qualified for 50% TAEP cost-share, you may utilize this course as a recertification. You can register at masterfarmmanager.tennessee.edu. Deadline to register is January 15, 2021.
•Tennessee Master Small Ruminant – This online program will be held on Tuesday evenings beginning January 26th and will end on March 30th, 2021. The classes will begin at 5:30pm CST and will end at 7pm. Participants must attend 9 of the 12 webinars to earn his or her certification. Upon completion, participants will receive a sheep or goat manual, sign, hat, and a few other items in addition to being eligible for 50% cost-share through TAEP. The cost is $110. At the time this article was written (12/16/2020) registration information was not available, but should be open by the time this article is printed. Please contact me for details at [email protected] / 931-722-3229 or visit our Small Ruminant website at https://animalscience.tennessee.edu/small-ruminant/.
•Tennessee Master Row Crop Producer – This new program looks a little different than our current Master Producer programs. To allow for broad knowledge in row crop production, the Master Row Crop certification will require the following credit hours per topic area (12 hours total): Crop Management (5 hours), Soil & Water Management (2 hours), Farm & Financial Management (2 hours), Equipment & Technologies (2 hours), and Sustainability (1 hour). In a typical year, these credit hours will be earned at in-person meetings in addition to online webinars. This year, though, producers can earn their credit hours entirely online if he or she wishes to do so. Participants have until June 30th to complete his or her credit hours. Upon completion, participants will be eligible for 50% TAEP Row Crop Solutions cost-share. Enrollment began January 4th. Please contact me to enroll in this program at [email protected] / 931-722-3229. You can also visit https://masterrowcrop.tennessee.edu/ for more details. The cost will be $100.
•Tennessee Master Beef Producer – This online program will be held on Monday evenings beginning January 25th and will end on March 22nd, 2021. The classes will begin at 5:30pm CST and will end no later than 7:30pm. Participants must attend 7 of the 9 webinars to earn a certificate. The cost for this program will be $100 and will include a cap, sign, flag, a soil or forage test voucher, and a certificate of completion. Please contact Megan Harris to register at [email protected] or 931-722-3229 (Your BQA certification must be current to participate in this program. Please contact our office if you are unsure if you’re current or if you need to be certified). Please know we are still hoping to be able to deliver our local Master Beef Producer program in-person while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. At the time this article was written (12/18/2020), COVID-19 numbers were on the rise in our community and much is unknown about what the new year will hold as far as large group meetings, so I want to make sure our producers know this is an option and may be a safer option for those who are high-risk or caring for high-risk individuals.
If you are interested in participating in any of these programs, but are unsure about how to utilize online meeting platforms, such as Zoom, please call or e-mail me (Megan Harris) and I will be happy to train you on how to use the program. Megan Harris, [email protected] / 931-722-3229
