INNOVATION IN EXTENSION: University of Tennessee

The following describes an innovation.

Region: Southern

Main contact information for this innovation: Beth Bell

Main contact job title / position: County Director, Dyer County Tennessee, and Team leader

Main contact number: 1 731 286 7821

Main contact email address:  bbell3@utk.edu

Innovation name: Balance Life Teamm

Brief description of innovation as provided in online survey: This is a team of agents, specialists and support staff that are addressing ways in which we can promote a healthy workforce through balanced life.

Notes from phone interview:

So, we in implementing our strategic plan, have appointed 13 different teams. This is one of those teams. So the idea was, this group of people was going to help us figure out as an organization how to increase our health, or improve our health. And by doing that, then hopefully encourage those we serve to also have some opportunities to improve their health as well. The group decided, "No, we're not just about improving health because health is a function of a lot of different things." And one of those major aspects of health they felt like was work-life balance. But then, they thought there's also a health-life balance, if you will. We spend all our time being healthy but then there's a lot more to life than just being healthy. So, they've really approached it much more holistically and that's why they've said, "What we're trying to do is have a balanced life and we want balance in our work, in our family, in our career, in our lifestyle, and in our health."

Well, first of all, the fact that we have expertise [chuckle] related to health but also related to staff development. And the ideas that were generated - or are being generated - are always based on sound science so that makes it easy to support. It's not just crazy ideas that people are coming up with, with no basis or background. It's grounded in research findings or in evidence-based studies. And then secondly, what helps me to support it is knowing that this is a group of extension agents, faculty, specialist and staff who would only propose things that would be of use and of value to them. So, if it's a value to this team, I believe it's a value to our organization and that makes it much easier to support.


The following describes an innovation.

Region: Southern

Main contact information for this innovation: Keith Barber

Main contact job title / position: Vice-Chancellor for Advancement

Main contact number: 865 974 5779

Main contact email address:  kbarbe10@tennessee.edu

Innovation name: Commodities for Communities

Brief description of innovation as provided in online survey: The Commodities for Communities program was established at the request of farmers who wanted to support their local Extension office, but wanted to give grain instead of cash.

Notes from phone interview:

Sure. Really, I give credit for this innovation to soybean growers in Dyer County, Tennessee because that's where this started. We have an agent there that's been very effective and you've probably heard this from others about their stories as well. Because of that one agent, these farmers knew that that agent would one day retire - he's probably a couple three years away. They came to our administration and said, "What can we do to ensure that we've always got a really top agent?" Obviously, they gained a lot of value from this particular agent and they wanted to always have an agent no matter what.

So, they're thinking-- I know they didn't say it this way but what they were saying was, "If you decide to close our county office, what can we do to make sure we still have a county agent that serves us?" And what we responded with was, then you know there are no guarantees in this world short of the fact that if there were an endowment in place that provided gift funds that fully funded an agent, we'd really be obligated to honor that, no matter what. It wouldn't be supported by state dollars directly. And if that were to happen, that's as much of a guarantee as you could ever have that there would always be an agent there to help you.

And they said, "Fine. We don't have any money though but we're happy to give you grain to make that possible. You sell the grain. You invest it and let's think about whether that would be possible." And so that really got the Commodities for Communities program launched and we know have eight different counties that each have an endowment fund established. And those endowments are contributed to annually by farmers who donote grain when they deliver to the elevator. The elevator accepts it on behalf of the university and sells it in our name, and then send the settlement to our foundation. We haven't any eight-figure successes yet but we've got somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 thousand dollars that's been donated in 24 months.


The following describes an innovation.

Region: Southern

Main contact information for this innovation: Mike Buschermohle

Main contact job title / position: Professor, Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Main contact number: 865 974 7142

Main contact email address:  mbuscher@tennessee.edu

Innovation name: UAV Educational Program for Farmers

Brief description of innovation as provided in online survey: An educational program that demonstrates various applications of UAV's for row crop producers, focused on economics and environmental protection.

Notes from phone interview:

Sure. That one and-- and maybe across the nation, that might not be considered innovative anymore because a lot of folks are getting into the UAV game I think. But here in Tennessee, we've had a lot of demand from agricultural producers on how to effectively utilize the UAVs. It's novel to go out and fly them and be able to look at crops and see a bare spot or see a hot spot. But what can we really do again to make a difference either in the bottom line profitability or at the bottom line with regard to protecting the environment or conserving natural resources. Dr. Bushmel, along with some others in our bio-systems department, has really focused on effective applications, I think, of UAVs while also facing constraints. The FAA guides what can be done by an individual and what permits and regulations are in place that have to be followed as well.


The following describes an innovative person.

Region: Southern

Contact information for this innovator: Ben West
Job title / position: Regional Director Western Region

Contact number: 731-425-4725

Email address: bwest10@utk.edu

Brief description of innovator as provided in online survey: An innovative leader who is spearheading an effort to develop a new, innovative 4-H and Conference Center.

Notes from phone interview:

Ben is the Regional Director for our western part of the state and he has been spearheading an effort to acquire a new site for a 4H center and conference center. This has been a project we launched in 2010 - or effort we launched in 2010. Ben's been a part of the team that's taken this from day one really, all the way through the process. And we first appointed a team to develop a vision for a new center and their major activity there was to go visit center in seven other states and visit 13 other centers, and then establish the set of criteria. That was largely under Ben's direction.

From there, they then held listening sessions throughout the western part of the state of Tennessee with stakeholders and invited them to suggest possible sites, based on the fact that here were the criteria that we were going to use to evaluate those sites. So they established the criteria. They held listening sessions to find out what was important and then what sites were available. And then they went through a site selection process, they identified sites, and ultimately landed on a preferred site which was then recommended to The University of Tennessee system for consideration and ultimately included by the governor in the proposed budget. And as of last week, that site has been approved for funding.


The following describes an innovative person.

Region: Southern

Contact information for this innovator: Heather Wallace
Job title / position: Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences

Contact number: (865) 974-7193

Email address: DrWallaceEXT@utk.edu

Brief description of innovator as provided in online survey: A young new professor who is effective at developing new and creative programs and teaching methods.

Notes from phone interview:

Heather came to me-- just thinking about who in our organization is innovative. I was trying to identify some programs and also some people. Heather is one that's only been with us about a year, so she's what I'd call one of these young stars. And again, she thinks about what are we trying to do, what are the outcomes we're trying to achieve, then goes about it. She's just submitted an innovation grant proposal for e-extension. I think the proposal focuses on virtual reality. I normally wouldn't put forth someone like Heather because I don't like to talk about what somebody plans to do. It's a whole lot better to talk about what they have achieved as evidence of innovation. But I really think that she typifies somebody in extension that's innovative because she came in and said, "Well, there's some new ways that are innovative ways of doing things and I've like to try them." And she's got the personality to get people to come along with her and follow some of those new approaches.