Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Visits DeKalb County

July 26, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Tennessee Department of Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher made a stop in Smithville as part of his visits to four counties Thursday.

State Tourism Commissioner Mark Ezell was originally scheduled to join Hatcher on the tour but he was unable to attend.

The meeting, hosted by State Senator Mark Pody and State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver at the county complex, offered local residents a chance to meet the commissioner and learn more about the state of agriculture in Tennessee.

“This is the third of four stops we have been on and the number of people who have turned out has been great,” said Commissioner Hatcher.

Although farmers generally are optimistic, Hatcher said there are concerns because farm income is down.

“In the agriculture community most people are telling me that farm income is down 50% so they are really struggling in all aspects of the industry but they are optimistic because of the Governor we have. He is hugely supportive of agriculture and the department of agriculture and that makes my job a lot easier. There is optimism even though right now farm income is down,” he said.

So what has led to this downturn in farm income?

“There are a multitude of factors. The trade war with China hasn’t helped as far as the commodities go with the crops and soybeans and Tennessee also exports a lot of hardwood to China and that has had an impact and then there is the dairy industry where we have seen fluid milk consumption decline but that is a supply and demand thing so it’s a combination of factors,” added Commissioner Hatcher.

The market for beef cattle and poultry remain strong in Tennessee and Hemp production is growing which could someday make it a leading cash crop in the state

“Hemp could be an alternative to tobacco and maybe one of those cash crops that will really help but we need to be cautious going into it. Farmers, especially tobacco farmers are well suited to growing it because they are used to the labor and they know the drill on it. In general we have the technology and innovation to improve precision agriculture as we move forward with better planting devices and things that save on resources like fertilizer, fuel, and seed so change is everywhere. People don’t always like change but change is coming,” added Commissioner Hatcher.

A resident a College Grove, Hatcher brings a lot of agriculture experience to his role as commissioner being a 10^th generation farmer .

“I am a veterinarian by trade but farmer by life. My family is still in the business. My son has taken over that while I am in this role because I want to devote 100% of my time to it. Agriculture runs deeply with me and I care deeply about it. It is my passion and I love this job because I get to travel across the state and visit with farmers. I have found them to be innovative, versatile, and thrifty,” he said.

Members of the DeKalb County Fair Association presented Commissioner Hatcher with a gift basket filled with home grown and produced products like bread and jars of jelly, honey, and even a DeKalb County Fair tee shirt in appreciation to the Tennessee of Agriculture for providing a grant which made possible a new 18,200 square foot Agriculture Center building at the DeKalb County Fair, part of which has been completed and was used for the first time last week during the annual fair.

July 26, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Tennessee’s once-a-year sales tax holiday weekend is now underway this weekend Friday, July 26 through Sunday, July 28.

During this holiday period, shoppers can save nearly 10 percent on more than 150 different items, including clothing, school supplies and computers, as students prepare for the back-to-school season. State and local taxes will not be collected on exempt items that cost $100 or less per item and computers that cost $1,500 or less. For a full list of tax-exempt items, visit our website www.tntaxholiday.com.

The sales tax holiday weekend is for everyone, not just students or even just Tennesseans. Anyone who wants to shop in Tennessee during the last weekend of July will be eligible to save on sales tax.

“The sales tax holiday means hard-earned dollars go back into the hands of Tennessee families,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “We encourage everyone to participate and take advantage of the savings during what can be an expensive time of year.”

Tennessee law provides for a sales tax holiday each year during the last weekend in July. This year, the sales tax holiday begins Friday, July 26 at 12:01 a.m. and ends Sunday, July 28 at 11:59 p.m.

“This is an important savings opportunity for everyone. We want to remind people about it because it only happens one weekend a year,” Revenue Commissioner David Gerregano said.

For more information about the sales tax holiday, including frequently asked questions, please visit www.tntaxholiday.com.

The Department of Revenue is responsible for the administration of state tax laws and motor vehicle title and registration laws, as well as the collection of taxes and fees associated with those laws. The Department collects about 87 percent of total state revenue. During the 2018 fiscal year, it collected $14.5 billion in state taxes and fees and more than $2.8 billion in taxes and fees for local governments. To learn more about the Department, visit www.tn.gov/revenue.

July 25, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Florence & White Ford and the Ford Motor Company are again offering DCHS Football the opportunity to raise thousands of dollars with their annual test drive program on Friday, August 2. Tiger football fans can earn money for the DCHS football program by simply test-driving a new Ford at the school.

It’s the annual “Community Football Night” out at DCHS and fans are invited to come as early as 4:00 p.m. to purchase a barbeque meal and new “Tiger Pride” shirts and to test drive a new Ford vehicle by the Florence & White dealership in Smithville. For every valid test drive, Ford will donate $20 to the football program. The more fans who come out and test drive a new Ford vehicle, the more money will be made for DCHS football.

Don’t forget to Pre-Register Online at https://d4ur.com/P4948

The Tigers will play a scrimmage game that night, August 2 hosting Gordonsville starting at 6 p.m. The following Friday night, August 9 the Tigers will be on the road for a scrimmage game at Friendship Christian and then on Friday, August 16 DCHS will meet Gordonsville in a Jamboree at Smith County.

Tiger Coach Steve Trapp, who is beginning his 15th season, said Thursday he likes what he has seen in his team this year

“It has gone well this summer. We do a lot of 7 on 7’s where we play football without the linemen and just throw which is what we like to do at DeKalb County. We have done fairly well with that. I am really happy with how my guys have performed but it’s still early. We’re a month away from that first official game. We have some pre-season scrimmages coming up to help us fine tune everything we’re doing but so far so good. Each and every day we’re trying to get better,” he said.

One thing that sets this team apart this season is the experience factor.

“The last two years have been a challenge for us but this year we will have more upper classmen on the field on Friday nights than underclassmen. A lot of juniors and seniors will be on the field, mostly juniors. We only have seven or eight seniors but it will be names people are familiar with because they have a lot of experience. We have young guys who have played a lot of football for us for at least a year and some of them have two and three years experience. We have nine starters returning pretty much on both sides of the ball and we have some new guys who have come out this year as upper classmen who will help us out tremendously. We have experience in the backfield with our running back David Bradford. He was banged up a lot last year and missed a few games. He really wasn’t 100% in the games he did play in but he has already had a few offers from colleges so he has looked the part on both sides of the ball. Our quarterback Axel Aldino got in a few games as a freshman and became a full time starter as a sophomore. He has grown up a lot physically and mentally in the off season. Up front on the offensive line we have Isaac Cross, probably the most experienced football player we have and he has already made a commitment to Tennessee Tech. He is a leader of our football team. We also have some new guys in there up front but they have experience and are big so I really think the strength offensively is that we can lean on that big offensive line and those two guys who can run the football and off that be able to throw it. On paper DeKalb County football looks good but we still have to go prove it,” Coach Trapp continued.

The season kicks off on Friday, August 23 at Warren County followed by another road game at Upperman on August 30. The home opener will be September 6 against Stone Memorial.

All games start at 7:00 p.m. All opponents are the same as last year but the home and away games are reversed this year

WJLE will have LIVE coverage each week.

The DCHS 2019 Football Schedule is as follows:

REGION OPPONENTS (*)
August 23: Warren County- McMinnville 7 p.m.
August 30: Upperman-Baxter 7 p.m.
September 6: Stone Memorial*-Smithville 7 p.m.
September 13: Watertown-Watertown 7 p.m.
September 20: Grundy County- Smithville 7 p.m.
September 27: Cannon County (Homecoming)-Smithville 7 p.m.
October 4: Livingston Academy*-Livingston 7 p.m.
October 11: Smith County-Smithville 7 p.m.
October 18: Macon County*-Smithville 7 p.m.
October 25: BYE WEEK
November 1: Cumberland County* Crossville 7 p.m.

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