UT Extension Month

Shelly Ray, County Director

Throughout the month of March, Tennessee's 95 counties will be celebrating UT Extension Month! It has been 107 years since the Smith-Lever Act was signed in 1914, which officially established Extension with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. UT Extension focuses on improving each county through educational information and programs in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Science, 4-H, and TNCEP. Be sure and check out our UT Extension –Lewis County Facebook page to learn about the variety of programming we have to offer. We have a wonderful staff, happy to help you with whatever your need may be.

Our staff includes Ms. Kay Henley who is the face of the office and is the first person a client will see or talk to when contacting the Lewis County Office. She takes care of all the secretarial and bookkeeping responsibilities, and is the initial contact person for clientele to help with activities and events connected to the Ag, FCS, 4-H and TNCEP programs. Kay has been with Extension for 25 years and we are truly blessed to have her in our office.

Mrs. Whitney Dixon is the 4-H Extension Agent for Lewis County. Her role is to help children and young adults learn the life skills that are crucial to becoming positive, productive citizens. She collaborates with a large number of local sponsors and partnerships to ensure our 4-H program is meeting the basic needs of our students while preparing them for their future. Whitney brings many years of experience in working with children and families and is a major asset to our 4-H program.

Mr. Drew Vannatta is our Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) agent and brings a wealth of farming knowledge to our community. He is the point of contact with all of your livestock and forage system programming. Drew can help answer any type of landowner question you may have and does an amazing job with our new Farmer's Market.

Ms. Gena Powers is our TNCEP Program Assistant and is working great with our school and various organizations in the community to educate citizens on health and nutrition. She works closely with both youth and adults to demonstrate the importance of nutritious eating habits while teaching food safety techniques that are crucial to our health. Gena is the most patient person working with youth and is doing an excellent job with extending our adult programming.

Finally, Mrs. Shelly Ray is our county director and her role includes a lot of administrative duties, along with Family and Consumer Science programming. She works with several partnerships in the community to teach adult programming. Shelly implements various types of health classes, offers parenting classes, and works closely with clients to receive financial assistance for education.

The University of Tennessee offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion or veteran status and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. UT extension offers equal opportunities in programs and employment and help you.