During last year’s Small Business Saturday, 104 million American shoppers spent a record high $17.8 billion. Small Business Saturday is Nov. 30, and the support that Tennessee’s independent business owners receive this weekend will produce an economic ripple that can help encourage and strengthen entire rural communities.

There is nothing quite like going to the farm to pick out the perfect Christmas tree, but that’s not all you will find at the farm this year. With attractions like petting zoos, pictures with Santa, and gift shops, farmers are creating magical outdoor adventures that are drawing visitors back year after year.

The State Soil Conservation Committee will meet December 9 at 12 p.m. CST at the Marriott Cool Springs Hotel located at 700 Cool Springs Blvd. in Franklin, Tenn.

Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M. is announcing the appointment of Will Freeman as a business consultant for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA), Division of Forestry is pleased to announce it has received a $200,000 grant through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to expand fire implementation and management.

From vegetable growers and livestock producers, to agritourism operators and farm artisans, farmer veterans can be found throughout all types of agriculture in the Volunteer state.

Two Tennessee forest product companies recently joined nearly 80 industry and government representatives on a trade mission to one of the fastest-growing regions of the world.

Despite the cooler temperatures, mosquitoes are still active in Tennessee. The state veterinarian is confirming a case of mosquito-borne West Nile virus (WNV) in a horse in Robertson County.

NASHVILLE — A horse in West Tennessee has tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a virus that can be fatal for horses and humans. The Tennessee departments of Agriculture and Health (TDA and TDH) are advising citizens to take precautions to protect themselves and their livestock.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Tennessee Department of Health, and University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture today announced the detection of the invasive Asian longhorned tick in an additional six Tennessee counties: Knox, Jefferson, Claiborne, Cocke, Putnam, and Sevier.

In an effort to provide more efficient results for Tennessee’s cattle producers and veterinarians, Kord Animal Health Diagnostic Lab changed sample requirements for testing cattle persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea (BVD-PI).

NASHVILLE — Suicide is never easy to talk about. Yet having a tough conversation, knowing the warning signs, and asking for help just may save a life.

When we fill up at the pump, we expect to get good, clean fuel. But why do we trust what we put in our car’s tank?

For the latest round of Agriculture Enterprise Fund (AEF) allocations, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture is awarding the most recipients in a single cycle, adding up to the largest total grant dollars in program history.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is advising forest landowners to monitor their sassafras trees after detecting laurel wilt disease in Dickson and Montgomery Counties.