Professor and Director of the West Tennessee AgResearch Education Center

Story by Lyda Kay Ferree, The Southern Lifestyles Lady. Photography by Kristina Only.

Scott Stewart was born in Nebraska, but he tells everyone he’s from Storm Lake, Iowa because that’s where he spent most of his youth. His parents owned a feed, seed and fertilizer business. He was not a “farm boy,” but he was surrounded by agriculture and participated in 4-H, raised hogs, delivered feed, baled hay, walked beans, and de-tasseled corn as a teenager.

Scott attended the University of Northern Iowa and graduated with a degree in biology in 1984. It was only after he started his Master’s degree at Texas A&M University that he became interested in a career in agriculture. After getting his M.S. Degree in entomology, he attended Auburn University and received a PhD in the same discipline.

Scott’s first job in higher education was with Mississippi State University where he was involved in research, teaching and extension educational programs related to pest management of insects in cotton, corn, and soybeans. In 2002, Dr. Stewart joined the West Tennessee Research and Education Center as a member of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, bringing his wife, a schoolteacher, and two sons with him. Stewart developed a top-notch applied research and extension program on insect pest management in cotton, corn, soybean, wheat and grain sorghum.

While at UT, Stewart became respected for a frank, common-sense approach to science and insect management even as agriculture adopted sophisticated technology like genetically modified crops and precision and geospatial technologies. He has served in leadership positions for many scientific societies and working groups and has mentored dozens of students and young scientists during his career.

In 2020, Dr. Stewart became the Director of the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center where he manages a 650-acre complex that facilitates a long list of research and outreach programs related to row crops, ornamental plants, turf grasses, and forestry. The center hosts numerous public events including garden tours, field days, and meetings for commodity groups and county government.

Scott has spent most of his life in the South and has no intention of leaving Tennessee. He loves the people, the work, and the weather. In his new positon, he is excited about the opportunity to help his colleagues succeed and contribute to the University of Tennessee and the agriculture community.

“It’s a privilege to work for UT and serve the agriculture industry, and I hope to keep moving forward in the tradition of the previous Directors at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center.”

— Dr. Scott D. Stewart, Professor and Director of the West Tennessee AgResearch Education Center

VIP: What was your job at West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center prior to being named Director of this Center? What appeals to you about your current position?

Dr. Scott D. Stewart: I came to the Center in 2002 as an Extension Entomologist doing applied research and outreach programs related to insect management. A change is sometimes appealing. Also, as you get older, you start thinking about mentoring young people and younger faculty. I enjoy getting more involved with that. I’m in a position to help others, and hopefully my legacy will be the success of the people with whom I work.

VIP: You were named Director of the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in 2010. What are some of the major changes you have seen and/or implemented since you joined the Center’s staff and later became Director?

SS: There is not a short answer. I think agriculture’s technology has changed like every other part of our society from the use of genetically modified crops, precision technologies, and sophisticated farming equipment. It has fundamentally changed the way we manage pests, apply fertilizers and pesticides, and grow crops. When I came to Tennessee the average cotton crop was 550 pounds of lint per acre, and that number has essentially doubled now. We have made some significant improvement. If you look at trend lines and crop yields, we are on a rapid upslope that seems to be continuing, and that’s very important because the commodity prices are not on that trend.

Environmentally the best thing we can do is make the most crops on the least amount of land. The biggest negative impact of agriculture is you’re taking habitat or land out of nature. About half of our 650 acres is agricultural production. The remainder is forested or dedicated to turf grass and ornamentals. The Forked Deer is our border on the southern end of the farm, and that border is part of the forested area. It runs parallel to Highway 70 or Airways Blvd. There are a few small streams and drainage areas.

VIP: Will you need interns at the Center this summer? If so, in what capacities?

SS: We host a number of paid interns, and we have done so for years. One internship opportunity is our Gardens, which is one of three official UT Botanical Gardens. Jason Reeves, the coordinator of the gardens, hires interns. He has a big crew in the summer.

We host a lot of meetings and educational events, and the County Commission meets here. The station is composed of several units: Ag Research for whom I work, and we also have the UT Extension and the Institute for Public Service. There are not many prettier places to work than the Ag Center. Visiting collaborators say this is the prettiest Ag Station they’ve ever seen. It really makes a good impression. Our major focus is the ag production, but our Center is uniquely located on the edge of a public and rural environment, and we try to take advantage of that.

We also host a good number of internships from UT Martin and other universities, and they get credit while learning about the agricultural sciences. We are trying to reach beyond the traditional ag schools. Currently we have 15 internships for students to work with the research and extension scientists at the station.

VIP: What projects are you and your staff working on at present?

SS: We have a lot going on with well over 100 ag research experiments including variety testing, agronomic studies, and disease, insect and weed control. With the kickoff of spring we are preparing the ground for planting and coordinating tests. My role is not to do those tests but to make sure everybody has those resources and land spaces and technological support. I’m more of a facilitator.

We are adding more greenhouses to support our research programs. It is a continuous thing. A Garden Pavilion is in the planning stage. We are in the midst of planning some major Field Day events related to both the UT Gardens and to our Agricultural Research.

We will host a virtual Summer Celebration this year on July 8. Quite a bit of live and recorded content will be available. The Spring Plant Sale dates are April 29 and 30 from 10am-2pm and May 1 from 7-11am.

Our long-term plan in the next two years calls for a full in-person Summer Celebration. Starting in 2023 Summer Celebration will become an every other year program. I have some plans for the off years with a smaller outreach to community leaders like the School Board, School Superintendents, and the Jackson City Council to talk about, educate and teach the teachers about agriculture. Eventually this may evolve into a Continuing Education program for teachers in the fields of forestry, ornamental science, and crop production. This will be an opportunity to influence some of our youth.

The Fall Plant Sale on October 7-8 will be a big event. Typically we have a small program with one or two guest speakers, and the plant sale is very popular. By October we will be off our COVID-19 restrictions. Several events are in the works. This year we have been approached to participate in the upcoming Madison County Bicentennial. On October 9, we will have a celebration of our rural and agricultural heritage.

VIP: What are the chief goals of the Ag Center?

SS: We work and interact very closely with growers and support the agriculture industry. We get a lot of feedback and input from them. My chief goal is to keep the wheel turning forward. My philosophy is to leave something better than I found it, developing ways to improve production while minimizing negative effects on the environment, which is a big issue today.

VIP: What new developments at the Ag Center might our VIP Jackson Magazine readers not know about? For example, tell me more about the Plant Pavilion and its function and timeline.

SS: We have some grandiose plans for a pavilion. Knoxville has a pavilion as does Crossville. There is a vision to put a pavilion in place which will be a nice gathering place for meeting and for people visiting the gardens.

VIP: Describe a typical day (if there is such) for you.

SS: There is not a typical day for me. That is one thing I like about my job….When you work in agriculture the seasons change and there is a lot of preparing for the next year, writing reports and the like, and I manage people and the facility. I have such a great staff who make my job easy. They are motivated and dedicated folks, and they are easy to work with, and there are top-notch scientists here.

VIP: Are there more students entering the agricultural field? If so, to what do you attribute this?

SS: I can’t say there are more students entering the ag field. That is one of the initiatives of our intern program—to recruit more students into the profession. The world has gone urban, but we need more bright young minds to work in the world of production agriculture.

VIP: What changes would you like to see at the Ag Center within the next 5-10 years?

SS: Our mission will not change. There is a temptation in administration for the new guy to make sweeping changes to leave his mark, but our Center was not broken. It’s performing at a pretty high level. Programmatically I would like to see more outreach to the urban community. We are excellent at reaching our agricultural clientele, but we need to get better in reaching our urban clients so they have a better understanding and appreciation of agriculture.