Discovery Park of America: Museum and Heritage Park

Faces of Farming

How would you describe someone who works in agriculture?

If your first thought is of the stereotype that we see in popular culture, the reality may just surprise you.  The men and women who chose to dedicate their lives to providing food, fuel and fiber for families around the world vary in age, gender and race just like other industries.

To create images for the new permanent exhibit, “AgriCulture: Innovating for Our Survival,” the Discovery Park team attened agriculture-related shows and events around the country with our AgPhoto Booth. We’ve obtained hundreds of photos of individuals who are farmers or who are working in the agriculture sector in a variety of jobs. Here is a gallery of just a few photos from the collection you’ll see in the exhibit.

Photo Credit: Luke Johnson

More about “AgriCulture: Innovating for Our Survival”

This exhibit made possible by generous support from:

Major Partners

The Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation

Partners
H&R Agri-Power and Case IH; Tennessee Beef Promotion Board; Tennessee Corn Promotion Board; Tennessee Department of Agriculture; Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board; USDA Rural Development U.S. Department of Agriculture

Contributors
AgLaunch Initiative; Bayer Fund; The Dairy Alliance; Danny Larcom Heating and Air; Farm Credit Mid-America; Gail McDonald Latimer; Green Plains, Inc.; Henry County Farm Bureau; Matt Fennel; Obion County Farm Bureau; Syngenta; Tennessee Farm Bureau;  Tennessee Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom; Tennessee Pork Producers Association; Tosh Farms; Westan Insurance Group, Inc.; Will Wade and Pat Wade; Williams Country Sausage

Friends
Agrela Ecosystems; Babylon Micro-Farms; Barnes Farms; Blue Steel Tool, Inc.; Donald Danforth Plant Science Center; EarthSense; East Tennessee Nursery and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry; FarmSpace Systems, LLC; GroGuru; Humboldt Cotton Warehouse; Noble Research Institute; Prolific Earth Sciences; Roundstone Native Seed; “Silo”; Star Pastures Apiary; SwineTech; The University of Tennessee at Martin; Turtle Plastics; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; WCTE, Upper Cumberland PBS; Yorkville Cotton

Champions of Agriculture

Carol and Charles Steer | Yeargin Farms | Veronica Steer – Sunbow Jerseys | Matthew, Colby, Harrison, Carsen, Mattie Jane and Ally Anne Gray | Alice and Marcus Fennel | Mike and Penny Holman | Platt Farms – Jeanne and Chuck McMillen | David W. Howell | Grady J. Buttrey | Rachel C. Buttrey | Brad and Emalee Buttrey | BERG Livestock | Tony and Margie Jones | Mr. and Mrs. Tim Hazlewood |Flynn Jowers – Farm Bureau Insurance Agent | Chad and Heather Hardy in memory of Robert Bain Hill | Clinton Evans and Family | Scott, Michelle, Alex and Liv Williams | In memory of Wade and Wilma Nell Moss by Polly Brasher | In memory of James E. Bankston by Ginger C. Terry | C & W Farms | Morgan and Joseph Morrissett | Buckles Family – 1700’s-2020 | Woodard Family – 1800’s-1900’s | Johnson Family – 1800’s-2020 | Wilmot Family – 1800’s- 2006 | Snelling Family – 1800’s- 1900’s | Mr. and Mrs. John Watkins | Vicki and Glenn Heatherly | Lelia and John Warner | In honor of Gordon Henshaw by William G. Henshaw | Ervin Feed & Grain | Rance and Keisha Hooper Farms | Sellers Farms | Dominick Lee | Linda and Dave Rizzuto | T. Jack’s – Fredricks Family Apiary | In memory of Edgar Hilliard, my farmer dad | Warterfield Grain Company  | Pamela and Jack W. Sloan | Matt and Kelly Griggs – Griggs Farms LLC | Shannon and Charley Deal | Ms. Penny Fleming, USDA Retired | Jennifer and Gary Hooks | Kathy and Johnny Bacon and family in honor of Margaret and John Bacon | Todd, Brittany, Ellie and Henry Gregory | Lynn and Kay Barnes Farms | Ben Harrison Farms | Patti and Jim Leeke family | Carter Century Farms, est. 1879  Owner Barry (Buck) Carter and family 7th generation of true farmers | Nell and Jacky Gullett | In loving memory of Larry Fluty | H & H Farms of TN | Pat and Phillip Watkins |In honor of Herman Dietzel, Jr. Tennessee State DEKALB© Corn Growing Contest Champion 1956 -Given by the Dietzel family | Black Monocle Disc Golf | Mike Cox | Michelle and Al Creswell | Sam, Chris, Cailee and Carson Sinclair | Betty Ann and John Tanner | Lindsay, Alli Kate and Houston Frilling | Jack R. Parker | Tri State International Trucks – Union City, TN | Union City Energy Authority/TVA | Tyson – Union City, TN | Brian, Deanna and Rebecca Jones | Jim and Mary Nita Bondurant and family | Karl, Sandy and Kelsey Johnson | Hancock Family Farms – Incorporated by Curtis Hancock, Jr. – Celebrating 200 years of Family farming in West Kentucky | David and Tammy Ursery | Max and Lucy Wilson | Marvin and Carol Ellis | Burroughs and Sons, Hopkinsville, KY | Tim and Tammy Williams | Paula and Larry Snider: In loving memory of our farming grandparents – Sam Wright (Sharon, TN) and Frank Thompson (Water Valley, KY) | James Nathan Buckley, Spring Creek, TN | James Allen Buckley | Arthur Jones, Jr., Nashville, TN | Allie Kate Jones | Mary Bailey Jones | In honor of Curtis Haynes, soil conservationist, by his son | Lee and Alicia Maddox | Pappaw and SueSue | John, Melissa, Gage, Alex, Nova and Zane  | Jared, Tanna, Raye, Kaylee and Hunter | Michael, Anissa and Marceline | John and Beth Ray | Loyd and Brenda Bradford |Seth, Kelly, Shelby, Ollie and Sadie | Hal and Melanie Bynum- In memory of Stacey Bruff, Ph.D. | William Thomas Ashburn| Mason Call Ashburn | Baker Farms- Quincy, IL, for over 100 years | Hampton Farms | Childress Farms | Leveloam Farms | We love our agricultural community. Support your local farmers. -Bill and Kathi Prather | The Cheek Family | Broox and Jake Lewis, L & L Farms | Guy and Patty Gray | Ann and John Sallee | In memory of Mike and Mary Nanney, Chestnut Glade, Martin, TN by Cathy McKinney | John M. Miles | David and Carol Reed | NWTN Local Food Network – Increasing access to locally grown and produced foods. | Chester and Pamela Crone | Kerry and Lori Wade – Wade Farms | In memory of Novie Howell. She had the greenest thumb I ever knew. – By Laura Kirkland | In honor of the Doyle Family of Marshall County, Illinois | Dee Fields Pritchett | BD1 FARMS  aka “The Farm” | Hopper Farms | In memory of Claude V. Logan, Jr. | Mike and Terri Brundige | Brundige Farms | Glover, Fowler, McCollum, Dugger, Peal | Matt, Liz, Sawyer, Kate and Staton Dintelmann |Rance and Patti Barnes | Larry G. Heatherly, Ph.D. | Erin and Anthony | In memory of Ned Bigelow | Ricky and Pat Conner | The Elder Family | WAVE AG – Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman and Fulton Counties | Phillip, Katie, Preston and Emma Claire Creswell | Self-McKnight Family: In honor of Scott Williams, President and CEO | In memory of Glynn Giffin (Giffin Farms: Judy, Hoyt, Benita, Derek, Micayla, Troy, Amy, Carter and Conner) | Philip and Lisa Smartt | Bill and Chrysteen Goodman | Khalil M. T. Sutton | Tristen A. Thalheimer | Malcolm E. Thalheimer | Bill and Landy Fuqua | In honor of Kyle Rogers- Westview FFA Advisor by the Evans family | Dixie Chile Ranch – Kenton, TN | West Tennessee PBS | Baker Family Farm – Robert and Lois Baker, Sam and Brenda Baker, O’Neil and Nancy Baker and Robbie and Melody Baker | For Miley, Noel and Brantley with love from Papa and Nana | Christopher and Marriann Peck | Joe and Phyllis Brasher| Reeves Farm – Barry and Anne Reeves | Friends of Discovery Park: Danny, Gail, Michael, Marriann and Alicia Wilson | In honor of our greatly missed farming grandfathers – E.W. (Wick) Jamerson, Woodrow (Bill) Henson, Wes and MeLeah Henson | Ed Sumara Family | Wynn Land Company| In honor of the ancestors- Heniscity Farm | For my baby duck Ava.  Love, Mommy and Dada | Joe and Carol McKinnon | Sam Henderson- Ripley, TN | Roland Henderson- Ripley, TN | In honor of Herman Denning by his grandchildren and great grand children | White Squirrel Winery – Bill and Marjie Sanderson | The Sam McCollum Family | Gibson County Farm Bureau | Giffin Farms| Hughes Family Farm |Larry and Donna Stringfield | Matthew French PA-C | Emily French | Joseph French | Zachary Johnson | Caleb Johnson | Matt and Brandi French | The Graham Family | Champion Farm, Fulton County, KY-  In honor of past generations: Doris and Raymond Champion, Marion Champion and Daisy and Jordan Champion by Janie and Bill Craddock | In memory of Haywood County farmers Virginia and Guy Lovelace by their family | Douglas, Jennifer, Reagan and Harrison Durkee | Davie and Judy Stephens | Tonya Pride | Tarr Farms | In memory of William Travis (Bubba) Tankersley – June 28, 1930 – March 26, 2005- Kenton, TN | In honor of Syrena Flowers – West TN State FFA VP 2010-2011 | Robert, Zoe, Lauren and Brock Baskin in memory of Bob Baskin | In loving memory of Stacey Bruff, Ph.D.- from your Nutrien family, UC Division Office | It all began with a garden! -Karen L. Verkler | Sowell Farms | Reams Farms | In loving memory of Clifton (Pete) Branch, my farmer dad, from Burlison, TN-Susan Eason | Hayes Farm, Forked Deer, Haywood County, Tennessee- Since 1946 | In honor of Isabel Stuart, Matthew Boaz, Andrew Boaz and Sophia Boaz | Gene and Jan Outlaw | Everett and Amy Woods | Roe and Andrea Hughes | Bobby and Melinda Goode | Kaleb and Katie Dinwiddie of Silver Oak Farms in Trenton, TN | Bradford-Cooper Family Farm (Gibson County)- Since 1822 | In memory of Albert Murry Buntin- Jackson, TN | Chuck, Abby and Grace Danehower | In memory of Ted and Mary Lou Medlin | In memory of Jimmy Stewart | Chad, Jessica and Bridger Dunivant | In memory of John Marshall Vaden by Stephen Alexander Vaden and Samuel Marshall Vaden

To partner with Discovery Park on this very important exhibit, email Mary Nita Bondurant at mbondurant@discoveryparkofamerica.flywheelstaging.com or call 731-676-3556.

The mission of Discovery Park of America, a premier world-class museum and heritage park located in Union City, Tennessee, is to inspire children and adults to see beyond. Included in the complex is a 50-acre heritage park and a 100,000-square-foot museum featuring ten interactive exhibit galleries with additional space for temporary exhibits from around the world. Discovery Park of America is a 501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals, corporations and foundations including its principal funder, the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation.