The Oakleys have donated a large portion of their farm, located in Overton County, along with the livestock and equipment on the property, to Tech a donation valued at more than $9 million.
The gift of the Oakley farm means a tremendous amount to the university, Dennis Duncan, director of the Tech School of Agriculture, said. I see it as a real gem in terms of not only research but also outreach and service and teaching programs across Tennessee Tech. It is an enormous laboratory for conducting research on water quality, soils, livestock, crop production, the opportunities are endless for students at Oakley farm.
In 2009, the university began leasing the farm, allowing students to begin their work and studies of agriculture trends and practices there.
Seems to me that we should put more into society than we take out. My wife and I want to do that, Millard Oakley said. Education brings everything to a rural region. Tech is the economic engine of the Upper Cumberland. I think this will broaden the horizon for them and improve the School of Agriculture.
The property included in the donation has been used as a farming unit for more than 200 years.
Thanks to their extraordinary generosity, this means that Tech now operates one of the largest and most distinguished farms of its kind in the entire United States, Kevin Braswell, vice president for university advancement at Tech, said.
The property is recognized by the Tennessee Historical Society as a pioneer century farm, because the land was granted to one of Oakley s ancestors in 1792 for his service as a Revolutionary War solider.
By giving the property to Tech, it will remain its agricultural and educational status, Millard Oakley said.
Along with managing the beef cattle herd on the farm, once known to be the second largest herd in the state, students and agriculture faculty have also been working in greenhouses there, studying planting technique and plant genetics.
This semester alone, students have planted tomato plants expected to yield more than 2,000 pounds of tomatoes. They have also developed a hydroponic greenhouse on the property, where plants are grown without using soil.
President (Phil) Oldham has often said he wants students to come to Tech because they get here what they can t find elsewhere, Braswell said. Tech farms, thanks to J.J. and Millard, is yet another way Tech can distinguish itself from other higher education institutions.