Proposed State Budget to Fund UT Martin Cattle Outreach, Workforce Facility

Mar 06, 2026

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee released his proposed state budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which includes an investment of $4.23 million to develop the University of Tennessee at Martin Cattle Outreach and Workforce (COW) Facility.

This investment in agricultural education at UT Martin will support the future of agriculture, the state’s top industry. Tennessee is one of the top beef cattle-producing states in the nation, with beef cattle produced in every county in the state.

UT Martin’s herd of black and white cattle – affectionately called “Oreo cows” – currently call outdated facilities home. Dr. Todd Winters, dean of the UT Martin College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, developed the proposal for the COW Facility.

“Our current beef cattle facilities on the corner of Skyhawk Parkway and Hyndsver Road were built in 1967 and are very antiquated,” Winters said. “We greatly needed a more modern facility with a classroom and laboratory.”

The current facility is not equipped to support programs across the UT Martin College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences to the fullest potential. The proposed plans for the COW Facility include a lecture room, a laboratory and a covered barn with a complete cattle-working system.

Source : utm.edu

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