The UT Martin Agriculture Teaching/Demonstration Complex is a lively place. The 640-acre site is one of the most active places on the campus, serving as an area where students can obtain hands-on training. The farm has created a living laboratory where students are afforded the opportunity to enhance their educational experience with activities involving livestock, maintenance and merchandising, horticulture, row crops, biofuels, companion animals, aquaculture, wildlife management and soil conservation.
This teaching area is part of a wonderful university tradition—a tradition greatly influenced by the efforts of two great ambassadors of agricultural teaching on the Martin campus: Mr. John E. McMahan and Mr. Earl Knepp.
Mr. McMahan (affectionately known as Mr. Mac) came to Martin in 1937 as head of the Department of Agriculture. Upon his arrival, he was given the responsibility to increase farm revenue. With help from many students and faculty, Mr. Mac promoted activities on the farm, including work with chickens, hogs and fruit. He stepped down from his position in 1965 but continued to teach full time until his retirement in 1971.
Mr. Knepp also arrived in Martin in 1937 and taught agricultural engineering and several other agricultural courses. He served as sponsor for many student organizations and was responsible for the farm livestock for many years. In later years, he supervised the construction of campus buildings and was named as the resident engineer in 1964. He retired in 1974.
Their work with the teaching farm has influenced several generations of activity on the UT Martin campus. Many school-aged children visit the farm each year to learn about agriculture and natural resources. Additionally, activities on the farm were the primary reason that UT Martin was selected as a host site for a Governor’s School for Agricultural Sciences, one of the only three in the country. Wouldn’t Mr. Mac and Mr. Knepp be proud?
A group of alumni have come together to raise funds to honor Mr. Mac’s and Mr. Knepp’s influence on the Agriculture Teaching/Demonstration Complex. This initiative is being driven by Paul Chandler, Harry Henderson, Guy Ed Robbins and David Shoaf—all former students of Mr. Mac and Mr. Knepp. It is the goal of this group to provide a permanent naming opportunity to honor the work of Mr. Mac and Mr. Knepp. David Shoaf said it best: “Mr. Mac and Mr. Knepp had a personal interest in all their students. They worked seven days a week and were always on call for the university. They made it possible for students such as myself to go to school by working on the farm. By making the farm profitable, they helped keep the school afloat during lean times.”
A permanent endowment is being established to support the activities of the teaching farm. This endowment will provide direct support to student and faculty activities on the farm, including student workships, research and other agricultural-based activities. The endowment goal is $300,000, of which $34,550 has been collected. Dr. Jim Byford, who serves as dean of the UT Martin College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, was also one of Mr. Mac’s and Mr. Knepp’s students. He says, “The current activities at the center are exactly the kind of student-centered teaching that Mr. Mac and Mr. Knepp were so well known for. The endowment in their honor will help us perpetually keep those things going—despite lean budget years.”
If you would like to join this effort and support the cause to honor Mr. Mac and Mr. Knepp, please contact Keith Carver or Jeanna Swafford in the Office of Development at 731-881-7620. We are grateful for your interest in the activities on the farm—and in honoring the outstanding contributions of John McMahan and Earl Knepp. 
University Advancement |
