KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) — Employees with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) are showing off talents that extend beyond their day jobs.
Chris Cooper, UT Extension director for Shelby County, works primarily in horticulture but is also a concert pianist. Coming from a musical family, he began playing piano around age eight and says his passions for music and gardening are connected.
“When I see the movement of plants, I hear music. I know that might sound weird to people, but in my own yard, when I’m cutting the grass and things like that, I hear music in my garden. It relaxes me.”
Grundy County Extension Director Creig Kimbro takes his interests outdoors. The skilled outdoorsman competes in bass fishing tournaments and says his love of fishing and natural resources makes him a more knowledgeable agriculture agent.
“When you get a career such as what we have, the time that you would spend working with folks in the great outdoors. It’s amazing.”
The talents across UTIA range from auctioneering and fashion consulting to competitive pickleball. They even include an agent who raises the ducks displayed in the fountains at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.
