LIMESTONE, Tenn. (RFD News) — Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene damaged thousands of acres of farmland, researchers with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture continue working to help producers recover.
At a Washington County farm, heavy sand deposits remain from flooding that covered parts of the property with roughly 10 feet of water. UTIA’s flood recovery team is researching ways to improve those soils and restore productivity.
Forbes Walker with UTIA Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science says researchers are testing a variety of soil amendments to improve water-holding capacity and nutrient availability.
“We’ve got two or three hundred research plots out here trying to answer different questions about what kind of soil amendments can we use that are available? Things like wood chips, things like the flooded hay. We’re also using a material called biochar, which hold moisture to try to increase the water holding capacity of these sediments as well as slow the infiltration rates.”
Researchers are also studying forage recovery after flooding damaged hay fields and pastureland.
Bruno Pedreira with UTIA’s Beef and Forage Center says progress is being made, though challenges remain.
“Facing all of this, I would say that progress has been made and we like what we have right now, although we are still far from a beautiful pasture.”
Researchers are also working on shoreline stabilization along the Nolichucky River. Efforts have expanded from about 300 feet of stabilized riverbank to nearly 1,000 feet, and plans are being developed to address additional areas experiencing gully erosion.
The university’s flood recovery team was recently recognized with its Success in Multidisciplinary Research Award.
UTIA estimates Hurricane Helene caused $1.3 billion in damage to Tennessee agriculture.
