The “Everywhere You Look, UT” mural campaign has added yet another Tennessee Century Farm. This time in Henderson County.
The University of Tennessee System has a goal to paint a mural in each of the state’s 95 counties by 2030 to remind residents and travelers of UT’s presence in their lives.
Alumni Charles (UT Martin ’60, UT Knoxville ‘62) and Joyce (UT Martin ‘60) McBride are the sixth-generation owners of McBride Farm in Lexington, Tennessee. A Century Farm designation means the land has been owned and farmed multiple generations of one family for at least 100 years.
“We both were raised on the farm, we still live on the farm and we farmed it until we retired,” said Charles McBride.
Along with farming, Charles taught high school agriculture for 39 years. Joyce taught elementary school and retired after 34 years.
“Being educators, we promote education beyond high school as much as possible,” said Joyce McBride.
For the McBrides, UT is a family tradition.
“Our three daughters, sons-in-law, four of our five grandchildren and we’re graduates of the UT System,” said Joyce McBride.
“What I studied about agriculture at UT is what I’ve always practiced and what I’ve always done,” said Charles McBride. “And that has really been an asset to me in crop production, animal production and ag engineering.”
Joyce and Charles McBride read about the campaign in The Cooperator, a Tennessee farming magazine, when family friend Keith Fowler (Martin ’85), was featured for the mural on his grain bin.
Mural 46 on the McBride’s barn is a 60-foot-wide showcase on the 375-acre farm. This location is visible from Tennessee State Route 22 to more than 2,800 passerby a day.
Since launching in 2018, the “Everywhere You Look, UT” campaign includes murals in 42 counties across the state. Costs of the first mural in each county are covered by the University.
To learn more about the mural in Henderson County or to submit a location for consideration, visit the campaign website.
Tags: Featured, UT Mural