Mother nature dealt DeKalb County nursery and crop producers a big blow earlier this month with a hard freeze that may affect them for months to come.
Danny Pirtle of Pirtle Nursery says this freeze was one of the worst on record for this late in the year and it may take a while to assess the impact of the damage. ” This kind of cold caught everybody totally off guard. A lot of the older plants are damaged but they will probably come out of it. We have no past records to base the history on to see what happens but all the nurserymen, as a general rule, feel like the older plants will come out of it but the young tender seedlings and liners, a lot of those are probably gone. This time of year our plants are too far advanced to tolerate the freezing temperatures. The true story will tell when we start having 85 and 90 degree days. They will either bounce out of it or they will get worse.”
DeKalb County Farm Service Agency Director Donny Green says damage assessments are being compiled by the FSA county committee. “Well we’re just beginning to see some of the affects of the freeze damage that we had. Our committee identified that we had four nights of hard freezing between April 6th and April 10th. We knew that we had some immediate damage because we saw the affects on wheat. We even had one farmer who had about 500 acres of corn that was up about three inches and we saw the immediate affects on that, but what we’re seeing now, a couple of weeks later, is the devastating affects that it’s had on the nursery crop. In the beginning we even thought that was going to be restricted to basically the smaller seedlings, but what we’re seeing now is a lot of the three and five year old stock, that’s higher in value, has suffered a lot of damage, mostly because the sap had already started up in the plant during the last couple of weeks in March, when we had those temperatures that were 80 to 85 degrees. The sap had started up and then we had this freeze that hit beginning April 6th. and what it did was freeze the liquid material inside the bark of the plant that sends the nutrients up and down the plant and it froze and busted the bark on it. What we’re seeing now is damage mostly in the extremities of the trees and limbs. As the bark is busted, it becomes sort of like an open wound for parasites and diseases into the nursery plant and it’s going to be a compounding problem as the crop year goes on.”
“Nursery is not like your row crops with corn and soybeans. You’re talking about a plant value per plant and we’re talking about very high dollar amounts of loss. It’s very significant and it’s probably more significant than the hail damage we saw back in 2003 because the hail damage was confined to a path across the county and this is very widespread. It’s a regional type loss.”
Green says many farmers have crop insurance and those who don’t may quality for assistance.” A lot of our farmers here in DeKalb County and surrounding counties have crop insurance on their field grown and container nursery. Loss adjusters will be going out to make appraisals, but I haven’t heard of anyone who has had an actual appraisal completed yet. If you didn’t have crop insurance, either the crop was uninsurable or you chose not to insure it. Our state office has told us at this time, that we are to inform producers of those crops to go ahead and come in and file a notice of loss with us, basically letting us know that you have a crop that’s not insured or that’s not insurable, that received damage, and we’re documenting that now and trying to get some numbers in place in the event that there is a disaster program. I want to emphasize that we don’t have any assurance that there will be a disaster program, but in the past we’ve had these programs and filing timely notices of loss for all the crops that are damaged is important and that’s why these people who don’t have crop insurance need to come in and let us know that. If you have crop insurance you need to contact your loss adjuster and let them come out and do the appraisal. We cannot take notices of losses for crops that are covered by crop insurance.”
“The Governor has declared all 95 counties in Tennessee disaster counties. What that means is that farmers may get low interest loans through the Farm Service Agency Offices. They are called Emergency Loans. They are lower than the normal market rate interest rates. I think it’s three and three quarters percent. A lot of our farmers right now, with the situation they are in, feel like borrowing more money is not what they need. They’re needing financial assistance in the form of grants and compensations for their losses. We don’t have that at this time, but certainly what the Governor has done puts that in motion, sending it on up the line to Washington so that maybe we can get some money appropriated.”
Green says it appears the wheat, corn, and hay crops have taken the hardest hits in addition to the nurseries. “Our county committee met the second week in April and we reviewed what loss information we had. The most significant is probably going to be our wheat crops and we don’t have a lot of that in DeKalb County, but we have probably 800 to 1200 acres of wheat that was planted and was already up in what they call the booting stage. That was pretty much wiped out. From the wheat producers we talked to in DeKalb County we’re going to be fortunate if it’s even salvageable to be harvested as wheat hay. That’s a secondary use that sometimes can be used.”
“Probably the next crop that was affected the most dramatically is the nursery crop, both the container grown and the field grown, that were not in controlled climates. If they were outside as we typically see containers in nursery yards here in DeKalb County and Warren County, then they pretty much got impacted.”
“We had about 500 acres of corn that was out and we don’t know the extreme affects that it’s going to have on our hay and pasture crops, although we can be assured that hay yields are going to be significantly down for the spring cutting because the stop in growth development. We may see some people have to extend their feeding period of hay to supplement the loss of pasture growth that we had because of this.”
“We went in last fall into a very dry situation and the fall hay cuttings were basically nothing. We were already short. We pretty much, for the last few years, have had to depend on our spring cuttings of hay to carry us through the year and starting out like this has stunted the hay growth dramatically and will cause a problem for our first cutting of hay. If the weather pattern continues into the summer and fall like we have had in the last few years, hay shortages are going to be critical this year.”

The DeKalb Sheriff’s Department now has a Malinois K-9 narcotic detector dog to fight the illegal use and sale of drugs.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says “The Sheriff’s Department bought the dog with monies that were seized through drug investigations and no tax dollars were required for this purchase. We also took one of the county owned SUV’s and installed a cage in the rear of the vehicle. This vehicle can transport the K-9 drug dog and can also transport one inmate safely. ”
The dog’s name is Banshee. She is 2 years old. Banshee and her handler Deputy Mike Agee have undergone intense training through Thunderhawk Kennels in Jackson County.
Sheriff Ray says that Banshee has been welcomed to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department by one local business owner. “Sandy Brown of S C B Enterprises and TN Barn Builders has kindly donated a dog kennel and free dog food from her business.”
According to Sheriff Ray, Banshee has already stepped up to the plate by making two positive drug hits on vehicles this last week. “On Thursday, deputies stopped a vehicle on Highway 56 North due to a traffic violation. The driver, 25 year old Joshua Johnson of Hendrixson Road Smithville was found to have a suspended driver’s license. When Johnson was asked to step out of the vehicle, a cigarette tin containing 2 pills believed to be hydrocodone fell from his person. Deputy Agee and K-9 Banshee checked the vehicle and after a positive drug hit from Banshee, deputies found a set of scales with a white powdery residue believed to be cocaine and a straw containing a white powdery residue. Johnson was charged with driving on a suspended license, simple possession of a schedule III drug (Hydrocodone), and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond was set at $3,000 and Johnson’s court date is May 10th.”
Also on Thursday, Sheriff Ray says “24 year old Michael Duane Vanpelt, II of Monroe Henley Ridge Road Silver Point was stopped on Allen’s Ferry Road for a traffic violation. Deputy Agee and K-9 Banshee checked the vehicle and after a positive drug hit from Banshee on the driver’s side door, deputies found a bag of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in Vanpelt’s possession. Vanphelt was arrested and charged with simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. A $2,000 bond was set and Vanpelt’s court date is May 10th.
Sheriff Ray says “I believe Banshee will be a valuable tool for our Department by helping to identify and help rid our streets of drug dealers. Our plans are to use any and all resources at our disposal, such as Banshee, for the betterment of our county.”

A 33 year old man was arrested on drug charges by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department Friday morning.
Troy Lee Perkins of Mountain View Drive in Lakeview Mountain Estates is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a schedule VI controlled substance (marijuana) for resale, possession of a schedule IV controlled substance for resale (Xanax) and possession of untaxed alcoholic beverages (moonshine).
Sheriff Patrick Ray says officers went to Perkins’ home late Thursday night and found sixty two pills in an unmarked bottle believed to be Xanax, more than one and a half pounds of marijuana, pipes, rolling papers, scales, and marijuana cigarette rollers, and three jars of moonshine.
Sheriff Ray says three handguns, two of which were loaded, and six long guns were recovered. Perkins is a convicted felon with a record of previous drug offenses and he is not supposed to have any firearms.
Officers seized $515 believed to be proceeds from drug sales and the Tennessee Department of Revenue was contacted. As a result, Perkins was assessed a $3,000 tax by the state which he has paid.
The Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Agency has also been notified since Perkins is a convicted felon and was in possession of weapons, in violation of the law.
Perkins is under a $90,000 bond and he will be in General Sessions Court May 10th.
Sheriff Ray says more charges are forthcoming in the case.

Three people were injured in a two vehicle crash Saturday afternoon on West Broad Street in Smithville.
Trooper Shannon Brinkley of the Tennessee Highway Patrol says Matthew Sullivan was driving a 2000 GMC Sierra east on Highway 70 when he rear ended an eastbound 1991 Chevy S-10 driven by Jackie Lee of 310 Mount View Drive Sparta. 58 year old Johnny McGill of Sparta was a passenger of the Lee vehicle.
According to Trooper Brinkley, upon impact, Lee’s truck veered off the right shoulder of the road, went down an embankment, and into a ditch. The vehicle came to rest on it’s side and partially ejected McGill.
Meanwhile, Sullivan’s vehicle veered across the west bound lanes, went across a field and parking lot, and struck a brick column on the front of a vacant office building, owned by James Ed Rice, damaging the column and overhang of the building.
Trooper Brinkley says Sullivan and McGill were transported to DeKalb Community Hospital but Sullivan refused treatment and left on his own.
Lee was airlifted from the crash scene by a Life Force helicopter ambulance and flown to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga with serious injuries.
Charges may be filed pending further investigation.
Trooper Brinkley was assisted at the scene by Sergeant Billy Prater of the Tennessee Highway Patrol and members of the Smithville Police Department and Smithville Volunteer Fire Department and Extrication Team.

30 year old James T. Evans of Dowelltown pleaded guilty Monday in Wilson County Circuit Court to vehicular assault and two counts of reckless vehicular homicide stemming from an April 2005 wreck that killed his cousin and a friend.
The Lebanon Democrat reports that Evans received a total sentence of eight years, one year of which must be served in jail before he is eligible for release on probation
The six car fatal traffic accident, which occurred at the Highway 109 interchange of Interstate 40, killed Evans’ cousin, 28 year old Martisha Annice League of Smithville and 23 year old Victoria Susan Dyer of Baxter, who were both passengers in his car.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the crash occurred in the outer lane of I-40 westbound, where three cars were stopped and a fourth car was slowing to a stop due to an earlier accident further ahead on the interstate.
Evans’ vehicle approached the traffic jam traveling at a high rate of speed and did not slow down in time to avoid a crash.
Evans’ vehicle did crash into the car in front of it, causing a five-car pile-up.
After the initial crash, Evans’ vehicle was hit by a sixth vehicle that was “traveling at an Interstate speed,” according to the THP report, and tried unsuccessfully to avoid the crash by driving into the median.
Dyer, one of the four other passengers in the Evans vehicle, was flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
Also flown to Vanderbilt was 48 year old Dana Marie Ragan of Kingston Springs, the driver of one of the vehicles involved in the crash. Ragan’s injuries were the reason for the vehicular assault charge.
The Lebanon Democrat reports that Evans and all his passengers had consumed alcohol directly prior to the accident, with the exception of one underaged passenger, according to the case file.
Evans’ reckless vehicular homicide charges were downgraded from charges of vehicular homicide. The state dismissed charges of reckless endangerment and driving under the influence of intoxicants.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has picked up two more people named in sealed indictments returned by the grand jury earlier this month on drug charges.
Josh Goff and Steve Stanley are each charged with two counts of sale and delivery of a schedule II controlled substance (Dilaudid).
They are among more than 40 people indicted by the grand jury as a result of a six month undercover drug investigation by the Sheriff’s Department.

The Nashville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today that Anderson Road Campground on J. Percy Priest Lake will not open for the 2007 recreation season. The closure is temporary and the Corps anticipates reopening the campground in the spring of 2008. The popular picnic area, beach, launching ramp and fitness trail at Anderson Road Recreation Area, referred to as the Day-Use area, will open April 18.
Reductions in the recreation portion of the overall operations and maintenance budget made it necessary to close Anderson Road Campground, close several campsites and shorten the camping season at a few other campgrounds in order to reduce costs.
Campers who had reservations affected by the closures will be contacted and given a full refund. Reservations may be made at Corps campgrounds online at www.recreation.gov, by calling 877-444-6777.
The reduction to Nashville District?s recreation budget resulted from overall reductions to the Operations and Maintenance budget for fiscal year (FY) 2007. Following several continuing resolutions to the federal budget, a final resolution for the remainder of the year left the Corps? Nashville District with a $5 million reduction from FY 2006 levels. The budget cuts are not related to the repairs at Wolf Creek Dam as that funding is from an entirely different appropriation.
More than 35 million visitors used Nashville District lakes last year and Resource Managers expect the same visitation rates this year.
?We want to provide the best service we can,? said Ralph Ownby, deputy director of Operations, ?with available resources and we can best do that by concentrating our efforts on the majority of recreation areas while temporarily closing one campground and parts of other campgrounds. We regret any inconvenience to campers.?
In addition to Anderson Road Campground, closures will also affect Corps of Engineers campgrounds at Center Hill, Cheatham, Cordell Hull, and Dale Hollow Lakes in Tennessee and Lake Barkley in Kentucky.
At Center Hill Lake, a section of Ragland Bottom and Floating Mill Campgrounds will open later and close earlier in the year.
At Cheatham Lake, Harpeth River Campground will open on May 1, one month later than originally scheduled.
At Cordell Hull Lake, Salt Lick Campground will open May 24, two weeks later than originally scheduled, and 50 percent of the campsites will close on September 4, three weeks earlier than originally scheduled.
At Dale Hollow Lake, one section of Lillydale Campground will be closed for 2007.
At Lake Barkley, one loop of Canal Campground will close earlier in the year.
?We will make every effort to accommodate visitors to Corps lakes at alternate sites in the event their favorite Campground is affected,? said Corps spokesman Bill Peoples.

State Senate Bill 326 by Senators Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) and Diane Black (R-Gallatin) unanimously passed the Senate on Thursday. It proposes to increase the sentence for a person convicted of child rape.
?We are going to make Tennessee a safe haven for children,? said Beavers. ?Sexual predators in Tennessee need to be behind bars, and they need to stay there.?
As amended, Senate Bill 326 proposes to set the minimum penalty for rape of a child at 25 years in prison, with the maximum being life in prison. Currently the penalties are 15 to 60 years in prison.
Due to the increased incarceration time, the legislation would increase state expenditures by $7,690,700. This year, the Governor has included funding for the measure in the proposed budget.
?A lot has been said about Florida?s Jessica?s Law?, said Black. ?There are portions of our law that are already more strict than Florida?s law. This bill brings us more in line with Jessica?s Law, while keeping our laws tight.?
The bill will have to pass the House and be signed by the Governor before becoming law.

Three people have been arrested by the Smithville Police Department since Friday.
Chief Thomas J. Stufano says on April 13th Smithville Police Officers working selective traffic enforcement for speeding stopped 33 year old Edward Ralph Roberts of 229 Robinson Road in Liberty for excessive speed on West Broad Street. A computer check disclosed that Roberts was currently driving on a suspended license. He was arrested and charged with Driving on a Suspended License, No Insurance and Speeding and transported to the DeKalb County Jail. His bond is $3,000.
Meanwhile, Chief Stufano says On April 14th Smithville Officers investigating a reported suspicious person complaint at Evins Manor Apartments found a male walking around the complex knocking on apartment doors at 11:30 p.m. Further investigation noted that 22 year old Stephen Hunter Pugh of 234 Sweetwater Road in Liberty was also in possession of drug paraphernalia. He was subsequently arrested and transported to the DeKalb County Jail under a $1,000 bond.
Chief Stufano further reports that on April 15th at approximately 3:30 a.m. Smithville Police responded to the BP Gas Station on South Congress Boulevard to a reported drunk driver. Upon arrival 24 year old Charles Michael Blanchfield of 3770 Seven Spring Road in Smithville was found passed out at the gas pumps with the vehicle motor still running. Also found in his lap was a plate, straw and narcotics. In his hand were a plastic bag containing 7 marijuana cigarettes, 6 Hydrocodone tablets and 2 Xanax tablets.
Blanchfield was eventually awakened and placed under arrest and transported to the DeKalb County Jail. Charges included DUI, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Drugs for Sale and Delivery. Bond was set at $27,000.

Students will be allowed to possess cell phones at school, but they won’t be permitted to use them under a new policy adopted on first reading by the Board of Education Thursday night.
Under the proposed policy regarding cell phones, “Students may possess personal communication devices, such as cell phones, while on school property. However, the personal communication device must be in the off mode and must be kept in a backpack, purse, or similar personal carry-all and may not be used during school hours. The principal or his or her designee may grant a student permission to use a personal communication device at his or her discretion. A device used outside these parameters shall result in confiscation of the device until such time as it may be released to the student’s parent or guardian. A student in violation of this policy is subject to disciplinary action.”
The proposed policy further states that “Use of cameras on personal communication devices is strictly prohibited on school property or at school functions. A student in violation of this policy is subject to disciplinary action.”
As for personal electronic devices, the proposed policy states that “Personal electronic devices such as CD players, Ipods, or MP3 players may be stored in backpacks, purses or personal carry-alls. However, the use of the devices during school hours is strictly forbidden. Use of improper storage of the personal electronic device will result in confiscation of the device until such time as it may be released to the student’s parents or guardian. A student in violation of this policy is subject to disciplinary action.”
The school board will act on the proposed policy on second reading at the next meeting May 10th at the high school cafeteria.