Tennessee Farm Family Health & Wellness | Family and Consumer Sciences

The Tennessee Farm Family Health and Wellness Program (FFHW) is a multi-disciplinary Master Producer Program that:

addresses Tennessee farmer health and well-being, and
is focused on helping farm families and their communities make long-term health investments.

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UT Extension Family & Consumer Sciences announces the

2026 TN Farm Family Health and Wellness program.

This year’s webinars are on:

Jan. 22, Feb. 5, Feb. 19, March 5, and March 19

2026 Webinars and Topics

Jan. 22	Welcome Andy Holt, Commissioner, TN Dept of Agriculture How to Figure Out if Your Farm is Profitable Dr. Charles Martinez, Center of Farm Management , University of TN
Feb. 5	Migraines and Chronic Headaches Dr. Don Penzien, Wake Forest School of Medicine
Feb. 19	Managing Chronic Health Conditions: Practical Strategies for Daily Living Jessica Taylor, UT Extension, University of TN
Mar. 5	Taking Care of Health and Wealth Dr. Elizabeth Kiss – School of Consumer Sciences, Kansas State University
Mar. 19	The Human-Animal Health Connection Tesha Humphrey – UT Extension, University of TN

Webinar Details

Webinars will be held from 6:00-8:00PM CST/ 7:00-9:00PM EST

Title: Welcome

Presenter: Andy Holt, Commissioner, TN Dept of Agriculture

Andy Holt was sworn in by Governor Bill Lee as the state’s 39th Commissioner of Agriculture in October 2025. Before that, he served as Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner for the Business Development Division.

Prior to his post at the department, Holt was a member of the Tennessee General Assembly for 10 years representing House District 76, which included all of Weakley and portions of Carroll and Obion Counties. During Holt’s service in the House of Representatives, he served as the Chairman of the Budget Subcommittee, Vice-Chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and was granted membership to numerous other committees. Holt had the pleasure of serving as the Chairman of the Ag Day on the Hill Committee for all 10 years of his tenure. His primary goal while serving in the General Assembly was to ensure that the needs and desires of agriculture, forestry, and the rural economy were sufficiently represented. Before his service in the House, Holt worked with Farm Credit Services and the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative.

Holt earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics Business with a minor in Animal Science (2004) from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and a Master of Business Administration (2007) from the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Holt and his wife, Ellie, along with their seven children live on their family farm outside of Dresden, Tenn. Although he is a first-generation farmer, Ellie’s family has been farming in West Tennessee for four generations. The Holt’s operation consists of beef, goat, and swine production, as well as custom straw and hay baling. They also host agritourism activities on their farm each fall.

Title: How to Figure Out if Your Farm is Profitable

Description:
Regardless of an operation’s size, profit maximizing production and practices can be achievable. This session will help participant’s think through profitability for their operation, regardless of size or production, and highlight how production and practices can be profit maximizing.

Presenter: Dr. Charles Martinez, Center of Farm Management , University of TN

Dr. Charley C. Martinez is an Assistant Professor and Extension Economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Tennessee. He also serves as the Director of the UT Center of Farm Management. His research and Extension programming involves the fields of farm and financial management, experimental economics, livestock and meat market economics, and policy. Charley received his BS in Agricultural Business-Ranch Management from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and his PhD in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University.

Title: Migraines and Chronic Headaches

Description: TBA

Presenter: Dr. Don Penzien is a professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine.

Dr. Don Penzien is a professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine. After he completed his graduate studies in clinical psychology/behavioral medicine (Ohio Univ. & Brown Univ. Program in Medicine), Don began work as a medical school professor at the Univ. of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC; Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior & Director of the UMMC Head Pain Center, ‘86-‘14). While there, he engaged in headache and pain management research, teaching/supervising, and provided clinical services for people suffering from migraine and/or chronic pain. In ’14, he retired from UMMC and joined the faculty at the Wake Forest School of Medicine (Winston Salem, NC; Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Neurology, & Epidemiology and Prevention) where he continues to work full-time as a pain management researcher. He’s now “principal investigator” of several large grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH; ~$8M budget) with a primary focus on behavioral/nonpharmacologic approaches to self-management of persistent pain among (e.g., cancer survivors).

Title: Managing Chronic Health Conditions: Practical Strategies for Daily Living

Description: This presentation explores research-based self-management tools that empower individuals to take control of their health and enhance overall quality of life. By the end of the session, participants will be able to identify common chronic conditions, describe their impact on daily life, and explain how self-management tools can help reduce symptoms and overcome related challenges.

Presenter: Jessica Taylor, UT Extension, University of TN

Jessica Taylor is a Community Health Extension Specialist at the University of Tennessee, with over 25 years of experience in health and wellness program implementation. She holds a B.S. in Education/Exercise Science and an MPH in Gerontology. Jessica oversees chronic disease self-management programs and serves as Project Director for the Pat’s Gameplan for Caregivers Initiative. Her expertise includes community outreach, partnership development, and health education.

Title: Taking Care of Health and Wealth

Description: While all families seek to support the health of family members and strive for financial stability, farm families may have unique situations. In this session we will explore the relationships between health and wealth and ways to manage family resources to support both.

Presenter: Dr. Elizabeth Kiss – School of Consumer Sciences, Kansas State University

Elizabeth Kiss, Ph.D. is a professor and extension specialist in the School of Consumer Sciences at Kansas State University. She is an applied economist with expertise in the areas of family resource management, family and consumer economics, and personal finance. In her current position, she assists in the development and delivery of a statewide Cooperative Extension program focused on developing the knowledge and skills for sound family decision-making of Kansans.

Title: The Human-Animal Health Connection

Description: The Human-Animal Health Connection session takes a practical, veterinary-medicine approach to vaccines, focusing on how they protect both livestock and people. We’ll walk through how vaccines work, the careful testing and safety steps behind them, and why vaccination makes sense for animal health, farm profitability, and long-term sustainability. Using real-world case examples, the talk highlights the strong parallels between animal and human vaccines and how disease prevention benefits the whole operation—from the herd to the community.

Presenter: Tesha Humphrey – UT Extension, University of TN

With over 15 years of experience as a social worker in mental health and hospice settings, Tesha Humphrey has worked closely with individuals, families, and communities navigating stress, illness, and major life transitions. This background provides a strong foundation in understanding how health challenges affect family relationships and overall community well-being. Now serving as a Family & Consumer Science Extension Specialist with University of Tennessee Extension, Tesha focuses on community health education, including vaccine education, childhood lead poisoning prevention, and mental health, with an emphasis on strengthening families and supporting healthier, more resilient communities.

Webinar Library and Resources

Below is a list of on-demand webinars. These are available to registered participants and can be viewed for credit in the FFHW program.

Safety Around the Farm
Protecting Your Lungs on the Farm / Grain Bin and Farm Safety
Farm Safety & Handling Livestock / Farm Transition – Planning Today for Tomorrow’s Farms
Health Issues Affecting Farm Families
Family Relationships on the Farm
Prevent and Preserve: Being Proactive to Protect Your Health
Productivity Protocol: Monitoring the Most Valuable Farm Asset / The Impact of Stress on Thinking, Decision Making, and Risk Taking
Managing Stress on the Farm
Risks in Rural America / Money – Let’s Talk About It
You Are Not Alone: Taking Care of Your Mental Health
Taking Control of Family Finances
Maximizing Your Body’s Endurance and Potential
Matter of Balance: It’s not all in your head / Talking About Tough Topics
Strategic Thinking for the Farm Business: Recognizing Opportunities / How to Identify, Manage and Mitigate Farm Stress
Tough Dinner Conversations / Building Connections and Changing Perspectives
Farm and Ranch Succession Planning / Mending the Stress Fence
Work Smarter and Safer on the Farm / Farm Safety and Injuries Management
Livestock and Stress / Keeping Practical People Healthy

Previous Recorded Webinars

Did You Know?

Eligible for 50% cost share for the following TAEP Master Certification Programs:

Genetics, Hay Equipment, Livestock Equipment, Livestock Solutions, Permanent Working Structures, Dairy Solutions, Row Crop Solutions, Agritourism, Fruit & Vegetable, Value-Added Products, Honey Bees, Horticulture, Poultry Grower

Learn More

*For More Information:

Janet Fox, jfox35@utk.edu

Wendy Smith, wksmith@utk.edu

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