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Bell announces candidacy for 11th District Commissioner
OBIT - Bouldin

Hello, my name is Michael Bell, and I am announcing my candidacy for 11th District County Commissioner of Warren County.

My family has been part of the community for over 150 years, and I was born and raised on my family’s farm where I learned about hard work, family values and responsibility to my community. I believe in our community, and I believe in looking out for my neighbors. As County Commissioner, I would use my values and beliefs as a foundation to help our community continue to grow and enrich the lives of our community members.

I currently serve on the board of Warren Farmer’s Coop and am the presiding chairman. I also serve as chairman of Old Bybees Cemetery in the Midway community, am a member of the Campaign-Rock Island Fire Department and am a past president of the Midway Community Improvement Club.

For the past 30 years, I have worked in the manufacturing industry. I spent 20+ years at Bouldin and Lawson working in a variety of positions including shop supervisor. For the past three years, I have been with A Plus Fasteners in McMinnville in sales and delivery. I also operate a full-time beef farm in the Midway community.

I am the son of Martha Faye and the late Bobby Bell and have one brother, David Bell, and two sisters and brothers-in-law, Phyllis and Mike Boren and Janice and Scott Kelsey. My grandparents, Fred and Adell Bell and George and Georgia Boyd, were all active in the Midway community and helped raise me to understand the value of friends and family.

I believe I have always served my community through acts of service and heart, and I would like the opportunity to continue to serve my community as 11th District County Commissioner. I would appreciate your prayers, support and your vote in this election. Early voting is July 13-28, and the General Election will take place Aug. 2.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and God bless.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community