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Rabies clinic set for May 12-19
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The Rabies Clinic Schedule has been released by the Warren County Health Department. The dates are May 12-19 with varying times.
The clinic, which is usually held in April, is one month later this year.
“I know people are a worried about the one-month delay,” said McMinnville Animal Control officer David Denton. “There is no need to worry, unless you did not get your animal vaccinated last year. Then, I would worry.”
Rabies Clinic Schedule:
• May 12 — Town and Country Animal Hospital, 8 a.m. to noon; Sparta Road Veterinary Clinic, 9-11 a.m.; McMinnville Animal Clinic, 9 a.m. to noon.
• May 14 — Campaign Market, 4:15-5 p.m.; Jacksboro Community Center, 5-5:30 p.m.; Rock Island Market, 4:30-5 p.m.; Dibrell, 5-5:30 p.m.; Moore’s College, 5:45-6 p.m.
• May 15 — Old Centertown Elementary School, 4:30-5:30 p.m.; Viola Service Station, 5-5:30 p.m.; Brookside Community Center Headstart Facility, 5:45-6 p.m.
• May 16 — Schrock’s Store, 4:30-5 p.m.; Irving College School, 4:30-5 p.m.; Fairview Community Center, 5:15-5:45 p.m.
• May 17 — Farmers Market, 5-6 p.m. and Blues Hill Market, 4:15-5 p.m.
• May 18 — Lucky Community Center, 4:30-5 p.m.; Warren County Livestock Barn, 5:15-6 p.m.; Covenant Fellowship Church, 4:30-4:45 p.m.; Morrison Ruritan, 5-5:30 p.m.
• May 19 — McMinnville Animal Care, 9 a.m. to noon; Town and Country Animal Hospital, 8-11:30 a.m.; Sparta Road Veterinary Clinic, 9 a.m. to noon.
The event is co-sponsored by Warren County Health Department, as well as the participating veterinarians — Dr. Sam Young of Sparta Road Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Gene Maxwell of Town and Country Animal Hospital, Dr. Amy Everett of McMinnville Animal Care, and Dr. John Malone of McMinnville Animal Clinic.
The cost will be $8 per animal for a one-year vaccination at the clinics. Participating veterinarians will also honor the reduced price of $8 in their offices during rabies clinic week May 12-19.
State law requires all cats and dogs over 3 months old be vaccinated. For more information, call the Health Department at 473-8468, or stop by or call one of the participating veterinarian’s offices.

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