Page 16 - The ALEC Gazette-2018

The Ultimate Busy Bee
UT Student Serves as Model to Others
By: Stephanie Forman
Every college student strives for something, some type of reward or gain. Whether it be a job, grade, scholarship, or internship, there is always some sort of end goal. When Andrew Swafford started his bee hives it was merely a project to count for his required supervised
agricultural experience for FFA. Five years later and Andy’s Beekeeping LLC has grown to five employees, 40 colonies, and a product line of honey, lip balm and lotion.
While running his business, Swafford has also been an active student. He is a junior double- majoring in agricultural leadership, education and communications, and plant science with plans to graduate in spring 2019. Swafford is also a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity on campus where he spends roughly eight to 10 hours per week serving on the executive board. Besides his obligations as a student, business owner, and board member, he also participates in research with Darrell Hensley, a plant pathology and pest management specialist.
Hensley’s main appointment is with Extension at the University of Tennessee and has worked with Swafford for the last three years. His research for those years has ranged from olive trees to chokeberries and recently to Cornus mas, also known as the Cornelian Cherry.
Swafford has been involved every year on Hensley’s studies that focus on pests on specialty crops. While his time commitment to Hensley does decrease during the school year compared to summer, Swafford is said to be committed and understanding when it comes to taking that extra step.
16 Tennessee