Sam Stratton Bone Jr., a lifelong Wilson County farmer, public servant, and former Tennessee state lawmaker, was recognized April 30 for his profound impact on agriculture, rural communities, and public policy across Tennessee. At the conclusion of the well-attended event, the architecturally designed Made in Tennessee Building, located on the state fairgrounds of the James E. Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon, was dedicated in his honor.

Guest speakers at the event highlighted Bone’s accomplishments, including his decades of local service as a Wilson County commissioner.

“Stratton served as the County Commissioner from 1969 to 1978, and then from 1982 to 1996,” said Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto. “During his second term, he led the purchase of the land we’re on today — 104 acres for $261,000 in 1974, and it’s well over 370 acres now — which became our fairgrounds, preserving and expanding a hub for celebrating the county’s agricultural heritage.

“He wasn’t done, though! He served on the Ag Center Management Committee from 1993 to 1997, and he continued to work in the legislature to enhance farmers and farmers’ opportunities across this state. It’s people like Stratton Bone who made this state what it is today. It didn’t matter if they were Democrat or Republican, he told them, ‘We’re going to make Tennessee better and put Tennessee first.’ And that’s what he did. And we appreciate everything you’ve done for Wilson County, but mainly for the state of Tennessee.”

Bone’s leadership on the Management Committee extended to the founding of the Wilson County Agricultural Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 2025. At the state level, Bone served in the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 46th District, chairing the House Agriculture Committee and serving on key fiscal and rules committees.

Personal tributes by the speakers portrayed Bone as a humble, early-rising working farmer — often seen in his Chevy S-10 pickup — who mentors FFA and 4-H youth, supports fellow farmers with practical help, and practices quiet, relationship-based leadership.

“I can remember being a high school senior, while serving as our FFA president and a regional officer,” said Jeffrey Turner, vice chairman of the Wilson County Agriculture Hall of Fame and local farmer. “He invited me to a ham breakfast in Cannon County. I was blown away by the way the folks interacted with him. I could tell they had great respect for him; he was personable and humble. Here I was, a senior in high school with Representative Bone, and he was telling them all about ME. It said a lot about his servant leadership. He’s a humble leader, hard worker, good neighbor, friend, and farmer. He has accomplished a lot for young people, FFA members, and farmers, and we’re greatly appreciative of it.”

Former Executive Vice President of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation Rhedona Rose represented those who worked with Stratton in the general assembly, as well as lawyers and lobbyists. She spoke about many humorous “Stratton activities that never made the official legislative record.” She recalled when Stratton regularly delivered fresh sausage to lawmakers and staff. His philosophy, she said, was “A little pork goes a long way.” She said he hosted an annual Bologna Sandwich Day in the ag office, and everyone was welcome. He was known to swap chickens and purchase tobacco plants in the legislative parking garage, and one Monday, he showed up to a legislative session with a swollen hand — he’d accidentally vaccinated himself when working cattle earlier in the day, but “didn’t miss a beat and didn’t miss a vote.”

“That’s the Stratton Bone we knew in the General Assembly,” said Rose. “Stratton was — and still is — an ambassador in the truest sense for everyday rural Tennessee. He mentored many 4-H and FFA members. He believed in them, and they all knew it. But as a lawmaker, everyone knew Stratton the visionary.

“He arrived at the Capitol each morning before sunrise and would visit and listen to the early-arriving staff and colleagues. He noticed that many of them had no idea where their food and fiber came from. They’d never stood in a farm field. They’d never touched live farm animals, and they had no idea why we need agricultural research. So, Stratton began to think. And what he decided was, why don’t we just bring agriculture to them? We needed farmers and lawmakers to share the story of agriculture and forestry. And Stratton made that happen — Ag Day on the Hill was born in 2001.”

Bone created Ag Day on the Hill to bring live agriculture — including Millie, the first successfully cloned calf in the United States — directly to lawmakers and the public. It’s an event that remains one of Nashville’s most educational and popular legislative traditions.

Lastly, Tennessee House Representative Ken Givens, who served as Tennessee Ag Commissioner under former Governor Phil Bredesen, credited Bone as the founder of the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP). The two developed the fiscally conservative and well-managed cost-share program in 2005, convincing Bredesen to put money into the budget to get the program started. But it was Stratton, Ken says, who really worked to keep the program going. When it was decided to fund education instead, Bone, “in a very polite way, let it be known quickly that monies would have to be set aside for the farm community and for the Ag Enhancement Program. Bone ended up getting $21 million earmarked from a cigarette tax increase for TAEP.” Since then, it has delivered over $309 million to farmers in all 95 counties, supporting more than 98,000 TAEP projects and generating an estimated $1.8 billion in statewide economic impact.

At the close of the event, colleagues and former officials emphasized his bipartisan approach, his willingness to invest in young people, and his enduring influence on Tennessee agriculture and rural life, culminating in the naming of the Stratton Bone “Made in Tennessee” building and a standing ovation from a broad cross-section of community members, lawmakers, and agricultural leaders.

“There are people who make the most significant impacts in our lives and do it quietly and behind the scenes,” said Rose. “They just show up, not for glory, not for headlines, but because they know work needs to be done. And today, we honored that kind of person.”