🦃 Frosty Mornings, Warm Afternoons: Do the Turkey Thaw Math, Meet a Valley Christmas Tree Farm and Learn Where Your Hamburger Comes From

Or: Three More Nights Near Freezing, a Thanksgiving Timeline You Can Stick on the Fridge, a Family Tree Farm North of Dunlap, a Calm Look at the Beef Business, This Week’s Garden Calendar and the Farm Dates Ahead

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Sunday, November 15, 2026

Good morning. It’s a quiet, sunny Sunday in the valley. The National Weather Service forecast for Dunlap, updated at 5:06 a.m. CST, calls for a high near 57 today and another frosty night tonight.

Yesterday’s report covered pony rides, mums, the sale barn and Thursday’s tree class. Today brings new things to know. First, a quick weather update, with three more frosty nights and then highs near 69. Next, USDA’s turkey thawing math, so Thanksgiving doesn’t sneak up on you. Then a family Christmas tree farm right here in the valley, plus research-based tips for keeping a cut tree fresh. After that, UT’s livestock economist explains where ground beef comes from, and why cull cows matter. Then this week’s chores from UT’s garden calendar. Last, the farm dates ahead. A short checklist is at the end.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• Weather (local): Lows near 29 to 30 tonight, Monday night and Tuesday night. Then milder nights, and sunny highs near 69 Friday and Saturday. No rain in the forecast.
• Turkey (national USDA advice): Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. A 20-pound bird needs about 4 to 5 days, so it goes in the fridge around Saturday, Nov. 21.
• Christmas trees (local): Tri-Star Christmas Trees, 4 miles north of Dunlap, opens Friday, Nov. 27.
• Tree care (research-based): Plain water only. The stand should hold about 1 quart per inch of trunk width. Check it every day.
• Beef (statewide expert): Cull cows and bulls supply about 15 to 20% of U.S. beef, mostly the lean part of your hamburger.

❄️ Three More Frosty Nights, Then a Mild End to the Week

This is local, from the National Weather Service forecast for Dunlap as of its 5:06 a.m. CST update.

• Today: Sunny, high near 57. Tonight: Mostly clear, low around 29.
• Monday: Sunny, high near 59. Monday night: Clear, low around 30.
• Tuesday: Sunny, high near 63. Tuesday night: Clear, low around 30.
• Wednesday: Sunny, high near 65. Wednesday night: Low around 34.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, high near 67. Thursday night: Low around 37.
• Friday: Sunny, high near 69. Friday night: Low around 38.
• Saturday: Sunny, high near 69. Saturday night: Low around 43.

There were no weather alerts for Dunlap this morning. Next Saturday is still six days out, so expect a few degrees of wiggle.

What it means for you: This week runs like a woodstove in the morning. It starts cold, and by afternoon you’re shedding the flannel. Frost should be on the truck Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, so keep tender porch plants tucked in through Tuesday night and check stock water before breakfast. The dry, mild afternoons are good for fence work, hauling hay or cleaning out the garden.

👉 Read more (NWS Dunlap forecast)

🦃 Thanksgiving Starts in the Fridge: The Turkey Thaw Math

This is national food safety advice from USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. USDA sent out its Thanksgiving reminder on Nov. 13. Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26, 11 days from today.

• Bought a frozen bird? Thaw it in the refrigerator. Allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. USDA says a 16-pound turkey takes about four days.
• Quick math for a Thursday dinner: A 20-pound turkey needs about 4 to 5 days, so move it to the fridge around Saturday, Nov. 21. A 12- to 15-pound turkey needs about 3 days, so it can wait until around Sunday, Nov. 22 or Monday, Nov. 23.
• Running late? USDA’s cold-water method takes about 30 minutes per pound. Keep the bird in a leakproof bag, change the water every 30 minutes and cook it right away.
• Never on the counter: USDA says bacteria can multiply quickly at room temperature.
• Cook to 165°F: Check with a food thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the wing and the innermost part of the thigh.
• Two-hour rule: Get leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours. USDA says they’re good for up to four days in the refrigerator.
• Questions on the big day? USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-674-6854, is open Thanksgiving Day from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST (8 to 2 Eastern).

What it means for you: Thawing a turkey is like letting a field dry out before you plow. You can’t hurry it much, so you plan for it. Write the day on the calendar now, and give it a bottom shelf in the fridge with a pan under it to catch drips. If you raised or bought a fresh local bird, USDA says buying fresh works best one to two days before cooking.

👉 Read more (USDA: The Recipe for a Safe Thanksgiving, Nov. 13) · USDA FSIS: Fresh vs. Frozen Turkey

🌲 A Valley Family Is Growing Christmas Trees, and They Open Nov. 27

This is local, from the farm’s own website and its Tennessee Christmas Tree Growers listing. The tree-care tips come from Penn State Extension’s research-based guide, which applies anywhere.

• Who: Tri-Star Christmas Trees at Roberson Farm. The growers’ association listing says the Roberson family bought the farm in 1948. With help from the fifth generation of grandchildren, the family is branching out from cattle into Christmas trees.
• When: The farm’s website says it opens Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving.
• Where: 3189 Howard Beavert Road, Dunlap, about 4 miles north of town. Phone: 423-321-2279.
• What’s there this year: Pre-cut Fraser firs, wreaths and a limited selection of choose-and-cut trees while the rest of the young trees keep growing. The listing mentions hot chocolate by the fire.

Keeping a cut tree fresh (Penn State Extension):

• Use a stand that holds about 1 quart of water per inch of trunk width. For most trees, that’s at least 1 gallon.
• If the tree was cut more than 12 hours ago, saw a ¼-inch disk off the bottom, straight across, before it goes in the stand.
• Check the water every day, especially the first week. Don’t let it drop below the base of the trunk.
• Plain water only. No sugar, aspirin, bleach or soft drinks.
• Keep the tree away from fireplaces, heaters, vents and sunny windows. If the needles break easily or fall off in your hand, the tree is dry and it’s time for it to go.

What it means for you: A cut tree is like a vase of fresh flowers, just a lot bigger. It’ll drink like a thirsty calf that first week. Buying from a valley family keeps the dollars close to home, and a well-watered tree is a safer tree. The farm’s website has the latest news, so call before you go if you want to check on choose-and-cut trees.

👉 Read more (Tri-Star Christmas Trees website) · Tennessee Christmas Tree Growers listing · Penn State Extension: Caring for Your Cut Christmas Tree

🍔 Where Your Hamburger Comes From, and Why Cull Cows Matter

This is statewide expert information from UT livestock economist Dr. Andrew Griffith, in his Nov. 13 Cattle Economics article for the UT Beef & Forage Center. It’s about the national beef market.

• Beef drives cattle prices: Griffith writes that the beef market is what drives cattle prices. Packers buy cattle to fill orders from restaurants, grocery stores and food service.
• Steaks come from finished cattle: Fed, finished cattle supply about 80 to 85% of the beef raised in the U.S. and most of the steaks and roasts.
• Hamburger needs cull cows: Slaughter cows and bulls supply about 15 to 20%. They’re the main U.S. source of lean grinding beef.
• The mix: That lean beef gets blended with fattier “50-50” trimmings from finished cattle to make anything from 70-30 to 95-5 ground beef.
• Nothing goes to waste: Packers also sell hides and other parts. He notes those bring far more as exports than here at home.

What it means for you: Selling an old cow is like trading in a good truck with a lot of miles. She still has real value down the line. When you cull an open or aging cow this winter, she’s headed toward America’s hamburger. Weekly cow prices will rise and fall, but people keep buying hamburger. Check Monday’s USDA report before you haul, and sell her while she’s still in decent shape.

👉 Read more (UT Beef & Forage Center: Beef’s Side of the Story, Nov. 13)

🍎 This Week on UT’s Garden Calendar: Dead Limbs, Carrots and Hollow Stems

This is statewide advice from UT Extension’s 2026 Tennessee Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden calendar, which lists a small chore for many days of the month.

• Monday’s chore (Nov. 16): Once fruit trees are dormant, prune off dead or diseased limbs and destroy them. Don’t leave them lying under the tree.
• Thursday’s chore (Nov. 19): Carrots can stay in the ground for a little while, but pull them before the ground freezes.
• Clean up smart: Rake out diseased plant and fruit debris, since it can carry problems into next year. Healthy debris can go on the compost pile.
• Leave some for the bees: The calendar suggests leaving the hollow stems of healthy flowering plants standing, because helpful insects and pollinators spend the winter in them.
• Orchard rodents: Fall is a good time to keep the ground bare under fruit trees and pick up dropped fruit, so mice and voles have less cover.

What it means for you: A garden in November is like a kitchen after Sunday dinner. A little tidying now saves a big scrub later. Pick one chore a day this week, and save the big pruning jobs for late winter.

👉 Read more (UT Extension: 2026 Tennessee Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden calendar, PDF)

🗂️ Farm Paperwork and Dates: What’s Coming Up

This is federal and statewide information that applies here, plus a few local items.

• Monday, Nov. 16: USDA’s next Weekly Tennessee Cattle and Grain Summary is due. The UT Plateau AgResearch bred heifer sale preview is in Crossville, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
• Tuesday, Nov. 17: Online bidding on the Plateau heifers closes, with pens starting to close at 10 a.m. CST.
• Thursday, Nov. 19: Free tree planting class at the Fair Building in Dunlap, 4:30 p.m. CST. The next U.S. Drought Monitor map comes out the same day.
• Friday, Nov. 20: NRCS Tennessee’s date to apply for fiscal 2027 conservation funding, including EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program.
• Saturday, Nov. 21 (statewide): TWRA’s deer gun season opens and runs through Jan. 3, 2027. Wear orange if you check back fences.
• Thursday, Nov. 26: Thanksgiving. The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline is open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST.
• Friday, Nov. 27 (local): Tri-Star Christmas Trees opens north of Dunlap.
• Tuesday, Dec. 1 (statewide): Deadline for TDA water quality grant proposals.
• Monday, Dec. 7: Last day to return FSA county committee election ballots.
• Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2027: Deadline for FSA emergency loans under this year’s drought designation. Sequatchie and Marion are primary counties, and Bledsoe, Grundy, Hamilton and Van Buren are eligible as neighboring counties.
• Monday, March 1, 2027: FSA’s deadline for 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program applications for grazing losses. 2027 Tennessee Farmer of the Year applications are due the same day.

What it means for you: A date list is like the feed-store calendar on the barn wall. You don’t need to memorize it, just glance at it. The Jasper USDA Service Center (3709 Main St., 423-942-2244) serves Sequatchie County for FSA and NRCS questions, including whether your pasture qualifies for forage disaster help.

👉 Read more (USDA: Weekly Tennessee Cattle and Grain Summary, PDF) · FSA: Livestock Forage Disaster Program · TWRA: Deer season dates · NRCS Tennessee: Nov. 20 date

📌 Sticky Notes for the Fridge

• Tonight, Monday night, Tuesday night: Lows near 29 to 30. Cover tender plants and check water early.
• Monday, Nov. 16: New USDA cattle report. Prune dead fruit tree limbs once trees are dormant.
• Tuesday, Nov. 17: Plateau heifer bidding closes, starting 10 a.m. CST.
• Thursday, Nov. 19: Pull carrots before the ground freezes. Tree class, 4:30 p.m. CST. New drought map.
• Friday, Nov. 20: NRCS conservation application date.
• Saturday, Nov. 21: Big frozen turkey goes in the fridge. Deer gun season opens. Sunny, near 69.
• Thursday, Nov. 26: Thanksgiving. Cook the turkey to 165°F. Leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours.
• Friday, Nov. 27: Tri-Star Christmas Trees opens, 3189 Howard Beavert Road.
• Tuesday, Dec. 1: TDA water quality grant proposals due.
• Monday, Dec. 7: FSA county committee ballots due.
• Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2027: FSA drought emergency loan deadline.
• Monday, March 1, 2027: Forage disaster (LFP) applications and Farmer of the Year applications due.

👉 USDA Service Center locator · Dunlap.Today

✅ Your Farm & Garden Checklist for This Week

• ✅ Keep porch plants covered or inside through Tuesday night.
• ✅ Check the animals’ water early Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
• ✅ Mark your calendar: a 20-pound frozen turkey goes in the fridge around Saturday, Nov. 21.
• ✅ Find the meat thermometer now, not Thanksgiving morning.
• ✅ Check that your tree stand holds at least a gallon of water before you buy a tree.
• ✅ Culling a cow this winter? Check Monday’s USDA report and sell her while she’s in good shape.
• ✅ Prune off dead fruit tree limbs, and pull the last carrots before a hard freeze.
• ✅ Wear orange when you walk the back fence after Saturday.

Practical rule: Count backward from Thursday. Thaw the turkey by the pound, water the tree every day and let the calendar do the remembering.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Farm & Garden Glossary

• Refrigerator thawing: Letting frozen meat thaw slowly in the fridge at 40°F or below. USDA calls it the safest way.
• Danger Zone: USDA’s name for 40 to 140°F, the range where bacteria grow quickly on food.
• Fraser fir: A popular Christmas tree with soft needles that hold on well. It grows in the high mountains of the Southern Appalachians.
• Choose-and-cut: A tree farm where you pick a growing tree and it’s cut for you or by you.
• Cull cow: A cow sold out of the herd, often because she’s open, older or not raising good calves.
• Finished (fed) cattle: Cattle fed to market weight, usually in a feedlot, for beef.
• Lean grinding beef: Very lean meat, mostly from cull cows and bulls, used to make ground beef.
• Dormant: Resting for the winter. A dormant fruit tree has dropped its leaves and stopped growing.
• LFP: USDA’s Livestock Forage Disaster Program, which helps with grazing losses from qualifying drought.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many more frosty nights are coming?

The Dunlap forecast shows lows around 29 tonight and 30 on Monday and Tuesday nights. Then the nights ease to 34, 37, 38 and 43, with sunny afternoons climbing to near 69 Friday and Saturday.

When should I put my frozen turkey in the fridge?

USDA says to allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. For a Thursday, Nov. 26 dinner, a 20-pound bird should go in around Saturday, Nov. 21. A 12- to 15-pound bird can wait until about Sunday or Monday.

What if I forget to thaw the turkey?

Use USDA’s cold-water method. Put the turkey in a leakproof bag, submerge it in cold water, change the water every 30 minutes, allow about 30 minutes per pound and cook it right away. Never thaw it on the counter.

How do I know the turkey is done?

Use a food thermometer. It should read 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the wing and the innermost part of the thigh.

Where is the Christmas tree farm near Dunlap?

Tri-Star Christmas Trees at Roberson Farm is at 3189 Howard Beavert Road, about 4 miles north of Dunlap. Its website says it opens Friday, Nov. 27, with pre-cut Fraser firs, wreaths and a limited selection of choose-and-cut trees. The phone is 423-321-2279.

Should I put sugar or aspirin in the tree water?

No. Penn State Extension says clean, plain water is all a cut tree needs. The main thing is a big enough stand and checking the water every day.

Why do cull cows matter to hamburger?

UT’s Dr. Andrew Griffith explains that slaughter cows and bulls supply about 15 to 20% of U.S. beef and are the main source of lean grinding beef. That lean beef is blended with fattier trimmings to make ground beef.

Can I leave carrots in the garden?

For a little while. UT’s garden calendar says carrots can be stored in the ground, but pull them before the ground freezes.

🔗 Other Resources

• National Weather Service: Dunlap forecast
• USDA: The Recipe for a Safe Thanksgiving (Nov. 13, 2026)
• USDA FSIS: Fresh vs. Frozen Turkey, Which to Buy and How to Thaw Safely
• USDA FSIS: Your Safe Thanksgiving Guide
• Tri-Star Christmas Trees (farm website)
• Tennessee Christmas Tree Growers: Tri-Star Christmas Trees at Roberson Farm
• Penn State Extension: Caring for Your Cut Christmas Tree
• UT Beef & Forage Center: Cattle Economics, Beef’s Side of the Story
• UT Agricultural & Resource Economics: Livestock Comments
• UT Extension: 2026 Tennessee Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden (W436, PDF)
• USDA: Weekly Tennessee Cattle and Grain Summary (PDF)
• U.S. Drought Monitor: Tennessee
• USDA FSA: Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP)
• USDA FSA: Tennessee drought designation (Jan. 6, 2027 deadline)
• USDA FSA: County committee elections
• NRCS Tennessee: Accepting applications for conservation programs
• TWRA: Tennessee deer season dates
• UTIA: UT Plateau AgResearch and Education Center Fall Heifer Sale
• UT Extension Sequatchie County: Tree Planting Class
• UTIA: Applications Now Open for 2027 Tennessee Farmer of the Year
• USDA: Service Center locator (Jasper Service Center, 3709 Main St. · 423-942-2244)
• UT Extension Sequatchie County (170 Church Street, Dunlap · 423-949-2611)
• Dunlap.Today

🏡 Keep Learning, Stay Calm and Come Back to the Porch

Three more frosty mornings, and then the valley settles into a mild, dry stretch. A turkey timeline on the fridge, a family tree farm just up the road, a better idea of where our hamburger comes from and a few small garden chores. That’s a good week’s worth of steady steps.

When you want the next calm, practical update for Sequatchie Valley readers, pull up a chair at Dunlap.Today.