Who is the scholarship for?

UT Knoxville students who intern in the wine, viticulture, and agricultural tourism industries are eligible. Preference is given to students enrolled in the Herbert College of Agriculture.

Steps for Accessing the Scholarship:

• Contact Karen DeLong, director of the Peter Howard Wine and Ag Tourism Scholarship Program and professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, to learn about the program. Her email is [email protected].
• On your own, or with the help of Dr. DeLong, locate a paid internship in the wine, viticulture, or ag tourism industry.
• Schedule a meeting with Dr. DeLong to discuss the requirements of the Peter Howard Wine and Ag Tourism Scholarship Program and how to apply for the Peter Howard Scholarship.
• If you secure a paid internship in the wine, viticulture, or ag tourism industry and are selected as a Peter Howard Scholar, you will receive an average scholarship of $3,000–$5,000!

How the Scholarship Works

Scholarships average $3,000–$5,000. They are typically awarded in the semester in which the internships are completed. Special arrangements to pay for travel and lodging are allowed if the student’s internship is out of state or out of the continental United States.

Can you get credit for this?

Students have the option of receiving credit hours for their internship if they enroll in an approved internship course. For example, students can enroll in AREC 492 (Off-Campus Internship) so long as they complete the requirements of this course.

For questions, please contact Karen DeLong at [email protected].

Fall 2024

• Ashley Zimmerman, Environmental and Soil Science, The Winery at Seven Spring Farm
• Avory Robinson, Food and Agricultural Business, Rocky Top Wine Trail (Mountain Valley Winery, Hillside Winery, Apple Barn)
• Stella Teeple, Food and Agricultural Business, Rocky Top Wine Trail (Mountain Valley Winery, Hillside Winery, Apple Barn)

Spring 2025

• Ashley Zimmerman, Environmental and Soil Science, The Winery at Seven Spring Farm
• Avory Robinson, Food and Agricultural Business, Rocky Top Wine Trail (Mountain Valley Winery, Hillside Winery, Apple Barn)
• Ava Mouritzen, Food and Agricultural Business, Rocky Top Wine Trail (Mountain Valley Winery, Hillside Winery, Apple Barn)

Summer 2025

• Trey Barefoot, Food and Agricultural Business, Rocky Top Wine Trail (Mountain Valley Winery, Hillside Winery, Apple Barn)
• Adeline Granath, Food and Agricultural Business, Rocky Top Wine Trail (Mountain Valley Winery, Hillside Winery, Apple Barn)
• Halee Maynard, Finance, Rocky Top Wine Trail (Mountain Valley Winery, Hillside Winery, Apple Barn)
• Jack Mayfield, Food and Agricultural Business, Tennessee Homemade Wines
• Chase Yeomans, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, Tennessee Homemade Wines
• Lindsay Babbitt, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, Cades Cove Cellars
• Bella Orr, Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, The Lake at Christenberry Farms (Willow Oaks Weddings and Events)
• Stella Teeple, Food and Agricultural Business, Spout Spring Estates
• Colton MacFarland, Plant Sciences, Spout Spring Estates
• Ethan Wagner, Food and Agricultural Business, Chapman Hill Winery

Fall 2025

• Amy Harrison, Food and Agricultural Business, Tsali Notch Vineyard
• Olivia Gasnow, Plant Sciences, Walnut Springs Winery

The Peter Howard Endowment at the Herbert College of Agriculture honors Peter Howard, who finished his fruitful career as founder, builder, and entrepreneurial marketer of Crown Winery and HRH Vineyards in Humboldt, Tennessee. Originally from England, Peter gained notoriety in the development of instrumentation to measure important gases.

After marrying the former Miss Tennessee, Rita Wilson, he migrated to the U.S. where he continued pursuing highly technical instruments used by the automotive, medical, and human fitness fields. This included several patents and instruments used by U.S. astronauts in space.

Peter’s introduction to the wine industry came through his involvement with longtime friend Jim Herbert at Neogen Corporation where he helped develop a disease prediction system that could be located in a vineyard and predict the onset of known grape diseases. The system allowed producers to, in advance of outbreaks, use chemicals or change environmental conditions to improve yields as well as environment.

With Rita, they moved back to her hometown of Humboldt, Tennessee, and set out to build what was the largest grape vineyard in the state, along with a noted winery under the Crown Winery and HRH Vineyards label. Always seeking inventive methods of success, Peter saw to it that the winery was the first solar powered winery in Tennessee. He used sophisticated production and fermentation equipment to produce their products, including a minimum number of sulfites in their wines. Dedicated to showcasing agriculture, Peter hosted numerous tours of the winery and vineyard each week, and Crown became a venue for sizable concerts at its amphitheater in the vineyards, numerous weddings, and various social events that showcased agriculture and the winery business.

The Howards’ philanthropic efforts were widespread as they often permitted non-profits to use the venue for events. It’s only fitting that Peter’s creativity, warm personality, and a passion for expansion of scientific development has led to this endowment for students in the years ahead to honor his legacy.

If you’re an employer in the wine, viticulture, and agricultural tourism industry and would like to hire our students for internships using this program, contact Karen DeLong at [email protected] for more information.