News Release
For Immediate Release — June 13, 2008
New Online Directory Can Help Producers with Value-Added Agriculture
(Spring Hill, Tenn.) - Farmers interested in enhancing their bottom line have a new tool. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee, a new online directory catalogs resources available to help producers with their value-added enterprises, like agritourism or selling finished products such as salsa along with the produce.
A product of the Tennessee Value-Added Agriculture Priority Program, the new directory provides information in these topic areas: livestock, wood and forestry, farmers markets, agritourism, marketing, farm waste, funding and fruits and vegetables. Additional topics that are expected in the future include getting started in value-added agriculture, business planning, bottled water and wine and winery development.
The Tennessee Value-Added Agriculture Priority Program provides proactive leadership, planning and implementation for UT Extension's educational programs in value-added agriculture. The program will include cooperative efforts on grant-funded projects, creation of web-based resources, and collaboration on value-added projects. In addition, the program will provide in-service training for Extension agents and the development of a five-year plan for value-added outreach across the state.
Jennifer Dutton, Priority Team member and UT Extension marketing specialist, believes the service is much needed. As traditional agriculture becomes more difficult to earn a living, many farmers are turning to value-added enterprises to capture a higher portion of the consumer dollar, Dutton said. This website provides producers who are interested in adding value to their current farming activities with a wealth of information on a variety of topics, all in one place. It makes is easier and less time consuming to research the options and avenues that are available to them through value-added agriculture.
The Tennessee Value-Added Agriculture Priority Program is an effort spearheaded by the UT Center for Profitable Agriculture. The Center is a partnership between the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and the UT Institute of Agriculture. The Center is committed to the mission of increasing the value of Tennessee's economy through new, expanded and improved processing and marketing of agricultural, aquacultural and forestry products.
The online resource guide can be accessed through the Tennessee Value-Added Priority Teams website: http://valueaddedag.tennessee.edu. Site visitors are invited to check the site often as information is constantly being added and updated.
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Contact; Rob Holland, Director of the Center for Profitable Agriculture,
(931) 486-2777, rwholland@utk.edu
The Tennessee Value-Added Priority Team, http://valueaddedag.tennessee.edu
The UT Center for Profitable Agriculture, http://cpa.utk.edu/