News Release
For Immediate Release — February 2, 2011
Meetings Will Highlight Market Opportunities for Local Farmers
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The demand for locally grown produce is increasing, and more farmers are needed to meet the demand.
Farmers are invited to attend either of two meetings to learn how they can expand their markets, diversify their crops and increase their profitability with a focus on organic crops for wholesale and direct markets. The meetings, sponsored by University of Tennessee Extension and Appalachian Sustainable Development, will take place Thursday, February 17, in Johnson City, and again on Thursday, February 24 on the UT agricultural campus in Knoxville. Both meetings begin at 7 p.m. and are co-sponsored by Rural Resources and CAFÉ.
The February 17 meeting in Johnson City is at the First Tennessee Development District office in Johnson City, 2311 North Roan Street. (This is a round, brick building.) The February 24 meeting will be on the UT agricultural campus in the Plant Biotech Building, Room 410. The address is 2505 Chapman Dr., Knoxville, TN. More information will soon be available online at http://organics.tennessee.edu.
Whether you are new to farming, transitioning from tobacco or an experienced vegetable grower, you will learn about the UT Organic and Sustainable Crop Production Program and the training and technical assistance it offers. In addition, information on the resources available to growers from Appalachian Harvest, Rural Resources, CAFE and others in the region that provide large, secure markets for a wide range of vegetable and fruit crops, including organic, will be available. Additional topics to be covered include growing for both wholesale and direct markets, from a farmer’s perspective, and resources available to help growers meet food safety and organic growing requirements.
In 2007, the University of Tennessee, in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, launched a statewide organic agriculture initiative. The intent of this initiative is to involve more Tennessee farmers in organic production to increase farm income and to provide an alternative to keep the family farm in the family. Organic production has the potential to increase profits by reducing the use of off-farm inputs and providing consumers with locally-grown, high-quality organic products in a rapidly growing market where the demand is greater than the supply.
Over the past 10 years, Appalachian Harvest has built partnerships with Ingles, Earth Fare and other major supermarkets, while Rural Resources and CAFÉ have developed markets in schools, restaurants and other local institutions. These buyers, along with local farmers markets, want more local foods. Dr. Annette Wszelaki, UT Extension vegetable specialist, says more farmers are needed to meet this demand. She invites all interested growers to attend a meeting on either February 17or 24 to learn more about these opportunities.
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UT Extension operates in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties as the off-campus division of the UT Institute of Agriculture. An educational outreach organization, funded by federal, state and local governments, UT Extension, in cooperation with Tennessee State University, brings research-based information about agriculture, family and consumer sciences, and community development to the people of Tennessee where they live and work.
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Contacts:
Dr. Annette Wszelaki, UT Extension, 865-974-8332, annettew@utk.edu
Kathlyn Terry, Appalachian Sustainable Development, 276-623-1121, kterry@asdevelop.org