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Direct farm marketers and value-added agriculture entrepreneurs interested in learning more about selling products to wholesale buyers such as grocery stores, restaurants and institutions are encouraged to attend an upcoming educational program conducted by the University of Tennessee Center for Profitable Agriculture. The MarketReady: Tennessee Food Buyer Tours will be held in Northeast Tennessee and the surrounding area in late September.
The purpose of these programs is to enable direct farm marketers and value-added agriculture entrepreneurs to tour and network with food buyers at various locations in the region. Each program day will consist of at least three tour stops. Lunch will be included. It is not mandatory to attend all three program dates.
Previous buyer tour programs coordinated by the Center have been held in Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Murfreesboro. Past tour stops include Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, Whole Foods Market, MarketWagon, Rutherford Farmers Cooperative, and UT Dining Services. A series of three unique stops will be offered on each program date.
Dates and locations for the upcoming buyer tours include:
- Northeast Tennessee – Wednesday, September 24
- Boone, North Carolina – Thursday, September 25
- Abingdon, Virginia – Friday, September 26
An agenda and detailed information about tour stops will be provided to registered participants prior to the date of the program. Note that interested individuals may attend any combination of tour dates. Attendees are responsible for reserving and paying for any overnight accommodations or travel arrangements necessary to attend. Carpooling is encouraged as parking spaces may be limited. Please encourage producers to make arrangements to carpool if necessary. Transportation will be available and provided by CPA staff for attendees who do not wish to drive themselves (provided on a first-come, first-served basis).
Additional details about registration deadlines, logistics, and travel are available online at https://tiny.utk.edu/CPAEvents.
Registration is free, but pre-registration is required. A completed registration form is required for each individual attending the tour. Please register online at tiny.utk.edu/TNBuyerTour25.
Travel Scholarship for Eligible Dairy Producers
A travel scholarship is available to help defray a portion of travel costs for eligible dairy producers attending this educational program. Travel reimbursements are only available to eligible dairy producers located in the SDBII region (this includes TN, NC, VA, AL, and KY). To be considered for this travel scholarship, dairy producers must complete a registration form before the program deadline.
Eligible dairy producers receiving the scholarship must return a completed guest traveler form to CPA staff in order to receive reimbursement. All travel receipts related to this program (hotel bill, etc.) must be provided to CPA staff upon completion of travel. Transportation will be provided by CPA/SDBII staff to producers wishing to attend all three tour dates on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please contact Alaina Boyd at acboyd@utk.edu or 931-225-4689 with any questions about this program.
Funding for this program is made possible, in part, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. Additional information about the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative can be found at tiny.utk.edu/sdbii.
The UT Center for Profitable Agriculture is a partnership between UT Extension and the Tennessee Farm Bureau. Learn more about the Center online at cpa.tennessee.edu.
