Tennessee Agriculture and Farms win awards

Winners of the Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award, Discussion Meet, and Excellence in Agriculture competitions were announced at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 90th annual meeting in San Antonio.

Young farmers from around the United States competed for the awards by demonstrating knowledge of and achievement in agriculture, as well as commitment to promoting the agriculture industry.

Donald and Alicia Blankenship of Tennessee won the Achievement Award. They are the winners of a 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck, courtesy of Dodge, and a $1,000 product voucher from Valvoline. They also received free registration to the 2009 AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference in Sacramento, Calif.

Dan and Cara June Strasser of Tennessee won the Excellence in Agriculture Award. They received a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck and free registration to the YF&R Leadership Conference.

Read the entire news HERE.

Agritourism Conference in Tennessee

The 2009 Tennessee Agritourism Conference is set for Jan. 26-27 at the Chattanooga Marriott and Convention Center.

“This conference has become a ‘must attend’ event for many of the state’s most serious agritourism farmers, who continually upgrade their professional skills and their farms’ attractions,” says Pamela Bartholomew, agritourism coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

“For aspiring agritourism farmers, the conference is a way to begin to assess whether they and their farm operations are well suited to this new farm business. New or prospective farmers get the chance to spend lots of time with experienced operators who can share plenty of useful stories and ideas. That makes getting started less costly in terms of time, dollars and anxiety.”

The term agritourism refers to the increasingly popular part of the agriculture industry that involves inviting the public directly onto the farm for activities or farm products.

Read the entire story in the Southeast Farm Press.