The Center for Profitable Agriculture, along with UT Extension state and area specialists, will conduct an educational program on specialty crops in Smith County on March 2, 2022, titled “Considerations for Growing and Marketing Specialty Crops in Tennessee”. This workshop, part of a statewide series, will focus on addressing basic production and marketing considerations for specialty crops. 

Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. “Specialty crops are an important part of the agriculture landscape in Tennessee, and this series of workshops should be helpful to established producers as well as those looking for a start in an agriculture venture,” says Troy Dugger, Program Coordinator for the Center for Profitable Agriculture, located in Columbia, Tennessee. 

The specialty crop to be included in this program are the “berry” crops: strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. UT Fruit & Nut Specialist Dr. Dave Lockwood will be on hand to discuss production-related information, and Area Farm Management Specialist Les Humpal will join us to discuss budgets and economic considerations of berry production.

The 2-hour session will be held on March 2 at 11:00 a.m. at the Smith County Chamber of Commerce. A catered meal will be provided, but you must pre-register to attend. Pre-register for this free workshop by calling the UT Extension office at 615-735-2900 by February 25.

If you’d rather join us on Zoom, you can do so by signing up at tiny.utk.edu/berry.

The Center for Profitable Agriculture is a joint effort of University of Tennessee Extension and the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation. UT Extension provides a gateway to the University of Tennessee as the outreach unit of the UT Institute of Agriculture. With an office in every Tennessee county, UT Extension delivers educational programs and research-based information to citizens throughout the state.