Agriculture tour hits Bradley County

photo Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson fields questions from a crowd of over 100 farmers and agricultural students on Thursday at the Tri-State Exhibition Center in Bradley County.
Arkansas-Ole Miss Live Blog

BY THE NUMBERSBradley County agriculture• 959 -- Total number of farms• 95,602 -- Acres in farms• 100 -- Average acres in farms• $98,461,000 -- Market value of agricultural products• $102,671-- Average sales per farmSource: Bradley County Mayor's Office/2007 Census of Agriculture

McDONALD, Tenn. -- State officials want to know how they can better serve the people and businesses that form the core of Tennessee's agricultural economy.

"The worst thing that agricultural leadership can do, in my opinion, is stay in Nashville, Tennessee," said Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson.

On Thursday, Bradley County's Tri-State Exhibition Center hosted a "listening session" conducted by Tennessee agriculture officials that drew more than 100 agricultural producers and students.

Johnson urged the audience to cultivate a region-based outlook toward agricultural business growth and to voice concerns over faraway matters that could affect them at home, such as the condition of the nation's river transportation networks.

Increasing the profitability of the state's agribusinesses, which comprise a significant proportion of the Tennessee economy, and ensuring they do not move overseas are major priorities, Johnson said.

"We're trying to redouble what we do, to focus our resources on making agriculture a dynamic industry, a changing industry," said Joe Gaines, the assistant commissioner for market development for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

The state agricultural mission comes down to a few key objectives, officials said: increasing income for agriculturists and increasing the number of jobs within the agricultural economy.

Strategies in the coming year revolve around the recruitment of agricultural and forestry businesses within the state, small business development, interest in locally grown foods and public safety, Gaines said.

He said one of the tools to achieve the objectives is the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program, a cost-share incentive program for long-term investments in livestock and farming operations.

Several members in the audience acknowledged they had participated in the program and found it beneficial.

The audience also discussed other matters with officials, including issues regarding immigrant worker policy, development of regional brand-name goods and addressing "pink slime" public concerns in the beef industry.

Immigrant policy is ultimately a federal issue that must be decided in Washington, Johnson said. However it is addressed, he said, a considerable portion of the state's agricultural industry depends on immigrant workers.

The recent uproar over so-called pink slime -- a beef product used as filler within ground beef -- was an out-of-control "locomotive" launched through social media that "was one of the biggest frauds put on the American public," Johnson said. The Food and Drug Administration approves of the filler, he said, but it was impossible to counter Internet accusations launched against the product.

At the meeting, state officials also underscored the importance of agribusiness within local and statewide economies.

"Agriculture is very important [to Bradley County]," said Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis. "The last time I saw any of the numbers, we ranked No. 1 in East Tennessee and No. 3 across the state."

"Agriculture is growing in Tennessee, but agriculture is also growing Tennessee," Johnson said.

Upcoming Events