Program Overview
The University of Tennessee, in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, has launched a statewide organic agriculture initiative. The intent of this initiative is to involve more Tennessee farmers in organic production in order 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.
News & Announcements:
NEW! Check out these items recently added to the website:
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Check out the NEW Sprouting Growers Workshops!! A free workshop series for Beginning and Potential Growers!
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Become a fan of the Organic Crop Production Unit on Facebook, and get weekly updates on events and news!
Take a virtual tour of the farm equipment on the Organic Research Farm page.
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Did you miss a workshop? Or would you like handouts of the material presented at the workshops? Look for downloadable resources under each topic on the workshop page.
UT Organic Farm Internship Program:
Are you a UT student interested in learning how to farm? We are looking for five GREAT interns to start their work on the UT Organic Farm Spring Semester 2010. The production component of the paid internship program will be 9-months long (March through November) with a 16-hour farm/market commitment per week. Interns will gain skills in business planning and management, vegetable and small fruit planning and production, and direct marketing. To learn more about the internship duties, click here. To view the presentation from the informational meeting, click here. To download an application, click here.
Click here to follow our current intern's experiences on UT Organic Farm Internship Program's blog!
Upcoming Events:
February 22, SproUTing Growers Workshop: Business Planning. Click here for more information.
February 24, March 2, March 3, Fruit and Vegetable Safety Training, Middle TN. Click here for more information.
March 5-6, 2010, 6th Annual Tennessee Organic Growers Association (TOGA) Conference, Franklin, TN. Click here for registration information.
March 8, 2010, Keep Your Cool - Planning and Production of Cool Season Crops. Click here for more information.
Save the date! This year's ORGANIC CROPS FIELD TOUR is scheduled for Thursday April 29, 2010. Stay tuned for more details.
Resource Links:
Program Contact
Annette Wszelaki
Vegetable Specialist
Dept. of Plant Sciences
2431 Joe Johnson Drive
252 Ellington Plant Sciences Bldg.
Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: (865) 974-8332
Fax: (865) 974-1947
Email: annettew@utk.edu
Find Your Local Expert
For specific questions related to organics in your county, please contact your county extension office. Click here for a directory.