Northern Tennessee Farmer’s Association Cooperative Farmers Market Project

Northern Tennessee Farmer’s Association Cooperative Farmers Market Project

Summary

Fresh market enterprises offer alternative crop choices to help offset the revenue lost from tobacco in the middle Tennessee area. The Northern Tennessee Farmers’ Association Cooperative proposes to organize and operate a centralized farmers market as a source of locally grown fruits and vegetables for people in the area. The project will help to provide local producers with the ability to sustain their farming operations.

Once established, the coop of local growers will be participating in agricultural diversification and stimulate demand for locally grown produce. They will do this by assessing the demographics of consumers and producers who participate. They will document the amount and types of produce sold. They will then compare revenues with the amounts lost from tobacco to demonstrate (hopefully) the ability of the project to replace lost tobacco income. The project involves a group of 32 members, their wives and children. This is roughly 120 people directly involved in the project. These members will be the ambassadors of the project and promote its merits in helping farmers sustain and improve their present quality of life on their farms.