Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: corn, hemp, hops
- Animals: bovine, poultry
- Animal Products: meat
Practices
- Animal Production: meat processing, meat processing facilities, meat product quality/safety
- Crop Production: food processing, food product quality/safety
- Education and Training: display, extension, workshop
- Farm Business Management: agricultural finance, budgets/cost and returns, value added
- Sustainable Communities: quality of life, sustainability measures
Abstract:
The University of Tennessee Extension and Tennessee State University are committed to providing opportunities for training of Extension Agents and Specialists in the area of sustainable agriculture. In the coming year the state coordinators, program assistant and the new SARE Advisory Committee will work together to identify needs and address those areas where Extension professionals lack training concerning sustainable agriculture practices. Additional methods to use in order to determine the future of the SARE program will include, surveying agents, visiting with Extension regional agriculture program leaders, and agency partners. The program assistant will focus upon bringing awareness of the SARE Professional Development Program (PDP) to Extension agents and how it can benefit their county or area educational programming. Extension agents and specialists who attend training to learn more about sustainable agriculture, will be expected to report to the program assistant their experiences and information they learned. This will supply a major portion of the SARE annual report and will also enable the state coordinators and the program assistant the ability to make changes or adjustments in the PDP. The program assistant will also look for opportunities to promote SARE through scheduled in-service trainings and with regional professional association meetings, with sponsorship of two regional meetings per year. The program assistant will work closely with Southern SARE to make sure the programming efforts in Tennessee are:
- aligned properly with the overall mission of SARE
- meeting the needs of Extension Agents and Specialists who want to increase their level of knowledge of sustainable agriculture
- assisting Extension Agents and Specialists in passing the information they have gained to their local producers
Project objectives:
The overall objectives for the state SARE program will be overseen and developed in conjunction with the state co-coordinators, program assistant and advisory committee. The state plan will be based on local needs and will continue to grow in order to convey to agents and specialists the newest and latest knowledge on sustainable agriculture. Outreach will continue to be a key component of the state plan. Keeping agents informed of opportunities within SARE as it relates to programs targeted to livestock, marketing, sustainability, vegetables and cover crops is needed in order to ensure success of the state model program. New and emerging issues will be noted as they arise and adjustments to programs and plans may be needed to address these new issues.