Cancellation Policy:
The entire registration fee will be charged for educational program cancellations made after the registration deadline. The entire registration fee will also be charged for any registration participant who does not attend the event. Educational programs include events such as trainings, seminars, workshops, tours, webinars and conferences.
Farm to Fork: Considerations for Direct-to-Consumer Beef Sales Webinar Series
Description
This free, six-session webinar series will share information to help producers directly market beef to consumers. Sessions will cover topics including regulations for marketing live animals for custom-exempt processing and meat, genetic considerations for beef production, finishing cattle effectively, how to pencil out your potential for profit, pricing considerations, what producers need to know about their product, tips for working with processors, marketing resources and assistance available.
Sessions will be recorded in case interested participants are unable to join during the live presentation. Links to recordings will be shared with registered participants.
Dates, Times and Location
Sessions will be held via Zoom on Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm CST/7-9pm EST beginning February 10 through March 24, 2026, except for a break on March 3.
- February 10
Begin with the End in Mind: Consumer Perceptions, Marketing Considerations and Resources – Megan Leffew, Center for Profitable Agriculture, and Valerie Bass, Tennessee Beef Industry Council
Beef Check-Off Rules for Direct Farm Marketers – Valerie Bass
What You Need to Know About Your Product – Kelly Vierck, UT Extension, Department of Animal Science - February 17
Penciling Out Your Potential for Profit – Charley Martinez, UT Extension Department of Ag and Resource Economics
Basic Retail and Wholesale Meat Regulations – Megan Leffew - February 24
Genetic Considerations for Beef Production – Troy Rowan, UT Extension, Department of Animal Science
Finishing Cattle Effectively on Grass or Grain – Katie Mason, UT Extension, Department of Animal Science - March 3 – No Session
- March 10
Business License and Sales Tax Considerations – Kortni Blalock, Center for Profitable Agriculture
Pricing Considerations and Tools – Ty Wolaver, UT Extension, Center of Farm Management - March 17
Risk Management Considerations – Megan Leffew
Resources from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture – Jacob Tipton, Tennessee Department of Agriculture - March 24
Producer and Processor Experiences Panel – Moderated and Coordinated by Anthony Shelton, UT Extension
Registration
Register for this free series here.
TAEP Eligibility
Producers participating in the live sessions or viewing recordings of at least five of the webinars and completing the feedback/attendance form for each session by April 30, 2026 will receive one educational credit for the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Producer Diversification Cost-Share for the agritourism and value-added sectors. Questions about TAEP should be directed to the TAEP Producer Diversification Coordinator at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture at producer.diversification@tn.gov.
Questions?
Contact Megan Bruch Leffew at mleffew@utk.edu or Anthony Shelton at ashelton@utk.edu.
Exploring Agritourism for Your Farm: On-farm Insights Tour
Description
Join us as we take learning on the road. We will visit three agritourism operations to see them in action and learn about their experience offerings, factors of success, lessons learned and more.
Funding for this program is made possible, in part, through the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. Additional information about the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative can be found at https://tiny.utk.edu/sdbii.
Date, Times and Location
The tour will take place on March 25, 2026 from 9am to 5pm CST. Participants will meet at a designated location in Franklin, TN (communicated a few days prior to the event to registered participants) and visit three stops in Middle Tennessee.
1. Hatcher Family Dairy
2. Nash Family Creamery
3. Lucky Ladd Farms
Registration
Space is limited! Registration is $35 per person and includes transportation to/from the meeting point in Franklin and lunch. Register here.
Dairy producers may use the promotional code DAIRY2026 for free registration.
TAEP Eligibility
Producers participating in the event will receive one educational credit toward the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement (TAEP) Producer Diversification Cost-Share for the agritourism, fruits and vegetables or value-added sectors. Questions about TAEP should be directed to the TAEP Producer Diversification Coordinator at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture at producer.diversification@tn.gov.
Questions?
Contact Shelby Corwin at shebwest@utk.edu.
Dair-ing To Learn Value-Added Webinar Series
Description
Educational sessions to help direct farm marketers and value-added agriculture entrepreneurs analyze, develop, and grow their enterprises. While the program especially targets value-added dairy producers, all are welcome and encouraged to participate!
Date, Time, and Location
All sessions will be held on the second Tuesday of each month via Zoom at 11:30 AM CDT / 12:30 PM EDT:
January 13, 2026 – “Selling Smart: Business Licenses and Sales Tax Made Simple” – Kortni Blalock, UT Center for Profitable Agriculture
February 10, 2026 – “Making the Most of Milk at the Market” – Liz Mooneyham, UT Center for Profitable Agriculture
March 10, 2026 – “Simplifying Soap and Cosmetic Regulations for Value-Added Producers” – Alaina Boyd, UT Center for Profitable Agriculture
April 14, 2026 – “Digital Marketing Strategies for Farm Businesses” – Alaina Boyd, UT Center for Profitable Agriculture
May 12, 2026 – Session Title TBA – Dr. Mark Morgan, UT Department of Food Science
June 9, 2026 – Session Title TBA – Ty Wolaver, UT Center of Farm Management
July 14, 2026 – “YouTube Studio Basics for Publishing Video Content” – Alaina Boyd, UT Center for Profitable Agriculture
August 11, 2026 – Session Title TBA – Dr. Liz Eckelkamp and Dr. Caitlin Zaring Weir, UT Department of Animal Science
September 8, 2026 – “NAFMDA Lessons Learned” – 2026 NAFDMA Professional Development Scholarship Recipients
October 13, 2026 – “Considerations for Packaging and Labeling of Value-Added Dairy Products” – Alaina Boyd, UT Center for Profitable Agriculture
November 10, 2026 – “Considerations for Starting a Value-Added Agriculture Enterprise” – Kortni Blalock, UT Center for Profitable Agriculture
December 8, 2026 – “Tips for Managing Social Media Accounts and Brand Safety” – Alaina Boyd, UT Center for Profitable Agriculture
Registration
Registration is free, but pre-registration is required.
Please register here at tiny.utk.edu/dairing.
Past Recordings
View the YouTube playlist of past Dair-ing to Learn sessions here.
Questions?
Contact Alaina Boyd at 931-486-2777 ext 126 or acboyd@utk.edu.
TAEP Eligibility
Producers participating in at least five (5) sessions per calendar year (January – December 2026) will fulfill one Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) Producer Diversification educational requirement for the following Producer Diversification sectors: Agritourism, Fruits and Vegetables, and Value-Added. Questions about TAEP should be directed to the TAEP Producer Diversification Coordinator at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture at producer.diversification@tn.gov. To receive credit, participants must either attend the live sessions or view recordings AND submit the evaluation/attendance for all sessions by December 31, 2026.
Funding for this program is made possible, in part, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. Additional information about the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative can be found at https://tiny.utk.edu/sdbii.
Workshop Flyer:
SDBII Pacific Northwest Experiential Learning Course
Description
Dairy farmers, value-added dairy producer-processors, and industry partners from TN, NC, KY, and surrounding southeastern states are invited to join UT Extension this spring as part of a Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (SDBII) experiential learning course.
The course itinerary includes stops at various farms where participants will learn directly from farm owners and staff about a variety of topics, such as on-farm marketing, product packaging, and agritourism. These sessions are intended to help value-added entrepreneurs analyze, develop, and grow their farm enterprises.
While the program especially targets value-added dairy producers, interested technical assistance providers and industry partners are encouraged to apply.
Date, Time, and Location
The Pacific Northwest Experiential Learning Course will take place April 24 – 30, 2026.
Course participants will begin in the Medford, OR area and travel across Oregon for four days of educational programming, including visits to cheese processing facilities, creameries, and other value-added dairy enterprises.
Registration
Pre-registration is required to participate in the Pacific Northwest Experiential Learning Course, and spaces are limited. While there is no cost associated with submitting an application, submission does not guarantee admission to the program.
A completed registration form is required for each individual who wishes to participate in the program.
The deadline to apply for a seat in this learning course is February 15, 2026, at 5 PM ET.
Please complete an application form online at https://tiny.utk.edu/PacificNWApp.
Age Limit for Event
Participation in this course is limited to individuals at least twenty-one years of age (21+) from currently permitted dairy businesses, or dairy businesses that are within one year of becoming a permitted dairy business.
Questions?
Contact Alaina Boyd at 931-225-4689 or acboyd@utk.edu.
Workshop Flyer:
Exploring Agritourism for Your Farm Webinar Series
Description
If you are interested in exploring agritourism for your farm or are looking to learn more to help your existing operation, kick off the new year with a free, five-session webinar series. The series will introduce you to agritourism opportunities and challenges and discuss business planning, marketing, creating the customer experience, regulatory considerations, risk management, and available resources.
Funding for this program is made possible, in part, through the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. Additional information about the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative can be found at https://tiny.utk.edu/sdbii.
Date, Times and Location
All sessions will held via Zoom from 11am to 12:30pm CST.
January 5, 2026 Getting Started: An Introduction to Agritourism
Developing a Game Plan: Business Planning and AgPlan
January 7, 2026 Key Concepts for Successful Marketing and Branding
Creating the Customer Experience
January 9, 2026 Regulatory Considerations for Agritourism Enterprises
January 12, 2026 Assessing and Managing Risk
Resources for Your Farm
January 14, 2026 Entrepreneur Experiences and Q&A
Registration
Register online here. Registration is free.
TAEP Eligibility
Producers participating in at least four of the sessions either live or by viewing recordings and who submit session evaluations by February 28, 2026 will receive one educational credit toward the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement (TAEP) Producer Diversification Cost-Share for the agritourism, fruits and vegetables or value-added sectors. Questions about TAEP should be directed to the TAEP Producer Diversification Coordinator at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture at producer.diversification@tn.gov.
Questions about the Webinar Series?
Contact Megan Bruch Leffew at mleffew@utk.edu.
