Educational Events

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.​ 

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 13, 2026 – “Digital Marketing Strategies for Farm Businesses” – Alaina Boyd, UT Center for Profitable Agriculture

May 12, 2026 – “Current Tennessee Food Freedom Act – Updates and Clarifications” – 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:

2026 Tennessee Farmers Market Vendor Bootcamp Webinar Series 

Description 

Farmers interested in marketing their products directly to consumers at farmers markets, roadside stands, CSAs, and you-pick operations are encouraged to attend the Center for Profitable Agriculture’s upcoming Farmers Market Vendor Boot Camp Webinar Series.

Presentations on sales tax, e-commerce, legislative changes, pricing, and recordkeeping will be featured in the series: 

Date, Time, and Location 

All sessions will be held via Zoom for one hour beginning at 11:30 am Central/12:30 pm Eastern

March 30, 2026 – Introduction to Farmers Markets & Business Licenses and Sales Tax – Liz Mooneyham and Kortni Blalock, Center for Profitable Agriculture

April 6, 2026 – E-Commerce Essentials – Alaina Boyd, Center for Profitable Agriculture

April 13, 2026 – Tennessee Food Freedom Act 2025 – Dr. Damla Dag and Dr. Mark Morgan, UT Extension Food Science Department

April 20, 2026 – Farmers Market Food Units – Melvin Haas, Tennessee Department of Health

April 27, 2026 – Recordkeeping Tips and Tricks – Eryn Bell, Center for Farm Management 

May 4, 2026 – What Should I Charge for My Vegetables at the Market? – Dr. Margarita Velandia, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Registration 

Registration is free, but pre-registration is required. 

Please register online at tiny.utk.edu/26FMVBC.

Recording | Slides

Sessions will be recorded and added to a playlist on the Center for Profitable Agriculture’s YouTube Channel.

Please submit session evaluations after attending each live session or viewing the recording to help us plan for future events and record attendance for TAEP educational credit opportunities. Access the online evaluation form here.

Questions? 

Contact Liz Mooneyham

TAEP Eligibility 

Participants interested in receiving educational credit for the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) must attend live or view the recording of five of the six sessions and submit evaluations for each. This will fulfill one of two educational requirements for the Agritourism, Fruit & Vegetable, and/or Value-Added Products sectors. 

For more information about TAEP Producer Diversification, contact Jan Keyser at 615-837-5346. 

Workshop Flyer: