A series of specialty crop profiles were developed as a collaborative effort between the University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification and the University of Tennessee Center for Profitable Agriculture as part of a project titled Developing and Utilizing Crop Profiles for Tennessee Specialty Crop Growers. The project was undertake from 2018 to 2021 and made possible in part by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant USDA-AMS-TN-SCBGP-G-18-0003. The crop profiles and other specialty crop educational resources were utilized as the basis for teaching in various outreach sessions with specialty crop growers and agricultural leaders.
Crop Profiles
The following specialty crop profiles were developed for the multi-state collaborative project between the Center for Profitable Agriculture and the Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification:
Growing and Marketing Mushrooms in Tennessee: Basic Considerations
by Brett Wolff and Matt Ernst
University of Kentucky, Center for Crop Diversification
December 2022
Cider Apples in Tennessee: Basic Considerations
by Brett Wolff
University of Kentucky, Center for Crop Diversification
October 2021
High Tunnel Overview
by Matt Ernst and Christy Cassady
University of Kentucky, Center for Crop Diversification
July 2021
Cut Flower Production in Tennessee
by Matt Ernst, Rachel Painter, Celeste Scott and the University of Kentucky, Center for Crop Diversification
June 2021
Culinary Herb Production in Tennessee
by Matt Ernst and the University of Kentucky, Center for Crop Diversification
May 2020
Garden Mum Production in Tennessee
by Matt Ernst and the University of Kentucky, Center for Crop Diversification
October 2020
Commercial Production of Elderberry
by Matt Ernst, Rachel Painter and the University of Kentucky, Center for Crop Diversification
May 2023
Other Specialty Crop Profiles
The following crop profiles were selected for use in various Tennessee Extension outreach efforts aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of specialty crop growers:
Other Valuable Resources
Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification
Many crop profiles and other valuable resources for specialty crop growers in Tennessee are available from the Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification
Four one-hour webinar sessions were held in July 2021 focusing on specialty crops. This project work was made possible in part by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant USDA-AMS-TM-SCBGP-G-18-0003.
Garden Mum Production in Tennessee
Growing Cut Flowers in Tennessee
These four sessions were recorded as in-service trainings for Extension Agents in Tennessee from November 2021 – January 2022. This work was made possible in part by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through a USDA-AMS-Tennessee Specialty Crop Block Grant. These sessions cover production practices and budget information on berry production, tree nuts, hops production and vegetable in Tennessee.
Berry Production (Strawberries, Blackberries and Blueberries)
Tree Nuts (Persimmons, Pecans, Pawpaw and Pomegranates)
Considerations for Producing and Marketing Hops in Tennessee