Center for Profitable Agriculture

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Center for Profitable Agriculture

A department in UT Extension dedicated to helping farmers grow and develop value-added enterprises

As a department in UT Extension, the Center for Profitable Agriculture provides educational programming and technical assistance to Tennessee Farmers interested in a value-added enterprise to improve farm income. Evaluating the costs of starting a new enterprise, navigating regulatory issues and identifying a potential market are some of the many challenges farmers may face when considering a valu

e-added enterprise. Specialists at the Center may be able to help in the evaluation and development process through
◾Individual enterprise analysis
◾Educational workshops and conferences
◾Educational publications and planning tools

The Center is a partnership between UT Extension and the Tennessee Farm Bureau.

08/24/2026

The August 2026 session of the Dair-ing To Learn Value-Added Webinar Series is now available to watch on YouTube! Hear from Dr. Caitlin Zaring Weir of the UT Department of Animal Science as she discusses decision support tools available to dairy producer-processors made possible by the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (SDBII).

If you missed the live webinar session, you can watch the recording on our Center's YouTube channel. Access the recording directly using the following link: https://youtu.be/sccBcE_3hII?si=edZC920njLGXT3-W.

Our next Dair-ing To Learn session is set for Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

For interested individuals who have not already registered for the Dair-ing to Learn series, please register for future sessions at https://tiny.utk.edu/dairing!

For additional information or to suggest content for future sessions, contact Alaina Boyd at [email protected].

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture | UT Extension | Dairy Programs at the University of Tennessee | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative - SDBII

08/18/2026

We are excited to announce an opportunity to visit and learn from three agritourism operations. The second Exploring Agritourism for Your Farm: On-farm Insights will take place on September 17, 2026, from 8 am to 6 pm CDT. This tour will involve three stops in Kentucky that will give insight into several aspects of agritourism, including value-added product marketing, on-farm retail, farm tours, special events and food service.
• Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese
• Chaney’s Dairy Barn
• Jackson’s Orchard

Participants will meet a bus in Cross Plains, TN (Sumner County). We will travel together to network and learn along the way with educational presentations and facilitated discussions.

Registration is $45 per person. Scholarships available for dairy producers. Lunch and ice cream will be provided. Registration is required for this event and space is limited!

This event 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.

Register now to save your space!

08/06/2026

The August 2026 Dair-ing to Learn session is less than a week away! Register now to join us and learn! 📅

Join us on Tuesday, August 11, to hear from Dr. Liz Eckelkamp and Dr. Caitlin Zaring Weir of the UT Department of Animal Science as they discuss decision support tools available to dairy producer-processors made possible by the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (SDBII).

Register for the Dair-ing to Learn Value-Added Webinar Series now at https://tiny.utk.edu/dairing.

Learn more about this webinar series and other educational events at https://tiny.utk.edu/CPAEvents. For questions about the series or for more information, contact Alaina Boyd at [email protected].

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture | UT Extension | Dairy Programs at the University of Tennessee | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative - SDBII

07/26/2026

The July 2026 session of the Dair-ing To Learn Value-Added Webinar Series is now available to watch on YouTube! Hear from Extension specialist Alaina Boyd from the UT Center for Profitable Agriculture as she discusses how to utilize YouTube Studio in order to publish video content.

If you missed the live webinar session, you can watch the recording on our Center's YouTube channel. Access the recording directly using the following link: https://youtu.be/KMxcCr61xzc?si=fLJnW-lfBBC9JSfK.

Our next Dair-ing To Learn session is set for Tuesday, August 11, 2026.

For interested individuals who have not already registered for the Dair-ing to Learn series, please register for future sessions at https://tiny.utk.edu/dairing!

For additional information or to suggest content for future sessions, contact Alaina Boyd at [email protected].

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture | UT Extension | Dairy Programs at the University of Tennessee | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative - SDBII

07/08/2026

The July 2026 Dair-ing to Learn session is only a week away! Register now to join us and learn! 📅

Join us on Tuesday, July 14, to hear from Extension specialist Alaina Boyd of the UT Center for Profitable Agriculture as she discusses how to utilize YouTube Studio tools to publish video content online.

Register for the Dair-ing to Learn Value-Added Webinar Series now at https://tiny.utk.edu/dairing.

Learn more about this webinar series and other educational events at https://tiny.utk.edu/CPAEvents. For questions about the series or for more information, contact Alaina Boyd at [email protected].

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture | UT Extension | Dairy Programs at the University of Tennessee | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative - SDBII

06/17/2026

The June 2026 session of the Dair-ing To Learn Value-Added Webinar Series is now available to watch on YouTube! Hear from Extension specialist Ty Wolaver from the UT Center of Farm Management as he discusses the "how" and "why" of farm financial recordkeeping.

If you missed the live webinar session, you can watch the recording on our Center's YouTube channel. Access the recording directly using the following link: https://youtu.be/Q72zZGeLxsw?si=Am5B7xBEM5EW3nhJ.

Our next Dair-ing To Learn session is set for Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

For interested individuals who have not already registered for the Dair-ing to Learn series, please register for future sessions at https://tiny.utk.edu/dairing!

For additional information or to suggest content for future sessions, contact Alaina Boyd at [email protected].

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture | UT Extension | Dairy Programs at the University of Tennessee | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative - SDBII | Agricultural & Resource Economics at The University of Tennessee

06/16/2026

Registration for the 2026 Southeast Value-Added Dairy Conference is now open! The 2026 SEVAD Conference will be held in Knoxville, TN, on Wednesday, July 29, through Friday, July 31. An optional pre-conference workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 29, with an optional dairy plant tour on Friday, July 31.

Conference sessions will be held on the University of Tennessee campus in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Building, located at 2431 Joe Johnson Dr, Knoxville, TN 37996.

Interested individuals are encouraged to learn more about the conference at https://tiny.utk.edu/SEVAD26.

Additional information regarding hotel reservations, travel stipends for dairy producers, and optional workshops/tours will be made available online soon at https://tiny.utk.edu/CPAEvents.

Contact Shep Stearns at [email protected] with questions.

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture | UT Extension | Dairy Programs at the University of Tennessee | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative - SDBII

06/02/2026

The June 2026 Dair-ing to Learn session is only a week away! Register now to join us and learn! 📅

Join us on Tuesday, June 9, to hear from Extension specialist Ty Wolaver from the UT Center of Farm Management as he discusses the "how" and "why" of farm financial recordkeeping.

Register for the Dair-ing to Learn Value-Added Webinar Series now at https://tiny.utk.edu/dairing.

Learn more about this webinar series and other educational events at https://tiny.utk.edu/CPAEvents. For questions about the series or for more information, contact Alaina Boyd at [email protected].

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture | UT Extension | Dairy Programs at the University of Tennessee | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative - SDBII

05/19/2026

The May 2026 session of the Dair-ing To Learn Value-Added Webinar Series is now available to watch on YouTube! Hear from Dr. Mark Morgan and Dr. Damla Dag of the Department of Food Science - University of Tennessee as they discuss updates and clarifications to the current Tennessee Food Freedom Act.

If you missed the live webinar session, you can watch the recording on our Center's YouTube channel. Access the recording directly using the following link: https://youtu.be/wSUND6Tadec?si=X5thUk5JOnJAT0_Y.

Our next Dair-ing To Learn session is set for Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

For interested individuals who have not already registered for the Dair-ing to Learn series, please register for future sessions at https://tiny.utk.edu/dairing!

For additional information or to suggest content for future sessions, contact Alaina Boyd at [email protected].

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture | UT Extension | Dairy Programs at the University of Tennessee | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative - SDBII

05/18/2026

Dairy farmers, value-added dairy producer-processors, and technical assistance providers from TN, NC, KY, and surrounding southeastern states who are interested in attending the 2026 American Cheese Society Annual Conference are encouraged to apply for a travel scholarship to be used towards attendance at the conference offered by the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative - SDBII.

Selected individuals will be reimbursed up to $1,500 to help defray registration and selected travel expenses to attend. Applications for travel assistance are due by May 27, 2026, to allow selected participants to register for the event in a timely manner.

This year's ACS Annual Conference will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, from July 7 - 10.

For more information about the American Cheese Society Conference, visit https://www.cheesesociety.org/conference/2026-conference.

For more information on SDBII Travel Scholarships and to apply, visit tiny.utk.edu/ACS2026.

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture | UT Extension | Dairy Programs at the University of Tennessee

Address

850 Lion Parkway
Columbia, TN
38401

Telephone

+19314862777

Website

https://cpa.tennessee.edu/

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