Rob Holland, program coordinator for the Center for Profitable Agriculture’s new cooperative development emphasis, has announced that the Center will be working closely with two farmer groups as pilot projects in the coming months. A group of beef cattle producers from East Tennessee and a group of row-crop and tobacco farmers from Middle Tennessee will serve as the Center’s pilot projects.

“We are excited about getting to know the members of these groups and meeting with them as they identify win-win opportunities that exist from cooperating with each other” Holland said. “We’re not exactly sure how the next six to eight months will unfold but we expect to work with these groups as they consider, plan, evaluate and develop formal business structures and identify priorities and guiding objectives.” The two farmer groups were selected from a pool of nominations received during recent weeks.

Specialists from the Center will work closely with the two pilot project groups in the consideration, planning, evaluation and development of cooperative efforts where all the members can benefit by working together.

The Center’s leadership with the pilot projects is part of their one-year partnership program with the Kentucky Center for Cooperative Development (KCCD. Overall, the project will build on the CPA’s five-year success in providing direct technical assistance (feasibility, marketing and production) to farmers, entrepreneurs and groups in rural areas to create a new program emphasis in the area of “Cooperative Development.” The program is aimed at improving the understanding and application of cooperative development strategies in the state and increasing the consideration of cooperative efforts by farmers, entrepreneurs and groups in rural areas.

Contact:
Rob Holland
Center for Profitable Agriculture
The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service
931-486-2777, rwholland@utk.edu, http://cpa@utk.edu