Thanks to funds made available from the sale of agriculture licence plates, a new set of educational resources are available across the state–primarily in county Agricultural Extension Service offices. The new educational centers were made possible through a year-long program developed and implemented by The University of Tennessee’s Agricultural Development Center to enhance the growth of the value-added agriculture industry in Tennessee. This program was funded in part with revenues generated from the sales of agriculture license plates.

The “Ag Tag” grant program is administered by The Market Development Division of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. The “Ag Tag” program supports agricultural youth organizations and agricultural and forestry awareness, education and marketing programs. Stanley Trout, Chief of Marketing Services with the Tennessee Department of agriculture said, “This project is a good example of Market Development programs made possible through partnerships between the Agricultural Development Center and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. The educational resources in these centers will make information on value-added enterprise development available in communities across the state.”

The ADC is comprised of a team of specialists who work to increase the value of Tennessee’s economy through new, expanded and improved processing and marketing of value-added agricultural and aquacultural products.

The resource centers are stocked with educational materials developed primarily by specialists in the ADC and feature information to enhance the growth of Tennessee’s value-added agriculture industry.