UT: Free Workshops To Help Farmers Elevate Farm Brands

In today's ever-evolving agricultural landscape, effective branding has become an indispensable tool for direct farm marketers, value-added agriculture entrepreneurs, and agritourism operators seeking to establish and grow sustainable businesses.

"Recognizing this crucial need, we are proud to present a comprehensive workshop designed to empower local farmers with the knowledge and tools necessary to cultivate strong and impactful brands," said Jeanie Lim, associate professor in the University of Tennessee Knoxville Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management.

The Elevate your Farm Brand workshop, offered through the UT Institute of Agriculture Center for Profitable Agriculture, will delve deep into the fundamentals of successful branding. Participants will gain valuable insights into:

• Developing a compelling brand narrative
• Identifying and capturing your niche
• Crafting a memorable brand identity
• Creating effective communication and marketing strategies

This educational event offers an opportunity for a practical exploration designed to guide participants in applying these principles to their own farms. The workshop also will feature an example of brand development from the newly-opened UT Creamery.

Agriculture entrepreneurs of all experience levels are welcome.

"We are excited to collaborate with colleagues from the UT Knoxville Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management; UT Extension Family and Consumer Sciences; and UT Creamery to support agricultural producers in creating their farm brands or take their existing brands to the next level," said Megan Bruch Leffew, marketing specialist with the Center for Profitable Agriculture.

This free workshop will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. local time in three locations in the state (the same material will be presented at each location): March 1 in Knoxville, March 5 in Jackson, and March 6 in Murfreesboro. Lunch will be provided.

The Elevate Your Farm Brand Workshop will fulfill one (of two) Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) Producer Diversification educational requirements 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.

Funding for these workshops has been made possible through the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service.

Pre-registration is required at least five business days prior to each workshop. Registration is now open at tiny.utk.edu/branding. Find additional workshop details at tiny.utk.edu/CPAevents.

If you have questions about the workshop, contact Leffew at mleffew@utk.edu or 931-486-2777.

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.