A meeting entitled Tennessee Farm and Ferment will be held in Murfreesboro on January 4th. Extension Agent Rachel Painter told WGNS news...

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UT Extension, along with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and craft beverage industry associations and guilds will host a meeting to bring brewers, distillers, winemakers, and industry partners together with farmers for a day of learning and networking. Tennessee Farm and Ferment will be held at the Rutherford County Extension office on January 4th beginning at 8:30 am.

The day will begin with morning coffee and refreshments compliments of Tennessee Corn. UT Extension will offer a welcome by UT System President Randy Boyd followed by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture with industry initiatives and updates. The Tennessee Distillers Guild, Craft Brewers Guild, and Tennessee Wines will lead a panel discussion to discuss utilizing locally grown products in beverages. Lunch will be provided by the Tennessee Pork Producers and Tennessee Beef. After lunch, each association will have a business meeting while agricultural producers hear from Extension specialists and farmers about growing corn and barley for craft beverages and economic considerations. There will be an optional tour at MTSU beginning at 4 pm with the Fermentation Science department looking at the utilization of local crop inputs on the flavor profile of beverages. Industry professionals will be present to answer questions and help you form connections throughout the day.

The meeting is free and open to anyone interested in the craft beverage industry in Tennessee – growing crop inputs, making wine, beer, or distilled spirits, and using spent grain byproducts.

To attend, you must register using the google form: tiny.utk.edu/FarmandFerment

Please contact Rachel Painter at rpainter@utk.edu with any questions.