Tennessee Dairy Producers Association

With the support and encouragement of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, a small group of interested dairy farmers met in Knoxville on March 12, 2009 and formed a steering committee to pursue the possibility of forming a dairy producer association for the State of Tennessee. The steering committee consisted of John Bayless, Milton Beard, David & Deborah Boyd, Tommy Gentry, Steve Harrison, Phillip Kelley, Roy Major, Gary Martin, Mac Pate, John Neil Scarlett, Johnny Sparkman and Tony White, who was elected chairperson of the committee.

Thus began the formation of the Tennessee Dairy Producers Association. The purpose of the organization is to become the voice of Tennessee dairymen across the state and the objectives of the newly formed organization are:

To provide a voice direct from dairy farmers to decision makers and legislative bodies,
To provide information to all producers concerning areas that will affect the dairy industry,
To provide and foster public education and awareness about agriculture,
To monitor both sides regarding animal welfare,
To address and provide information about environmental concerns.

There are approximately 540 dairy farms in the State of Tennessee. For the first time these farmers have the opportunity to represent the industry across the state. As a unified voice representing dairy farms, Tennessee Dairy Producers Association has but one goal- to represent, support, and promote Tennessee’s dairy industry.

Please add your voice to this group. Membership is only $ 20.00 per farm, a small price to pay in order to have the opportunity to speak up, speak out and be informed. The dues will mainly be used for postage and communication purposes. All officers, members and friends of the association are volunteers providing their time and service.