Designed to help Tennessee’s farmers markets and the sale of fresh, locally made goods, the state’s Pick Tennessee program celebrated its 25th anniversary during a Wednesday event at Downtown Bristol’s State Street Farmers Market.
“Fresh and local produce is a higher quality product,” Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson said as complimented city officials on their market’s continued success. “We all know that and today we are trying to do our best to promote Tennessee grown fruits and vegetables.”
Agriculture continues to be the state’s largest industry, said Johnson, who estimates its total economic impact at $78 billion each year once the money spent on outside-the-gate services like labor, processing, and transporting the goods to stores and restaurants are added in to the mix.
With this economic impact in mind, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture launched its Pick Tennessee program to highlight locally raised and produced agricultural goods like cheese, Christmas trees, honey, fruits and vegetables, meats, milk, sauces, salsas and wines.
Pick Tennessee spokeswoman Tammy Algood said the program started by putting signs up marking the state’s agricultural products in grocery stores that carried them and has since grown to include a website showing people where they can find local products.
That website – www.PickTnProducts.com – features information about more than 1,500 farmers, farmers markets and roadside stands across the state. Algood said it gets at least 20,000 unique visitors each month and those people look at an average of five pages each visit they make.
The program’s marketing materials also include a cookbook that Algood put together and a series of recipe cards showing meals that can be made using fresh fruits and vegetables common across the state.
Algood handed these materials out during the event in Bristol, which she said was the third in a series of 10 stops state agriculture officials plan to make as they celebrate the silver anniversary this summer.
“It’s a really unique market,” Johnson said about the local farmers market, adding that he admires how it fits seamlessly into Bristol’s downtown streetscape. “I’ve never seen anything like this and it’s a true compliment to your community.”
The celebration also marked the first Wednesday afternoon the market has been open this year, said Terry Napier, Bristol Tennessee’s Parks and Recreation director.
Now in its 12th year, the market is open from 3-7 p.m. on Wednesdays through September and from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays through October.
“The farmers market is one of the best attractions that our downtown has to offer,” City Manager Jeff Broughton said.
gmclean@bristolnews.com
(276) 645-2518
On the web:
If you’re interested in learning more about what state governments are doing to promote locally raised products in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee, follow Eat Smarter Tri-Cities, the Bristol Herald Courier’s food and nutrition blog written by staff writer Mac McLean, @BHCFoodie on Twitter or go to the blog’s website at www2.tricities.com/blogs/eat-smarter-tri-cities/.
To learn more about Pick Tennessee, go to www.PickTnProducts.com
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