Upcoming events
Sunset Farm Tour at Kimberly Ann Farms
Join our chapter and our very gracious hosts at Kimberly Ann Farms for an evening farm tour, a Southeast TN Young Farmers quarterly meeting and a potluck. We’ll finish up the event sharing our stories and discussing how and why we tell our farming stories: to validate our experiences, to connect with others and to advocate for change.
2024 FARM OLYMPICS
Get ready for SeTNYF Farm Olympics Saturday, June 8th at Cove Creek Farm in Monteagle, TN! Food, live music, dancing, a pie-tasting contest, and a silent auction. Plus, competitive farm events!
Coordinated Production Planning Virtual Info Session
We welcome market managers, food hub coordinators, local food grocers and wholesale buyers of local food to join us in learning about Coordinated Production Planning (CPP). CPP is a numbers-focused supply planning tool for buyers and markets that involves tracking demand and meeting with farmers before the growing season to plan. This meeting will be held in collaboration with Tennessee Local Food and the Tennessee Association of Farmers Markets. Please register at tnlocalfood.org through their event page here.
Questions? Please reach out to us at setnyfcoordinator@gmail.com
‘Love for the Land’ Book Signing with Brooks Lamb
Patagonia is generously sponsoring an evening with Brooks at their store in Nashville — and partnering with the Southeast Tennessee Young Farmers Coalition to support the next generation of Tennessee farmers. Brooks will do a short reading from Love for the Land and offer a few thoughts about the state of agriculture in Tennessee and beyond. There will be good food, engaging conversation, giveaways, and more. Thanks to Patagonia’s generous contribution, the first 40 attendees who donate to the Southeast Tennessee Young Farmers Coalition will receive a complimentary copy of Love for the Land! Brooks and Patagonia are also partnering with Hank Miles Smith — an incredibly talented artist based in Memphis — to create materials for the event. To learn more about the evening and RSVP, visit this link.
"The Best Biological Bang for Your Buck": How to Create Super-Charged Compost with Low-Cost, Readily-Available Materials + Quarterly Meeting
Spend the afternoon (12-3 p.m. EST) learning how to make super-charged compost with low-cost, readily-available materials at Askew Farms in Rock Spring, GA. You'll get more insight into what makes a batch of compost "super-charged" from compost expert Krisi at Alter Eco Farm.
Enjoy a lunch on the farm, followed by a Southeast TN Young Farmers Quarterly Meeting. Then participate in a compost potluck!
If you're wondering what a "compost potluck" is...
Krisi will direct us as we pile up the inputs (manure, wood chips, grass clippings, etc.) to build a wonderful environment for our microscopic friends! Please let us know what you plan on bringing so we can be sure we'll have the essentials needed to make a supercharged batch of compost. Please see ingredient suggestions here. All compost ingredients should be measured, or approximated, in 5 gallon buckets. If you have a couple 5 gallon buckets and/or a pitchfork you can bring to use and possibly share, that would be awesome.
Please let us know what you plan on bringing, and RSVP here.
Spring Sheepers - Shearing, Lambing, and Grazing Grassfed Sheep
Join us for a tour of Summer Fields Farm, with newborn lambs jumping about and, if we’re lucky, perhaps a birth sighting!
You will also have the opportunity to learn about NRCS Conservation Stewardship Programs with District Conservationist Matthew Cody Brown.
We’ll begin with a potluck lunch (please RSVP here!) to fuel our action-packed afternoon of learning!
Ag Day on the Hill
Join our chapter Tuesday, March 19th at Ag Day on the Hill in Nashville! We're heading up to the state capital to meet with lawmakers and talk about issues facing young farmers! Having trouble finding/purchasing/staying on farmland? Want incentives for sustainable farming practices? No processing facilities nearby? Other issues where the state could help? Come have your voice be heard.
Send us an email if you're interested in attending. We've already set up some meetings with lawmakers, but we encourage you to schedule a meeting with your own state senator and/or representative as well! Our chapter will host a prep call about one week beforehand to familiarize everyone with the process. Carpool opportunities available.
Winter Working Group + Quarterly Meeting Potluck (plus tool sharpening)
Join us for our Winter Quarterly Meeting and Potluck on February 3rd at the Evelyn Center at Crabtree Farms in Chattanooga! Crabtree Farms is hosting a garden tool sharpening event beforehand, so you can start out the day by getting your tools ready for spring. Our lunch potluck will begin at 12:15 p.m. ET. and our quarterly meeting and working group session will begin at 1. We will focus on visioning and action steps for 2024. Come ready for a day of collaborative fun. We can’t wait to see you all there!
Fall Quarterly Meeting + Potluck
Join us for our Fall Quarterly Meeting and Harvest Potluck on November 12th at Gaining Ground Grocery in Chattanooga!
Our Quarterly Meeting will begin at 3 ET and will focus on reflecting on our last year of achievements against our set goals for 2023. Please come out as we'll also begin visioning for 2024 and want your voice to be heard!
Our "Farmer Friendsgiving" potluck will then begin at 5:30. Please RSVP here to let us know what dish you'll be bringing to share!
All are welcome to attend one or both parts of this event. Come ready for an evening full of fun, fellowship, and food! We can’t wait to see you all there!
This event is hosted in partnership with the Chattanooga Food Center.
Coordinated Crop Planning Meeting
Sponsored by the South Cumberland Community Fund, SETNYF is helping local growers reduce some risk by helping plan 2024 crops with local food buyers in mind. Meal Provided! Meeting will take place at Morton Memorial United Methodist in Monteagle, TN. RSVP on Eventbrite to claim your spot.
Soil Life & Your Farm: Measuring Biological Activity in Compost Extracts
Come get your soil science on with SeTNYF! Join us at Alter-Eco Farms in Hixson on to learn some basics of the soil food web. Take a look at different types of compost extracts under the microscope and start to understand what makes a great compost. To top the event off, we will take one of our samples and put it through an extractor from Hiwasee Products, making a compost extract that you can take home and try on your farm or garden (BYO-Jug)! One lucky attendee will get a free biological soil analysis in an end-of-event drawing. Click here for more details and to RSVP!
Summer Quarterly Meeting
Join us at Vuck Farm in Riceville, TN for our Summer Quarterly Meeting! This meeting will be held in conjunction with Vuck Farm's signature "Crop Mob", Farm Tour, and Brick Oven Pizza extravaganza (Task, Tour, Taste!), so come prepared to lend a hand, in addition to getting to know some cool folks and enjoying some tasty grub.
Though pizza and a farm salad will be provided, side dishes and appetizers are always appreciated! RSVP here to let us know what dish you'll bring. This event is BYOB.
SeTNYF Farm Olympics
Get ready for SeTNYF Farm Olympics Saturday, June 10 at Cove Creek Farm in Monteagle, TN! Food, live music, a pie-tasting contest, silent auction (pre-bidding here!), and bonfire. Plus, competitive farm events! Check here for more details and to RSVP.
Spring Quarterly Meeting
What better place to host a May meeting than at a flower farm? Mark your calendars for SeTNYF's Spring Quarterly Meeting + Potluck, Sunday May 7th at Southern Flora Farms in Manchester, TN. RSVP here.
Ag Day on the Hill
Join our chapter Wednesday, April 5th at Ag Day on the Hill in Nashville! We're heading up to the state capital to meet with lawmakers and talk about issues facing young farmers! Having trouble finding/purchasing/staying on farmland? Want incentives for sustainable farming practices? No processing facilities nearby? Other issues where the state could help? Come have your voice be heard.
Send us an email if you're interested in attending and/or RSVP to Thursday's prep call, where we will familiarize everyone with the process. We've already set up some meetings with lawmakers, but we encourage you to schedule a meeting with your own state senator and/or representative as well! Carpool opportunities available.
Collaborative Working Groups: Part 2
Our chapter has had many conversations about the region's need for more collaborative models in farming. What does this look like? Is it a cooperative venture? Collectively held land? A farm incubator? A tool, transportation, or labor share? Something else?
Join us at Sequatchie Cove Farm for Part 2 in our two-part facilitated working group series to take these conversations forward. Part 1 guided us through a focused visioning exercise and Part 2 will now hone in on next steps.
RSVP here.
Collaborative Working Groups: Part 1 & Winter Quarterly Meeting
Our chapter has had many conversations about the region's need for more collaborative models in farming. What does this look like? Is it a cooperative venture? Collectively held land? A farm incubator? A tool, transportation, or labor share? Something else?
Join us for Part 1 in our two-part facilitated working group series to take these conversations forward. Part 1 will guide us through a focused visioning exercise with Part 2 honing in on next steps. Working group will be followed by our winter quarterly meeting, with voting on chapter structure and new leadership to take place.
RSVP here.
Seed Swap
Pack some seeds to share and come on out to celebrate National Seed Swap Day at Crabtree Farms! This event, hosted by the City of Chattanooga, will feature a seed swap, gardening and art-making workshops, live music, and a bonfire.
Mainx24 Parade + Prep
Join our chapter as we walk alongside Crabtree Farms, Chattanooga Food Center, and Main St. Market at the Mainx24 Parade. We want to show the city of Chattanooga the energy behind the local food movement!
Poster-making party will take place at Crabtree Farms Tuesday, November 29 at 5:00pm ET.
Send a message to Melonie Lusk if you’re interested in participating in either event!
Fall Quarterly Meeting
We’re headed into the city! Join us for our quarterly meeting and potluck, plus a tour of Urban Horticulture Supply in Chattanooga.
RSVP here and let us know what dish you’re bringing!
Overseeding with Randall
Couldn't make it out to our pasture walk even with Greg Brann? Still interested in innovative yet simple ways to improve your pasture? Join us for an evening with Randall Tomlinson of Sequatchie Cove Creamery, as he walks us through (literally) his overseeding strategy!
If you're a born grass farmer, this is one you can't miss! RSVP here
What's GRAIN Got To Do With It?
Join us for a weekend of discussions on how grain has, and continues to, shape our world, followed by a conversation with local stakeholders on working together to build a regional grainshed. For more information and schedule of events, please visit Sequatchie Cove Farm’s events page.
To attend Friday’s session, please register here.
To attend Saturday’s session, please register here.
Collective Farm Workdays
As a chapter, we believe in collectivizing as a tool to approach challenges in farming. This fall, we will be organizing a handful of collective farm workdays on a variety of area farms. Activities may include garlic planting, corn harvesting, sorghum processing, and hoop house skinning or repair. All activities are highly weather-dependent, so exact dates will be decided on short notice.
If you are interested in participating, please sign up here.
Pasture and Animal Management
Join us for a pasture walk and conversation with synergistic grazing specialist Greg Brann and local NRCS staff Cody Brown. Our discussion will focus on best practices for land and animal management, while also touching on actionable next steps and relevant opportunities through NRCS.
RSVP here via Eventbrite.
Summer Quarterly Meeting
Join us for our chapter’s quarterly meeting + potluck, complemented by a farm tour/baby chick meet-and-greet and (weather-dependent) pool swim, all hosted by Feathers & Fruit farm! RSVP here with a dish to share.
Please note: Soddy-Daisy is in Eastern time zone. Event will begin at 1PM Eastern/12PM Central.
Land Access Discussion Part II + River Swim
Join us at Sequatchie Cove Farm for a dip in the river, plus Part II in our Land Access Discussion Series. Kristina Rossi Villa from Agrarian Trust will be leading a discussion about land access issues and creative solutions.
This event will be potluck style, so please RSVP here if attending in-person and sign-up for a dish to share.
The presentation will be live-streamed and recorded via Zoom for those unable to attend in person. Please RSVP here if attending online.
Spring Quarterly Meeting
Join us for a farm tour, potluck, and our chapter’s quarterly meeting at Land to Table Farm!