Tennessee

Tennessee is known for country, and it's agricultural landscape definitely lives up to the hype. In 2022 the state ranked in the top 20 cattle producers in America, generating 1.75 million cattle, 893,000 of which were designated beef cattle. Tennessee has over 10.7 million acres of farmland, 2.6 million acres of permanent pasture, and 69.5 active farms. In true southern fashion, the state also generates a significant amount of chickens, hogs, sheep, and goats.

Mono-crops make up around 5.3 million acres of farmland, generating crops such as soybeans, corn, and wheat. The state also generates cotton, tobacco, hay and alfalfa.

Tennessee has seen a sharp decline of farms over the last 15 years, losing upwards of 10,000 farms since 2007 but doing so with little to no loss in farm acreage, indicating that the land was likely inducted into the surrounding, preexisting farms.

To date, nearly 2,100 farms in the state of Tennessee have been certified by the Tennessee Century Farms Programs as being owned by the same family for over 100 years. This is a major accomplishment, as are the steps the state is taking to promote and support rural conservation. By sourcing directly from family owned, sustainable farms, we are not only gaining access to the most nutrient dense food at the most economical prices, we are doing our part to conserve rural farmland as well. Rural conservation is important for upholding the integrity of the land, the quality of the food, the independence of the people, and the success of the local economy.