Jennifer Brown

The first Farm-City Discussion at MTSU will be held starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, and will feature dialogue about the poultry industry, agriculture in America and a free meal.

The event, sponsored by Farm Credit, will be held in Room 125 of the MTSU Stark Agribusiness and Agriscience Center, 651 Founders Lane, in the heart of campus. It is free to MTSU students and any other people who would like to attend. A printable campus map can be found at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap13-14.

This first in a series of Farm-City Discussion events highlights poultry, said Jennifer Brown, an MTSU senior from Eagleville, Tenn., who performed an internship with Farm Credit this summer. She said there will be discussion about food and grocery store labels, including organic, hormone free, cage free and more.

Warren Gill

School of Agribusiness and Agriscience chair Warren Gill added the event also “will help people know more about the food we eat.”

Brown, an agricultural business major who is minoring in political science, said event organizers are trying to reach a target audience of nonagricultural students and any others interested.

“We want people to engage in conversation,” said Brown, who added that the main focus will be on agricultural education in hopes that attendees will “take an understanding of what they’re eating away with them.”

Guest speakers for the event will include Dale Barnett, executive director of the Tennessee Poultry Association; Marsha Miller, broiler manager for Tyson Foods; and Craig Benich, general manager of Dry Creek, a division for Cobb-Vantress Inc.

Park Wells, executive director of the Tennessee Soybean Council, will provide remarks following a welcome by Rachel Davis with Farm Credit Services.

A meal prepared by members of the MTSU Block and Bridle Club will be served following the poultry discussion.

As part of Brown’s internship, she agreed to oversee the Farm-City Discussion events. She said in future years, beef (2014), pork (2015) and dairy (2016) will be the topics of discussion.

Brown said Farm-City’s mission statement is “to enhance linkages between farm families and urban residents by providing educational programs and materials about the people who grow and raise their food.”

Event sponsors include the Tennessee Soybean Association, Tyson Foods, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Farm Credit-Murfreesboro and Publix.

For more information about the poultry event, email Brown at jlb2dn@mtmain.mtsu.edu or brownjl10@yahoo.com.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)