Agricenter International Celebrates 45 Years of Conservation and Sustainability

Agricenter International operates the nation’s largest urban farm, right in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee. Now marking its 45th year, the nonprofit is the education, agribusiness, research and agricultural hub of the Mid-South, with an annual economic impact of $524 million.

“We serve a very large region from a research and education perspective,” says John Butler, president of Agricenter International. “We host 1.5 million people annually and had 18,000 young people on campus last year for agriculture literacy programs.”

Agricenter International’s Conservation and Sustainability Projects

The organization’s deep roots and strategic location create fertile ground for innovation with academic, industry and governmental partners on a variety of projects, including those promoting agricultural conservation and sustainability.

Farmers for Soil Health, a collaboration between the United Soybean Board, the National Pork Board and the National Corn Growers Association, promotes cover crops to improve soil health. Agricenter International is the program’s designated technical advisor for the state of Tennessee.

“Our staff works with producers across the state to help them add cover crops to their farms and fields,” Butler says, “assisting farmers with both their sustainability and profitability goals.”

Field and Forest Partnerships

Additionally, Agricenter International has been selected to partner with the USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Programs (RCPP) in Middle and West Tennessee. These RCPP grants, dubbed Field and Forest Partnerships, allow the team to provide technical assistance to farmers and ranchers.

“We help them improve conservation practices on their farms, helping them be successful from both a conservation perspective and for financial sustainability. It creates a lot of value for producers,” Butler says.

The $24.8 million Middle Tennessee grant focuses on the Western Highland Rim and counties along the Duck River corridor, while the $15.9 million West Tennessee grant addresses the impacts of projected urbanization and land use change on soil, water and wildlife habitat resources.

Celebrating 45 Years

Celebrating Agricenter International’s first 45 years and looking to the future, Butler says he appreciates what these partnerships make possible. “While our campus and home is in Shelby County, we are helping lead conservation programs across the state of Tennessee with several amazing partners.”

For more information about Agricenter International, visit agricenter.org.