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WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. – In a bid to underscore the significance of agriculture within the community, Washington County Commissioner Jodi Jones led a bus tour across the county, focusing on two major agricultural initiatives.
As the representative for Washington County’s District 11, Commissioner Jodi Jones is in her second term and organized this tour to showcase a proposed agriculture learning center and a newly established local meat processing facility. Alongside these sites, the tour also included a visit to a residential farm, all to emphasize the critical role of agriculture in the region.
“Our farms are a cherished part of our community,” Jones remarked. “But sadly, they are gradually disappearing.”
To provide deeper insights, Jones enlisted Dana Ensor, a tenth-generation farmer from Washington County, to lead the tour attendees and discuss the ongoing challenges faced by local agriculture. Speaking to News Channel 11, Ensor highlighted that while the county boasted 133,000 acres of farmland in 2002, that number is projected to shrink to 97,000 acres by 2026, reflecting a 27% reduction.
“Currently, there’s no land use plan in place for open spaces or agricultural preservation in the county,” Ensor explained. “We need to strategize on how to slow these changes while ensuring that farmers can retire comfortably and secure their financial futures. That’s why collaborations with Commissioner Jodi Jones and others are crucial.”
The two investments include the planned Agriculture Learning Center at Jonesborough Elementary School and the new Appalachian Producers Cooperative meat facility. The planned Agriculture Learning Center will include classrooms, a greenhouse and a culinary lab.
“We intend to have a setting there where students learn about farming and gardening,” Jones said.
“Kids not only will grow and learn how to grow, but they will also learn how to cook healthy foods while they’re there,” Ensor said. “And the goal is to raise their awareness of what it takes to grow food. And then, how do you cook food that’s not coming out of a package.”
The Appalachian Producers Cooperative Meat Facility aims to keep processing local for farmers.
“The reason this is significant is that until this point, if people didn’t sell off the farm, it went to the Midwest to be grain-fed and then goes into the system,” Ensor said. “So the carbon footprint is really small now that the food can stay here and people can produce this and take it back to their farm and actually sell it.”
Jones said the meat processing facility is a $2 million investment, while the learning center is estimated at $700,000. The county is still working to secure funding for the learning center.