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In Touch with Tennessee
In Touch with Tennessee
Building Tennessee’s Next Generation Of Ag Leaders
We sit down with the partners and class members behind the Tennessee Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program (TAFLIP), a new 18‑month, statewide initiative built to equip working producers and industry pros with the skills and networks to lead well beyond their operations.
In late 2024, the Navy Center for Effective Leadership, an agency of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service, along with partners Farm Credit Mid-America, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Farm Bureau, Federation, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, and the UT Institute of Agriculture developed the Tennessee Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program, or TAFLIP as we tend to call it. The program provides leadership and networking opportunities for farmers, foresters, and the agriculture community. The 18-month program launched in early 2025 with 19 participants from across the state. During the 18 months, they will meet in locations around the state, visit Washington, D.C., connect with others in the agriculture and forestry industry, and tour agriculture and forestry businesses in Tennessee. Hi, and welcome to In Touch with Tennessee, a podcast of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service. Joining us today to talk about the leadership program are IPS Vice President, Dr. Herb Byrd, Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture, Andy Holt, Navy Center Training Specialist, Dr. Emily Buttry, Director of Special Programs for the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, Dan Strasser, Andy Davis with Davis Farms, Jason Doggett with the Bank of Frank Ewan, and Doggett Cimentals, and Julie Head of Head Peach Company. Andy, Jason, and Julie are members of the inaugural class. Thank you all for being here today. Thanks for having us. So Herb, we'll start with you. But I'd also like, you know, Commissioner Holt and Dan to jump in on this question as well. How did the conversations start about creating such a program?
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's interesting that I guess conversations came from a number of different places over the years as we've talked about the need for an agricultural leadership program. From our standpoint at the Institute for Public Service, we became involved probably around 2018. Commissioner Hatcher there at the time and I were talking about the possibilities of developing a leadership program for agriculture. And at the time we were even talking about including some manufacturers and local government officials to try to bring a community group together. As we worked through that, Commissioner Hatcher asked us to put together a proposal, and he wanted something that was modeled very much after our Tennessee Government Executive Institute, TGEI, that the NAFI Center for Effective Leadership conducts for government officials in the state. And so Dr. Masil Ealy, who was the director there at the time, put a proposal together that we were calling the Three-Star Leadership Program. Now that evolved over time and began to take some different shape. At the same time, there were some other groups across the state with extension and other agricultural groups that were talking about how we might put together a leadership program. COVID hit, which stalled us out after we had taken a look at the proposal that Dr. Ely had. And it took a little while to get the conversation going again. But by the time we did, we had a new director at the Navy Center, Kim Harmon. And things really started to take shape. We had struggled to find a way to fund the program. And Commissioner Hatcher decided that the Department of Agriculture could probably bear the brunt of the funding. And so the program changed then to be just an agricultural and forestry industry group. And Kim worked with the steering committee or advisory committee, some of which are here on the podcast today. Dan can give the background on some of the work that they did as they looked at other programs across the country and really put meat on the bones as far as how the program would develop and go. But really, this has come out of a longstanding need that a lot of us saw for growing leadership capacity in the agricultural community. For me, it goes way back to when I was an extension agent and we had some farmers in our community that pretty much were the drivers of anything that happened along the Sweetwater Valley. And as they retired out, there weren't younger folks taking their place. And we've seen that in communities all over the state where, for whatever reason, younger folks in agriculture and related industries didn't run for county commission and didn't take over some of those leadership spots that others had held. So we're really excited about this program from that standpoint. We have a bunch of great leaders across the state in this first class, and we're looking forward to all the great things that are going to happen as a result.
SPEAKER_03:And I would jump in there as well and echo a lot of uh what Dr. Byrd has stated there. Um obviously, not only have there been leadership transitions and changes at the Navy Center, but also at the Department of Agriculture. And so um, although the the really the synthesis for this for this program and and sort of the initiative to fund it came from Commissioner Hatcher and also credit uh our deputy commissioner at that time, Jeff Aiken, um, they really formulated and and saw again this need that Dr. Byrd um has so clearly, you know, kind of enunciated, is that we recognize that in agriculture there's a couple of hard stops, sort of as it relates to um, you know, leadership opportunities. And and of course, I've I've lived through a couple of those. Uh, you know, the uh Farm Bureau does an excellent job with their young farmers and ranchers program. Um, but when you hit that 35-year age, you know, the programming opportunities kind of drop out for for folks. And of course, the anticipation, much like what Dr. Bird had stated, was you know, by then you're gonna be on your Farm Bureau board, you're gonna be in the county commission, you're gonna be on your school board, you're gonna run for state rep. And and really, I think those are all very important things that we need to continue to focus on. Uh, I've told 4-H and FFA students for years, we're not teaching you parliamentary procedure into a vacuum. We want you to use it one day. And uh so, you know, as as the as the maturity level of of participants in agriculture uh change and adapt, we think the leadership opportunities and the leadership training should also adapt. And and we're proud to be participants in this uh in this program for agriculture leaders and and ultimately are glad that it was a a singular focus on agriculture and forestry leaders.
SPEAKER_01:Commissioner uh Holt and Dr. Bird are exactly right. Um we wanted this not just to be a leadership program, but to be an elite leadership program and and to help the those people who are already leaders in agriculture and forestry uh to get basically catch that next gear, you know, and uh be more empowered, feel more confident about taking roles beyond agriculture so that uh they can impact uh all of Tennessee, not just uh our ag circles, but but like uh Dr. Byrd mentioned, um, you know, the county level and the state level and so much more that that needs the influence of our good Tennesseans who are already involved in agriculture.
SPEAKER_07:And um, Dr. Byrd, you alluded to this a little bit, but when did the program become a reality? When did you know this was something that uh you know we were we were gonna go forward with?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I I think probably um things continued to develop. Uh, we really re-engaged about 2022. Uh by 2023, I think we had uh had a proposal that we thought was gonna move forward, and that's when the steering committee or advisory committee really kicked in with uh Kim and started uh fleshing out the curriculum and got it ready to go for that inaugural class in 2024.
SPEAKER_07:Okay. Perfect segue for my next question. Um and and Emily, I think you can talk to us about this and Dan as well. Talk to us about the curriculum for the program. What are some of the types of courses that are being taught?
SPEAKER_06:Sure. So we're using competency frameworks from several different proven leadership programs and methods, but also making sure we're tailoring it to issues in agriculture and forestry and taking input from the class members. Uh they're really good to let us know yes, we needed that, we enjoyed it, or here's something else we're not seeing in the program yet. Maybe it's coming, but if not, um can we make sure and cover that? So everything from conflict resolution to change and crisis. Um recently this summer, we spent uh quite a bit of time focused on something that I think is being talked about more, but in my opinion, maybe still not enough, and that's mental health, not only in these industries, but really in our communities across the state. Um I would say it's a pretty broad range of topics and skills. We try to give some classroom more maybe research and academic background, but then making it applied and giving the class members opportunities to share and discuss and apply it in their operations. Um but I will say I've gotten great feedback from some class members to say we've gotten some of that, but if you can incorporate a little bit more, so I think they'll be pleased in the remaining sessions that we'll have a lot more opportunity for y'all to really dig in and apply it and share ideas.
SPEAKER_07:And what are the benefits of this type of leadership program? And um, I know any of you could actually probably speak to this, including our current um participants in the program. Emily, do you want to get us started?
SPEAKER_06:Well, I was gonna say I would love for the class members to to tackle this one. Okay.
SPEAKER_04:I would say I I I could start on there. The the the first, I guess, major benefit is just really the networking piece of it. Uh I think uh Dan and and uh Commissioner Holt, you know, allude to the fact of how many people we have from all across the state. I mean, we've got members from Johnson City all the way to to close to Memphis. So I mean, and a really wide diversity of experiences within agriculture. So having that experience to network with our team, just the members, but then also the the various speakers that Emily and her her staff have put us in touch with, I think has been probably one of the the the primary benefits. Uh but long term, uh like she said, I think deep diving into topics that maybe not might might not be discussed as much or maybe discussed at face value, but going deeper into them and and trying to uh determine how they might affect agriculture or how we might could frame them in order to uh to tell agriculture story a little bit better. So I think those are probably the two main benefits I would say come away from it.
SPEAKER_07:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I would echo Jason there with the networking portion. Um, you know, I I probably knew almost half of the participants, you know, that people say the world is small, but the ag world's smaller. So I already knew several people that were gonna be uh in the class, but it's been great to get to know some some other folks as well. Um already had learned a tremendous amount from my classmates, things that I can take home to my operation and uh things that we've already put in practice in some cases to uh to improve our operation. Um just for instance, you know, we've learned a lot about uh some of our strengths and our weaknesses and and how uh to deal with certain um personality types, and so that's been a huge benefit to me. Um I I'm a member of uh a family farm, so I farm with two brothers, a dad, a nephew, so uh a lot of people involved. And so um that's just one example of something that I've taken home and and put in practice and and it's already having an impact on my operation. But um, you know, the the other piece of of the program that I think is good, and I already kind of touched on it, but it's really made us kind of look at ourselves, you know. I'm I'm 41 years old and you know I've been clicking right along, and I think we have a tendency to say, you know, I'm I'm I'm doing pretty good, right? Um, but we've really had kind of a mirror uh held up in front of us at times, and um, you know, had to look at some of the things that that we're doing and um again how we interact with some folks, and you know, if we're paying attention and doing what we're supposed to do, then we're sitting there going, man, I've really got some areas I need to improve. Um at least at least that's been my experience. So um some hard truths, I guess we've had to come to with ourselves. So um, you know, with the the end goal hopefully being uh a better leader, um a better uh member in our community, and um a better family member, even. So uh again, um a lot, a lot of good in a short amount of time.
SPEAKER_05:Right, okay. Um I would say I I love what um Dan and Commissioner Holt talked about and building the confidence. This being an inaugural class, I'll be very honest. I really had no understanding of exactly what I was walking into. Uh my my husband is a row crop farmer, and for 12, 14 years now, I've supported him and his leadership um programs. He's been a part of several through Kentucky and serves on the National Wheat Growers Association. So um for many years I served in a supporting role. And as I went into farming and started my own operation, uh the gears are kind of shifting in our family. And so seeing the commitment for 18 months, seeing what this required, I am the only um the only mom with small kids, a part of the program. So that definitely made me a little bit different because I would have to leave home. Um, but it definitely took a commitment for all of our family to kind of support me. My husband 100% encouraged it, but I can remember walking in that first day and just seeing the caliber of um leaders standing in that one room and thinking, what have I done? I should not be here. Um I very much felt out of place and um that I was not of the same caliber as they are. Uh we're halfway through the program, and um I I can already see a huge difference just in my confidence with my leadership. Um, I've already said yes to a lot of new opportunities, leadership opportunities that I probably would have never said yes to had it not been for this program. I think it's done a very good job of highlighting um who we are, the weight that we can carry, the impact we can have on our industry, on our farms, in our community. Um and I definitely don't I I think sometimes we think these programs are just for certain people of a certain caliber. And um, I want to encourage anybody to put the application in because there's a lot of things I didn't see in myself that this program has definitely, like you said, that mirror shining back on you has truly shown me I have a lot to bring to the table as well. Um, I am a fruit grower. So I'm I'm already a you know a minority maybe in the Tennessee commodities, but that's been really important for everybody to kind of understand what my farming looks like in comparison to maybe what their operations look like. So um I think that's been the big thing is that don't don't underestimate yourself and what potential and what you can bring to this group because it's not necessarily the amount of years, the amount of acres. There's there's a lot more that goes into this program and and really developing a class that that will bring great leaders into our industry, hopefully.
SPEAKER_07:Okay. So Julie, you touched on this a little bit, but um Andy and Jason, if I could also ask you as well, how did you hear about the program?
SPEAKER_05:Well, um, so again, my husband has been a part of many Kentucky things, and I was aware of Calp, which is the Kentucky Ag Leadership Program. Um, so I received an email um back in October of 2024, uh stating that there was a new program coming out and that I had been nominated. Um and that was my first introduction to the program was an email kind of describing what the program was. I immediately started to Google, started to kind of see the similarities of the Calp program. Um having a lot of friends that have gone through that program, I immediately knew the impact this program was that was had the possibility to have on our Tennessee agriculture community. Um so mine basically mine came through a nomination. Um I to this day have no clue who did that. Um, but it it was um somebody seeing something in me and kind of bringing it to a spotlight. Okay.
SPEAKER_04:I I would say the first time I heard about it was from Dan. Oh, I was at a Farm Bureau meeting. I I've served on our Farm Bureau board for several years, and and most recent years as Farm Bureau president. So I was at a conference, I can't remember exactly what it was, Dan, and you and I were talking, and and you just mentioned that uh we're trying to get this new leadership program uh started. So that kind of piqued my interest. And so I had kind of keep I kept uh kept my eyes open for for when that was gonna come down the pike. And uh that that's that's how I initially heard about it. It was through Farm Bureau.
SPEAKER_06:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I also heard about it for the first time uh uh through Dan. So great job, Dan. Um at least when it was uh became a reality. We'd kind of been hearing about uh the work that was going into getting the program off the ground for for a long time, Dr. Bird, like you said, um several years, you know, but it was just kind of you know whispered about as kind of out there in the ether, you know, and um I was really excited about it, like Julie said, I'm familiar with the the Kentucky Ag Leadership Program and know a lot of people that went through that and just seen the the success that that program has had and the type of people that went through that program, and I was really hopeful that Tennessee could get something in place very similar. And um like like Julie said, got in got a call and then got an email last October and uh filled out the application. Uh I believe I was standing in a soybean field, cut soybean field, waiting on the grain cart to bring me a load of soybeans when I filled that out on my phone. So uh the application was super easy to fill out. I did it on my phone, just saying. Um, but um, and then man, we're almost almost a year in now, and um just nothing but good things to say. So highly encourage you um if you're nominated uh or if you're interested, um, fill out that application.
SPEAKER_07:So um this is for um, you know, Emily, Dr. Bird, any of our partners. Where do you see this program going?
SPEAKER_00:Well, we're excited uh to see the partnerships that are included uh in this program continue. I think that's one of the great strengths of the program, is all the different entities that are involved and engaged uh in making things go. Uh like I said, we had a great class uh to begin with, and I'm encouraged to see the involvement of each one of the participants and look forward to the good things that will come from them. Uh but as we continue the program, we really see uh this being able to build the leadership bench strength uh of folks that are already leaders across the state, but uh seeing uh helping folks to understand the need for engagement. Um somebody said, I guess it was uh Maxwell that said, uh, he who thinks he leadeth but uh has no followers is only taking a walk. So um, you know, having people engaged and and seeing the need to engage beyond uh just the local farm and uh the local farm community, I think uh is one of the great benefits we'll see. And it doesn't have to be everybody, we can all lead in different ways, but uh one thing that I hope to see is that we have more engagement in different leadership roles that come available across the state. Emily, what would you add?
SPEAKER_06:I I think you hit the nail on the head that just growing uh leaders throughout the state and developing further the leaders that we already have. Um we've got a phenomenal inaugural class. And so I don't know, it may be hard to to reach that caliber, but I I think every year it will just continue to grow. And then as as each class graduates, I envision the alumni base then also supporting giving back, staying involved in the program so that 40, 50 years from now, um it's still going, and we've you know, we've got this legacy.
SPEAKER_00:I'm interested too. Commissioner Holt uh is one of the key funding partners. So uh I'd like to hear, um, since they're making such a large investment in the program financially, uh, what Commissioner Holt would say too.
SPEAKER_03:So I think you used a key word there, Dr. Bird, and that's an investment. And uh, you know, um we talk at church and we talk in other places uh, you know, about uh investing time and investing resources. And this is certainly uh how we view this. Uh we are continuing to get feedback from the inaugural class and evaluating that and how we can improve the program and how we can take it to the next level. And as long as there's uh an opportunity to continue investing in a program that we feel like is demonstrating a worthwhile investment for Tennessee's agricultural and forestry uh future, we're gonna continue being participants. Uh and at this point, we certainly are seeing the demonstration of value addition uh through the process that's been created.
SPEAKER_01:I think you're gonna continue to see a lot of people wanting to be a part of the program. They're finding out more about it. We're already seeing some of that. People asking when they can when they can apply and uh how to get involved. So I think the program is gonna continue to grow uh both in demand and uh and effectiveness. But I'm also a very uh practical and literal person. And when you say where is it going, uh, one thing we all want to have happen is for this class, uh the these classes to be able to do an international portion. So uh there's a literal sense of where we're going beyond even our nation. I think we we are working towards trying to find a way to help these uh participants see agriculture on a global scale rather than just uh state and national too.
SPEAKER_07:Oh, okay. And if anyone wants to learn more about um the Tennessee Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program, um, where should they go? Who should they talk to?
SPEAKER_01:Well, they have a best presence with most information on the UT Nafe Center uh website, uh so leadership.tennessee.edu, or they can search for Tennessee Ag Forestry Leadership Program, and it's it's what's gonna pop up. But uh if anybody has a more clear answer, they can jump in there as well.
SPEAKER_06:In addition to our website, our social media outlets at the Nafy Center, uh, we highlight when we've had sessions, and then as we go to recruit for the next class and take applications, uh we'll we'll do a social blast as well. Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Well, anytime I'm interested in something, I like to talk to somebody that's actually used it or been involved and those kinds of things. And so, you know, I really appreciate that we have some of the class members on uh this podcast. And if anybody asked me uh what they needed to know to engage, I'd push them to talk to somebody that's in the class right now. And I think that's probably the best uh source of information uh beyond those of us that are involved already, uh, and can get a participant's viewpoint of the challenges of being involved in something like this, but also the benefits and opportunities. So I'd encourage anybody interested to talk to one of the current class members, and that would be of great value.
SPEAKER_07:Okay. Well, thank you all for being here today. And thank you, listeners. Be sure to subscribe to In Touch with Tennessee, where you find your favorite podcasts.
