Putnam County Young Farmers and Ranchers hosting Red, White, and Beef in Cookeville Saturday to connect local consumers with beef producers.
Putnam County Young Farmers and Ranchers Chair Elizabeth Wick said educating the community helps residents feel confident that their food is safe while supporting the local economy.
“We have a great diversity across our county of rural and urban areas to end up promoting beef but also educating all of our consumers,” Wick said, “And giving them connections with local farmers who produce the high-quality, healthy foods.”
Wick said buying directly from producers allows consumers to get more value for their money while ensuring farmers receive a fair market price for their products.
“It’s also benefiting those farmers and producers who are getting cents on the dollar elsewhere when they can sell it at a market price to a customer directly themselves, but also this education lets them feel, or excuse me, lets the consumers feel safe and know that these are going to have high-quality nutrition and there’s a lot less unsureness that you can receive at the grocery store with all kinds of labels that are not always very clear for consumers and when they can have that one-on-one interaction, it benefits everyone involved,” Wick said.
The event will feature a dedicated children’s area where youth can pet a live beef cow and participate in a mini adopt-a-cow booth. Wick said the youth section also includes face painting, craft stations, and coloring books for children to use or take home.
“Specifically in our children’s area, we are going to have a mini adopt-a-cow booth where we have squishy cows that have been donated that are stress-reliever types where they’ll be able to adopt a cow for free,” Wick said. “We will have a beef cow there for them to come and pet.”
Wick said educational stations will teach attendees about different beef cuts and the various by-products created during the production process. Wick said the organization wants to demonstrate how the industry works to ensure the least amount of waste possible.
“A lot of times when we think about beef cattle, we just think about the meat, whether that’s hamburgers or steaks, but we have so many other uses where we are trying to have the least amount go to waste in that production process,” Wick said.
Attendees can visit a free slider station and enter for door prizes including a Weber grill and a Bogg bag. Wick said the event is designed to be inclusive for everyone, regardless of whether they have a background in agriculture.
“Whenever we are hosting an event, we want everyone to feel welcome and know that you don’t have to be involved in agriculture or a farmer to support the local agricultural industry and to feel confident and comfortable in your food source,” Wick said. “So by having all of these events and different stations, we are trying to pull in as much as we can just to make those connections with the community and to help foster an environment with the agricultural industry in Putnam County and the greater Upper Cumberland area and the local consumers.”
Wick said the Walnut Street Market is providing the facilities and lot for the event. The event is scheduled to run from 11:00am to 2:00pm at 136 South Walnut Avenue.
The initiative was proposed by member Riley DeWeese and is supported by the Tennessee Beef Council and the state Young Farmers and Ranchers group.