COLUMBIA, Tenn.—The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) and Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation have revamped the Tennessee Farmer-of-the-Year program. The program will honor the state’s agricultural history across all three regions of Tennessee while recognizing the state’s top farmers.

“We have been looking for ways to bring even more attention to agriculture and to the good farmers that we have across the state,” said Rob Holland, Director of the UT Center for Profitable Agriculture. “We want to bring awareness to the importance of full-time farmers. We want to recognize farmers who do an outstanding job on their farm, and we want to reward their commitment to excellence.”

 From 1990 through 2024, UT Extension honored Tennessee farmers through a regional Farmer-of-the-Year competition. Beginning in 2026, Tennessee Farm Bureau and UT Extension have collaborated to recognize outstanding farmers from East, Middle, and West Tennessee, honoring their leadership, innovation, and contributions to the state’s agricultural prominence. From these three regional honorees, one exemplary producer will be named Farmer-of-the-Year.

The Tennessee state flag has three stars, and those three stars represent the three Grand Divisions of the state, East, Middle, and West, explained Lee Maddox, Director, Communications Div., TN Farm Bureau Federation.

“There are some subtle differences in what the agriculture economy is in each division, but you can be sure that all 95 counties in Tennessee have some type of agriculture,” Maddox said. “Each county has some cattle and row crops.”

Entering the contest will be through an application process, Holland said. Farmers will be asked to send in a thorough application about their farming operation, their background, and what they do. The selection committee will review those applications and select the three Grand Division winners. The committee will pay an onsite visit to those winners and then select the Farmer-of-the-Year.

“It is important to recognize our farmers,” Maddox said. “It is our most important industry in the state: it is really the most important industry in the country. Our farmers produce the good food, fiber, and fuel that we as Americans completely depend upon and enjoy.

“We are proud to partner with the university and look forward to how this program continues to elevate our most important industry,” he said. “We are looking for somebody who is dedicated to that job of protecting the natural resources, of looking at innovative ways to produce food, fiber, and fuel, and someone that enjoys doing this for a living.” 

Applications to be named Tennessee Farmer of the Year are now open and must be submitted no later than March 1, 2026. Forms and complete details are available online at the website tnfarmbureau.org/tennessee-farmer-of-the-year.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old and must claim a crop, livestock or production enterprise constituting a full-time farm operation as their primary source of income. 

Regional finalists will be selected following the close of nominations. The overall state winner will be named following farm visits by a steering committee of UTIA and Farm Bureau representatives, as well as representatives from affiliated agencies including Tennessee State University and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

Two regional finalists will each be awarded a cash prize of $5,000, and the remaining finalist will be named the Tennessee Farmer of the Year. 

The Tennessee Farmer of the Year will receive a Can-Am Defender HD11 XT CAB (value of $30,000) and an all-expense-paid trip for two to the American Farm Bureau Convention in January 2027. All finalists will be recognized and expected to attend the awards ceremony scheduled for June 13, 2026, in Franklin, Tennessee.

 The Tennessee Farmer of the Year is expected to make a number of appearances at various agricultural events, including the Tennessee State Fair, UTIA’s annual Ag Day celebration, Tennessee Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, and more.