Tennessee

Preserving the Future: How Tennessee is Protecting Farmland While Driving Development

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 19:06:29 GMT

How is Tennessee, one of the fastest-growing states in the country, balancing economic development while still protecting farmland? Gov. Bill Lee says it’s one of the state’s greatest challenges, but he believes there is a way to do both.

Last year, Lee signed the Tennessee Farmland Preservation Act into law, tasking the Tennessee Department of Agriculture with developing a grant program to incentivize farmland owners to voluntarily enroll their land in a permanent conservation easement.

“We lose 9 acres an hour to development,” Lee said at the 2026 Top Producer Summit . “We recognize that agriculture is our No. 1 driver of our economy, so we have to preserve farmland. This act will incentivize farm property, and agriculture property in particular, to be put in land trusts so it can never be developed. This effort has been widely accepted by farmers and is beginning to take effect.”

Where is the Push for Economic Development in Tennessee?

Although economic development is taking place in many different forms, the state of Tennessee is seeing a big push for data centers. For some farmers, this could be the revenue generator they’ve been waiting on, but for others, it’s a contentious issue.

“If we are going to have a data center, it has to work for all of us,” Lee says. “Most important is that the impact on the grid for power is one that our state can effectively manage.”

He believes the data centers and the companies behind them should be partners with the state and with regulatory bodies.

“They should come in and say, ‘If we’re going to come here, this is what we will deliver to the state,’” Lee says. “Besides just the investment in dollars and what they will take from the grid, how will they deliver to the state?”

AI, a major data center and supercomputing facility in Memphis, is an example of a good partnership, he says.

“They are producing their own power and contributing to the grid. It’s a great partnership and model for things that we should be looking for in the future,” Lee adds.

How is Tennessee Helping Farmers?

Tennessee crop farmers are feeling pain right now like their peers across the country.

“It’s a tough environment for crop farmers,” Lee says. “We’ve seen the staggering losses some of our producers have experienced. But they’re very resilient people. They know that a few years ago, crop prices were good. Right now, they’re really bad. A lot of patience is required in farming, and they know that.”

Stability and predictability are nearly impossible to have in agriculture, he says. But he’s working to help provide stability and predictability from a federal standpoint through ag policy efforts.

“I think that’s what farmers look for more than anything,” Lee says. “They don’t want a rescue or an immediate solution to the problem they have. I think farmers want some indication of what stability looks like and what predictability looks like and what they can expect in the future.”

From a livestock standpoint, Tennessee has been investing heavily in the development of more local processing options.

“We do believe that locally sourced products are helpful to our own ag community,” he says. “To the degree that we can facilitate that in this state, we ought to do it. We’ve broadly expanded our ability to process beef in this state. We’re not nearly where we need to be, but we’re headed in the right direction.”

Creating a Pipeline for Agriculture

Lee is passionate about thinking about the future and creating pathways for skilled trades, especially in the agriculture industry. His experience running a company in the skilled trades business — plumbers, pipefitters, electricians and welders — has helped him see the need firsthand.

“One of the most important things we can do is recognize that kids’ giftings are really different,” Lee says.

Lee’s passion to better meet the demand for skilled labor came to fruition through the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) Act.

“It created, initially, a $1-million program in high schools for vocational, technical and agricultural education programs,” he says. “It led to $500 million in middle school career and technical education programs, and ultimately $1 billion in our colleges of technology that deliver ag education, technical education and vocational education. We have removed the waitlist for our colleges of technology. We’re delivering 10,000 more workers a year who are skilled tradesmen.”

He believes it’s one of the reasons Tennessee has so many global companies making the decision to come to the state.

“We have a lot of activity here economically because the state with the workers is going to win every time,” Lee says. “We started seven years ago by creating a workforce that was much more diverse than what it had been previously, and that includes agricultural education.”

As a cattle producer and proud Tennessean, Lee says he’s most proud of how he’s helped support the state’s future in agriculture by investing in youth and the technologies that will be the future.

“It will be fun for me to look back years from now and say, ‘I’m really glad we did that. Ag was No. 1 in Tennessee when I was there, and ag is still No. 1 in Tennessee now that I’ve been gone,’” he says. “That’s what I hope for.”

From Omaha to Georgia: Inside the Farm Machinery Reshoring Boom

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 19:38:03 GMT

After releasing our “Where Farm Equipment Is Made” 2025 update in February , we circled back with farm equipment manufacturers to get a read on how tariffs will affect where machines are made.

Many companies across a wide range of industries are considering or even moving forward with plans to reshore production from overseas back into the United States. We’ve learned this process involves long-term, strategic investments in new facilities and/or expanding factories already established here in the States.

Although each manufacturer shared differing visions for how, when and where it plans to build out additional manufacturing capabilities in the years ahead, a common theme did emerge: farm equipment builders are investing big dollars into reshoring, and many have been for quite some time now.

Let’s hear what the machinery companies are planning:

AGCO Corp.

(AGCO Corp.)

The Duluth, Ga.-based equipment manufacturer says its dedication to American farmers and its own strategic investment plans are “key drivers of our overall growth strategy,” according to an AGCO spokesperson.

The rest of the statement from AGCO, which builds the Fendt and Massey Ferguson equipment brands along with its own AGCO machines, regarding U.S. expansion plans can be found below:

Since 2020, we have invested just under $3 billion in the U.S. across new and expanded manufacturing facilities, product innovations and the largest ag tech deal in the history of the industry. Our commitment has extended across our various brands, locations and Research & Development (R&D) efforts, including the notable 2024 joint venture establishing Colorado-based PTx Trimble, the inauguration of Fendt Lodge – the North American headquarters of Fendt – in Minnesota, a new precision ag production facility in Illinois, modernization of systems and technologies in one of our Kansas plants, and U.S.-based R&D for new sprayer and planter technology.

These investments, AGCO says, will not only enhance production at its U.S. facilities for years to come, but also ensure AGCO remains at the forefront of ag innovation around the world.

Claas

(Matthew J. Grassi)

Claas is still a somewhat fresh face to the North American farm equipment market, but the company has deep roots in Europe. It was founded over 100 years ago in a small German farming town, and today the company has global headquarters in Harsewinkel, Germany.

But you may not be aware that Claas has also built a significant manufacturing operation in America’s heartland. The company opened its Lexion combine production campus, located just south of downtown Omaha, Neb., in 1997. This year marks 10,000 Lexion combines rolling off the main production line inside the 120,000 sq. ft. facility.

(Photos: John Deere, Matthew J. Grassi, AGCO, Kubota)

Claas has significant expansion plans in place for its Omaha campus, including doubling its overall production footprint for the main manufacturing building as well as adding a new training and apprenticeship building.

Here is the statement Matthias Ristow, president & managing director of business administration – Claas Omaha, shared regarding the company’s expansion plans:

Claas is investing significantly in its production hub in the United States, and not only recently. Over the last five years, we have added to our production facility to provide a better location for our rework and reconfiguration areas, as well as a dedicated work area for our quality control department for the pre-delivery inspections each machine must go through before being shipped. This is part of our comprehensive quality assurance program.

We also have built a new service academy where we train all the technicians from our U.S. dealer network (we have a similar location in Canada) so we can keep their skills up to date and make sure they have the proper certifications to work on our machines. Technology updates and changes are trained there as well.

Furthermore, our new service academy houses our apprenticeship program where we train the future assembly technicians in a three-year rigorous training program, managed by the German Chamber of Commerce. The program has several advantages. Technicians receive a regular paycheck (“earn while you learn”), receive an associate’s degree from a community college we partner with, receive a certificate from the German Chamber and have a job when they graduate from the program debt free.

Farm Journal recently had the opportunity to tour Claas’ Omaha operation, where we learned the manufacturer is also expanding its partnerships with domestic material and component manufacturers. For example, it recently began working with a finished parts supplier local to Nebraska to fabricate the grain spout for each Lexion combine.

CNH Industrial (Case IH and New Holland)

(CNH Industrial)

Although short on specifics, CNH Industrial (Racine, Wisc.) confirms it plans to “continue to expand our footprint through capital investments in our U.S. facilities, partnerships with local suppliers and programs that strengthen the communities where we live and work.”

CNH adds it currently employs more than 9,000 people across 17 U.S. states, with 14 manufacturing facilities and 22 R&D centers active throughout North America.

And approximately 70% of the components used in CNH Industrial’s U.S. plants are sourced from domestic suppliers while 95% its steel is purchased from U.S.-based mills. It says this approach to domestic material sourcing supports thousands of suppliers’ jobs and reinforces its investment in American-made quality.

John Deere

(John Deere)

The farm equipment manufacturer with global headquarters in Moline, Ill., was first to share its future investment plans with Farm Journal. Back in May, the company announced a 10-year, $20 billion outlay plan for its U.S. production base. This year alone, Deere says it will pour $100 million into its U.S. operations.

John Deere says this initiative includes:

A 120,000 sq. ft. expansion of the company’s remanufacturing facility in Missouri.
Construction of a new excavator factory in Kernersville, N.C.
Expansion of its Greeneville, Tenn., turf equipment factory.
New assembly lines for 9RX high-horsepower tractor production in Waterloo, Iowa.

John Deere plans to invest a total of $22.5 billion into its U.S. manufacturing network once the 10-year project is complete.

Kubota North America

(Kubota North America)

Kubota Tractor Corporation (KTC) established its North America headquarters in Grapevine, TX., in 2017. The Japanese equipment manufacturer shared the following statement regarding U.S. expansion plans.

North America is critical for Kubota, and the U.S. is our largest market. We firmly believe in local production for local consumption and have made more than $1 billion in U.S. infrastructure investments in the last couple years to meet the growing needs of our dealers and customers. For example, we recently announced the opening of a new loader facility in Gainesville, Ga., (invested $190 million), a new Western Distribution Center in California (invested $72 million), and an R&D facility (invested $100 million) that’s also in Georgia. We have other network investment announcements in the works, and we plan to continue to invest over the next five to 10 years as we respond to market demands. Today, we are more than 7,000 American workers strong who market and sell, and fabricate, weld and assemble equipment with domestic and global parts.

Want to learn more about where your favorite farm machines are made? Check out “From the Factory to Your Fields: Where Farm Equipment Is Made”.

Your Next Read: The 20 Embarrassing Problems that Make Your Farm Truck Unique

Corn Planting is Now Already Underway in 7 States

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 17:02:05 GMT

The second Crop Progress Report of the year from USDA shows farmers are already ahead in planting the 2024 crop. As of Sunday, USDA indicates planting the 2024 crop has started in seven states, and six of the seven states are already beating the five-year average.

Highlights of the weekly progress report include:

59% of Texas’ corn is in the ground, two percentage points ahead of the five-year average but one point behind a year ago.
7% of the corn crop in Tennessee is planted, two points above average and three points ahead of last year.
7 % of Missouri’s corn is planted, four points ahead of average and two points quicker than last year’s record pace.
5% is planted in Kentucky, two points ahead of the five-year average but one point behind last year.
4% of the corn in Kansas is planted, one point ahead of average and one point behind last year.
2% of Illinois’ corn crop is in the ground, one point quicker than average and last year.

Related News: Spring Planting Progress Off To A Good Start

The only state trailing the average pace is North Carolina where 8% of the crop is in the ground, one point behind average and last year.

A year ago, hints were starting to roll in about just how early the planting season could be for farmers in parts of the Corn Belt. After April and early March were dominated by cold temperatures, as well as rain and snow in 2023, drier conditions took hold, and forecasts for milder temperatures and dry weather opened a large window for planting.

As of April 9, 2023, USDA’s second planting progress report of the season showed 3% of the nation’s corn crop was planted, up one percentage point from the previous week, previous year and the five-year average.

Highlights of the state-by-state breakdown a year ago showed:

61% of Texas’ corn is in the ground, three percentage points ahead of the five-year average.
12% of North Carolina’s corn crop is planted, two points behind average.
7% of the corn crop is Missouri is planted, four points ahead of the five-year average.
6% of the crop in Kansas is in the ground, up two points from average.

Back to present day, and the weather looks prime for planting to continue this week. Growers across Illinois, Iowa and Missouri are talking about starting to plant this week if the forecast holds.

Photos of Planting Progress So Far

In Texas, farmers were planting under the solar eclipse. Ale Frick says they survived the eclipse, and soybean planting continues on their farm.

Well, we‘ve officially survived #eclipse24 #soybean #plant24 continues pic.twitter.com/cnn3BphUpC
— Ale Frick (@Engineer_Farmer) April 8, 2024

In northwest Iowa, at least one farmer took the opportunity to plant over the weekend.

Well, ok then. #plant24 #nwiowa pic.twitter.com/nVMWcaO9wH
— Punkin Lady 🎃🍿💥 (@AmySolsma) April 5, 2024

Also in Iowa, more reports of planters starting to roll this week, according to Dusty Rich.

Planters will roll this week in our area! Wishing everyone a safe and successful #plant24
— Dusty Rich 🇺🇸 (@drich82) April 8, 2024

We want to see how planting is progressing in your area. Make sure to keep AgWeb updated with Crop Comments throughout the season.

West Tennessee Farmer Says He Just Harvested the Best Cotton Crop of His Life

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 14:55:25 GMT

Walk into cotton fields across West Tennessee this year, and you’ll step into a snapshot of what 2023 produced.

“This year we’ve got the potential to make a really good cotton crop in Tennessee,” says Brad Williams, who farms near Burlison, Tenn.

Williams is a farmer, a gin owner and an avid cotton advocate. Williams has been farming for nearly 30 years, with an integrated operation that relies on cotton. He says this year’s crop is one to remember.

“This crop never really struggled at all this year,” he says. “Even on warm or the hot days that we’ve had, it never wilted any. It looked exceptional all year.”

Ideal Growing Conditions

He says as the cotton pickers swept across his fields, they confirmed his assumptions of a phenomenal crop, and one with a night-and-day yield difference from last year’s disappointing harvest.

“Last year was a pretty tough year; probably one of the toughest in my career,” says Williams. “We stayed exceptionally dry the month of July with 100-degree heat. I think we even set a record with 14 days of 100-plus degrees and no rainfall; cotton was really struggling to survive.”

After a year of struggles in 2022, this year’s crop reaped weather that was much more favorable for growing cotton. Williams describes this year’s growing season as almost perfect.

“We have a lot of irrigated ground, and we were in no need of using the irrigation; we were fortunate that we didn’t have that expense in our crop this year,” says Williams. “We just had very ideal growing conditions this year. I haven’t had a season in 29 years where I’ve seen as good of growing conditions as we had this year.”

Williams says he is seeing yields at around 1,300 pounds of lint per acre. Last year, yields were between 900 and 950 pounds per acre. The prime growing conditions this year started at planting.

“Planting was pretty much on time this year, with very low pest populations in this crop. And we’ve been able to maintain this crop as I have pretty much weed-free,” he says.

Harvest came with drier weather, but the dry weather arrived at the prime time as no rainfall was good news for the quality of this year’s crop.

“We can make an exceptional crop and a good, high-quality crop, and that’s what we need to compete with the other cotton producing countries in the world,” says Williams. “I think we’ve got an exceptional, sustainable product. It’s out here; we just need a good, dry harvest from here on out.”

Weathering the Storm of Declining Infrastructure and Gins

Williams says cotton isn’t just what his family grows, it’s intertwined in everything they do on their farming operation.

“Cotton is our No. 1 crop. We have a cotton gin and cotton infrastructure in the warehouse and a cotton seed operation, also. We’re more kind of a vertically integrated operation, and cotton is our mainstay,” he says.

While cotton is a staple for their family, and one Williams continues to invest in, it’s an industry that continues to weather its own storms.

“In my career, we had around 830 gins nationwide when I started. I think that number is closer to 500 now,” he says. “At one time in Tennessee, we had 45 gins operating in the early 1990s. We’re down to six gins operating this year. So, the infrastructure is kind of fading away.”

As cotton continues to fight for acres, it’s a crop that comes with high risks and high rewards.

“Cotton is a riskier crop to grow. It’s an expensive crop to grow,” Williams explains.

Williams says despite the risks, he’s just thankful for such an exceptional crop this year. He says growing cotton in West Tennessee is an effort rooted in faith and the drive to persevere.

“I enjoy everything about growing cotton,” says Williams. “I enjoy the picking of it, the ginning aspect of it, producing the quality fiber that can be used around the world. There is something special and unique about cotton, and it’s a blessing to be able to do what we do.”

Southwest Georgia Weather Far From Ideal For Growing Cotton in 2023, Yet Harvest Yields a Nice Surprise for One Farmer

East-Central Texas Farmer Blown Away By Cotton Yields This Year

Truterra Unveils Four Sustainabilty Programs For Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland, Kansas, Illinois and Indiana Farmers

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 20:20:32 GMT