Paris, Tenn.–Assistant State Commissioner of Agriculture Andy Holt was the guest speaker for Thursday’s Paris Rotary Club meeting at the Henry County Fairgrounds.
Holt hails from Weakley County and is a former State Representative.
He said agriculture is the leading industry in Tennessee, producing $81 billion a year. The two industries farming and forestry are the two horns on the cow of agriculture, he said.
With over 50% of land covering being trees the forest industry is a leading income producer, he said. Holt pointed out that local farmer and businessman Jimmy Tosh of Tosh Farms in Henry leads the southeast region of the US in pork production.
He also noted that when our state was founded the state seal had two words, “Agriculture and Commerce” and it’s still significant that those are still the two words that massively influence our state economy today.” The mission statement of the Department of Agriculture is to serve and support, he said.
Looking into the future there’s never been a greater opportunity for agriculture. “It’s not just plows and cows and sows it’s technology and science as well.”
Photo by David Jackson.