No Overnight Sensation UT agriculturalists have been working with Tennessee vegetable growers for decades now, conducting research and delivering information. The latest push, the vegetable initiative, came about as a cumulative effect of that effort. We just couldn't sell them. A lot of people have worked hard to gain the momentum that we currently see, he added. We're seeing more local buys from large retailers like Kroger.
Consumers seem to like that.
The Tennessee Vegetable and Fruit Growers Association also deserves credit, Rutledge said. Walker III was Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture. They worked with him and pushed to improve vegetable marketing options for Tennessee producers. At the same time, Dr. Bob Jenkins, a vegetable marketing specialist with the UT Agricultural Extension Service, was working with business leaders in various counties to convince the state to establish the East Tennessee Regional Food Distribution Center at White Pine. He was instrumental in organizing the East Tennessee Agribusiness Authority which provided the seed money for White Pine.