The Advanced Tennessee Master Nursery Producer Program Launches

By Amy Fulcher, Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, UT Department of Plant Sciences, and Patty McDaniels, Senior Media Coordinator, UTIA Marketing and Communications

The Advanced Tennessee Master Nursery Producer Program is now available from University of Tennessee Extension. The Advanced Tennessee Master Nursery Producer (Advanced TMNP) program builds upon the foundation of topics presented in the original TMNP Program. Both programs teach Tennessee nursery producers best practices to enhance their profitability and long-term environmental, economic and community sustainability.

Like the original TMNP program, the Advanced TMNP program is available exclusively online to reach nursery producers and potential producers in a way that fits their schedules. Approximately 98 percent of growers completing the original TMNP Program emphasized the convenience of the online format during exit interviews. Many indicate that due to other employment or commitments on and off the nursery, they could not have participated in a traditional live class requiring travel to the class location and a rigid starting and ending time. Graduates mention rainy days and “after dark” are favorite times to log in to the program and complete a module or two.

The Advanced TMNP Program topics fall into one of three categories: Marketing and Economics, Production, and Pest Management and are generally more specific topics than the TMNP Program. Some of the topics in the Advanced TMNP Program are social media; lean flow; patents and trademarks; succession planning; advanced irrigation; pot-in-pot production; hydrangea production; and Tennessee soils. The most popular topics from the original TMNP Program (disease, weed and insect control) were updated and expanded to include a suite of pest management modules. Exit interviews with graduates from the original TMNP Program guided topic selection and the development of core and elective modules for the Advanced TMNP program. Core modules are required while growers have their choice of elective modules to complete the required 21 hours of instruction. The elective and core combination will ensure a well-rounded, comprehensive program with the flexibility to allow growers to personalize the program to their businesses. More elective modules will be launched in the future.

Iain Hiscock, 2017 graduate of the original TMNP Program, learned that netting can prevent weed seeds from blowing into container substrate and put that into practice at Commercial Nursery.

The cost of either the TMNP or the Advanced TMNP Program is $125 per registrant. Past participants of the online TMNP Program have estimated that employing the principles taught in the course would “earn” them an average of $11,149 in cost savings and increased plant quality, a return on investment of 8,819%! Similar results are expected from the Advanced TMNP Program. TMNP and Advanced TMNP certification can help producers expand the economic benefits through enhanced levels of TAEP cost share (50 percent rather than 35 percent) in the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP).

All current and prospective TAEP applicants are encouraged to verify their requirements, including TMNP/Advanced TMNP certification, for the TAEP program with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA), 615-837-5136, or by email to producer.diversification@tn.gov. For more details or to register, visit the TMNP online:

www.tnmasternursery.com

The curriculum was developed under the leadership of UT Extension with valued contributions from Tennessee State University. Development of the Advanced TMNP Program was made possible by a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant administered by TDA.