SDBII Pacific Northwest Experiential Learning Course is planned for April 24-30, 2026
COLUMBIA, Tenn. – Dairy farmers, value-added dairy producer-processors, and industry partners from Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and other southeastern states are invited to join UT Extension this spring as part of a Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (SDBII) experiential learning course.
The Pacific Northwest Experiential Learning Course will take place April 24-30, 2026. Course participants will begin in the Medford, Oregon, area and travel across Oregon for four days of educational programming, including visits to cheese processing facilities, creameries and other value-added dairy enterprises, before ending in the Portland, Oregon, area. Participation in this year’s course is limited to individuals at least twenty-one years of age or older (21+) from currently permitted dairy businesses or dairy businesses that are within one year of becoming a permitted dairy business.
The Pacific Northwest Experiential Learning Course itinerary includes stops at various farms where participants will learn directly from farm owners and staff about a variety of topics, such as on-farm marketing, product packaging and agritourism. These sessions are intended to help value-added entrepreneurs analyze, develop and grow their farm enterprises. While the program especially targets value-added dairy producers, interested technical assistance providers and industry partners are encouraged to apply.
“SDBII is excited to offer our southeastern dairy producers a chance to visit dairy operations in the Pacific Northwest and gain hands-on education while networking with technical assistance providers and other dairy producers located in one of our sister Dairy Business Innovation Initiative regions,” says SDBII Program Director Liz Eckelkamp, UT associate professor of animal science.
An application for a seat in the Pacific Northwest Experiential Learning Course is required to participate, and spaces are limited. Submitting an application does not guarantee admission to the program. To register online, please visit tiny.utk.edu/PacificNWApp.
Accepted applicants will be financially responsible for their travel to Medford, Oregon, and from Portland, Oregon. Pacific Northwest Experiential Learning Course participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements to and from Oregon. A limited number of reimbursement scholarships are also available to help defray the cost of travel. Scholarship awards will be prioritized for dairy producers but may be awarded to other participants as funds allow.
Producers participating in the tour who successfully complete a program evaluation form will fulfill one of two Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) Producer Diversification educational requirements for the following Producer Diversification sectors: Agritourism and Value-Added. Questions about TAEP should be directed to the TAEP Producer Diversification Coordinator at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture at producer.diversification@tn.gov.
Producers participating in this educational tour are also eligible for 5 hours of Tennessee Master Dairy Producer credit for the year.
Questions related to the 2026 Pacific Northwest Experiential Learning Course should be directed to Extension specialists Shep Stearns (sstearn1@utk.edu) and Ansley Roper (aroper2@utk.edu).
Funding for this experiential learning course was made possible, in part, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service.
The Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative is one of four DBI Initiatives located across the U.S. Additional information about the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative can be found online at tiny.utk.edu/sdbii.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.