Producers to gather at McMinn County Expo Center April 24
ATHENS, Tenn. — Beef and forage production and marketing, cost of synchronizing and breeding beef cattle, replacement heifer selection and updates on new technology and equipment for the beef industry are topics to be discussed during the Southeast TN Beef Summit. Scheduled for April 24, 2026, at the McMinn County Expo Center in Athens, the event is free to attend. Pre-registration is required by April 17.
Doors open at 7:45 a.m. EDT for registered participants to check in. A 4-H breakfast fundraiser will be available between 7:45 – 9 a.m. Our keynote speaker, Justin McKee from the Cowboy Channel, will begin his presentation at 8:55 a.m. He will discuss how to tell “our ag story” and the importance of promoting agriculture.
Following the keynote discussion, researchers and Extension specialists from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture will conduct the three rotating 35-minute educational sessions from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In addition to the educational sessions, the summit will host the largest beef trade show in southeast Tennessee. The morning sessions will be followed by a catered country cooking lunch with all the “fixin’s.”
To register go online to mcminn.tennessee.edu and click on the Beef Summit button on the home page. The event is free for participants. There is a fee for exhibitors. Sponsorships are also available. Contact UT Extension McMinn County at 423-745-2852 or UT Extension Meigs County at 423-334-5781 for more information.
The program will be held at the McMinn County Expo Center (inside the Athens Regional Park), in Athens, Tennessee. The expo will begin at 8:00 a.m. EDT and conclude at 1:45 p.m.
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.