About Us

Letter from the Chairman

Friends,

Welcome to the home of Agricenter International, a treasure of and for Shelby county, the upper Mississippi Delta region, southern crop producers, Memphis-area school children, and the people of West Tennessee.

Most Shelby County residents know the Agricenter Expo Center is actively used for a wide variety of trade shows & special events. A growing number of others know that our Farmers Market is a seasonal outlet for fresh, locally-grown farm produce; that Show Place Arena, with over 600 stalls and support facilities provides an outstanding forum for livestock events; or that Catch'em Lake offers young & old alike, a place to enjoy the pleasures, good times, and fond memories of fishing with family or friends.

But the story of Agricenter really begins with its Mission:

To be a self-sustaining, not-for-profit organization that provides economic development and improved quality of life by facilitating agricultural research, educational programs, environmental conservation, natural area preservation, and recreational opportunities.

Toward that mission, the Agricenter has established an important leadership position in agricultural Crop Research. Our research program is working to study the feasibilities, enable development, and provide evaluation, analysis, and demonstration of improved crop production, products, technologies, and methodologies. These efforts may help, and have helped, provide more productive & healthier foods, answer questions about sustainable bio-fuels (perhaps from crops new to the Mid-South), or study advances in the properties of natural fibers like cotton. These advances bring economic, and other benefits to Mid-South agriculture producers and consumers alike.

One of the areas of great pride at Agricenter is our Education program. With a primarily urban population in the Shelby County area, Agricenter maintains education of agriculture, conservation, and environmental sciences as a vital cornerstone of its mission. Agricenter provides a home, and 50% of the funding, for 4-H in Shelby County, as well as a full-time Ag Educator on staff, hired in cooperation with the Shelby County Extension Service. These programs focus on the importance of agriculture and the responsible stewardship of our natural resources. Accordingly, programs have been developed that fit into the science curriculums of both the Shelby County, and Memphis City schools. Within this unique venue, Agricenter has an outdoor classroom on the edge of the Lucius Burch Natural Area, used for hands-on teaching, and many of our research cooperators and other supporters of Agricenter provide bus scholarships that bring children to and from the Agricenter with funds that are totally separate from your school tax dollars.

Other public entertainment and "quality of life" venues at Agricenter include the annual corn maze, the waterfowl flooding project, and viewing stand, walking and biking trails, sunflower plantings along Germantown Parkway and Walnut Grove Road, and the Raptor rescue center. In addition, a recreational vehicle or RV Park provides a place where visitors to Agricenter, its programs, and the Memphis area can stay overnight or a little longer.

One of the most impressive points about Agricenter International is its economic success. Agricenter is fulfilling its mission as a self-sustaining non-profit organization by operating annually in the black and off of the Shelby County payroll. In addition, a November 2004 study by Younger and Associates of Jackson, TN concluded, among other things, that the operations of Agricenter International contributed an economic impact of $3.6 million annually within the economy of Shelby County, Tennessee, supports 1828 Jobs, and generates more than $1.5 million annually in local tax revenues.

The approximately 1000-acre Agricenter International, a non-profit organization formed in 1981 on the site of the former Shelby County Penal Farm, is an integral, but separately governed part of the 4500-acre Shelby Farms. In 2006 the Shelby county Commission approved a land conservation easement designed to protect Agricenter and Shelby Farms Park for at least the next 50 years. We view this as a very positive step, as much of what we do at Agricenter revolves around our belief that this farm "where the country meets the city" is a tremendous natural resource that should be treasured, protected, and managed appropriately.

The development of the a visionary Master Plan for the entire Shelby Farms (Agricenter plus Shelby Farms Park) in 2007-2008 has been embraced and met with enthusiasm by the Boards of Agricenter International (the operating unit), and the Shelby county Agricenter Commission (the governing unit). As Agricenter International, we have the awesome privilege of managing this incredible resource with respect, and responsibility in ways that benefit the environment, agriculture, school children, and the general public at large.

To see Photos of Agricenter events, to learn more About Us, to see our Event Calendars, or to gather Directions, please follow the links within our website, and come see us. We welcome you to Agricenter and we appreciate your feedback.

 

Thomas F. ("Bud") Hughes

Chairman of the Board