A “Pick Tennessee” mobile app is now available which can find and then map the way to locally grown farm products, farms and farmers markets.
The free app, downloadable from both iTunes for Apple products and from Google Play for Android devices, is the latest advancement of Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Pick Tennessee Products promotion.
“I’m proud to introduce this new face of an old friend,” Tennessee Department of Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson said.
“Pick Tennessee Products has thrived for 28 years, not only by providing real and valuable services, but also by having the flexibility to adapt to change—changing cultures, consumer demands, and technology. “Our government services must anticipate needs not just for the current year, but for 15 years down the road. With the new Pick Tennessee mobile app, we now reach consumers where they already expect to find us—on their phones and other digital devices.”
The Pick Tennessee mobile app allows users to search by item, like “apples,” by region of the state, or season. The mobile app then provides directions to the chosen location through direct GPS mapping.
“Every Tennessee farmer or farm product producer who sells directly to the public can visit the Pick Tennessee Products website and apply to become part of this free service,” Johnson said. “If a farm is listed on Pick Tennessee Products, that farm is automatically available on the new Pick Tennessee mobile app for GPS mapping.”
The Pick Tennessee mobile app can keep track of favorites and provides links to seasonal recipes, tips, and fun facts, as well as the full Pick Tennessee Products website. Farm direct and local items on the app include options as varied as local fruits and vegetables, wineries, greenhouses and plant nurseries, Christmas tree farms, and local honey. The items can be searched by the farm where they’re produced, or the markets where they’re sold.
Pick Tennessee Products is the longstanding state campaign to connect customers to locally grown or made products and farm-related activities. The Pick Tennessee Products site, www.picktnproducts.org, also posts directories of the state’s county fairs, equine trails and services, local meats and dairies, and agritourism farms.
Going live in 1995, the Pick Tennessee Products site was the state of Tennessee’s first consumer Web presence, and continues to be TDA’s information gateway for consumers and for marketing related producer programs. The site, a free service, currently features close to 2,000 participating farms, processors, and other ag and farm businesses, listing about 10,000 individual items. It attracted more than 300,000 visits last year.