TCA Talk From The Tennessee Cattlemen's Association

Getting Insights From Vendors In Our Convention Wrap-Up

In this edition of TCA Talk, we will share the remaining interviews from the collection of 15 Q&As that we did while we were onsite at the 2026 TCA Convention in Franklin. You will hear feature interviews with three vendors who had display areas at the convention. Our first stop on our vendor visits was to the Summertown Metals booth, and we learned how the Summertown Team utilizes the opportunities offered at the TCA Convention to network with producers to go into some depth on their range of services and offerings, which includes barn construction. Our second vendor visit happened at the Corteva Agriscience booth. We learned that the company specializes in crop protection and seeds, specifically offering broadleaf and woody stem weed control solutions for pastures and hay land. We also learned that 90% of effective weed control is identifying the specific weeds present, a process Corteva facilitates for producers through photos, text messages and physical samples.  Our final stop in this edition of TCA Talk happened on the floor of the Franklin County Ag Center. We got a chance to visit with Dave Green, the Plant Manager for KieferBilt Trailers. Located in Sneedville in the upper part of East Tennessee, KieferBilt produces heavy-duty, all-aluminum stock trailers that are designed to help today’s production agriculture operation. To learn more about the Tennessee Cattlemen's Association and how you can become a member of TCA, please visit TNCattle.org [https://www.tncattle.org/]

Vendor Visits: Getting Helpful Info At The TCA Convention

For this episode of TCA Talk, we will be sharing some of the vendor visits that we made with the experts in the booths that were set up onsite at the 2026 TCA Convention. Our first stop on this tour brought us to see the folks from AgCentral Farmers Co‑Op, which is based in Athens, Tenn. AgCentral, as we learned, operates 11 facilities and service producers across Tennessee, Kentucky, North Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas. The co-op provides agricultural retail and wholesale services, including feed manufacturing, grain bin and feed hopper installation, fencing, and dairy parlor construction.  While giving us an overview of what the company does and how they work in the production ag industry, the guys in the MetalMax booth noted how much they enjoy the unique opportunities that the TCA Convention provides for them. The Trans Ova booth served as our final stop on this edition of the podcast. We spent some time with Erin Womack talking about some of the science that is becoming a part of production ag as well as some of the questions she received while onsite at the 2026 edition of the TCA Convention. To learn more about the Tennessee Cattlemen's Association and how you can become a member of TCA, please visit TNCattle.org [https://www.tncattle.org/]

Looking Back & Looking Ahead At 2026 With TCA President Gary Dering

Recorded on the final day of the Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association Convention earlier this year, TCA President Gary Dering shares his perspective on this year’s convention, the strong turnout and engagement across the state. He also talks to us about the importance of continuing to build momentum within the association. As you’ll hear, Gary highlights the growing involvement of youth in the cattle industry and why investing in the next generation is critical to the future of Tennessee agriculture. Looking ahead at the rest of 2026, Gary discusses his vision for the association and the opportunities that are within reach for cattle producers across Tennessee. To learn more about the Tennessee Cattlemen's Association and how you can become a member of TCA, please visit TNCattle.org [https://www.tncattle.org/]

Former College Rodeo Coach Still Giving Back To Next Generations

While on-site at the TCA Convention in February, TCA Talk had the opportunity to meet J.D. Van Hooser, who dedicated 20 years of his life serving as the head coach for Murray State University’s Rodeo Team, which competed in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Following his retirement from Murray State, where he also taught classes in the Animal Science Department, J.D. has stayed in the cattle industry by joining the sales team at Yarbrough Sales, which provides steel, fencing and pipe products primarily to farming operations. In our conversation with J.D., he looks back on his coaching days and the opportunity to work with young people through his years at Murray State. While talking about his overall impressions of being on-site at the TCA Convention, J.D. notes the importance of fostering a desire to work in production agriculture among young people. As J.D. shares with TCA Talk, despite obstacles for new producers that include high land prices, infrastructure costs, and market challenges, J.D. believes the future of the beef cattle industry is a bright one. To learn more about the Tennessee Cattlemen's Association and how you can become a member of TCA, please visit TNCattle.org [https://www.tncattle.org/].

Meet The Hodges Family: Commitment To Farming That Spans The Generations

Recorded on the ground floor of the TCA Convention earlier this year, we meet the Hodges family, owners of Flying H Farms, a fifth-generation operation in Sumner County. Founded in 1940, the 525-acre farm includes a cow-calf operation, a feedlot, a fencing business, and a retail store offering USDA-certified beef and pork directly to customers. Steve Hodges and his wife, Kim, share how cattle production and daily farm operations have evolved over the past 15 years, including their use of computers and specialized apps to manage the business. We also meet their daughter, Haylee, and her husband, Ryan Wall, who are stepping into the next generation of Flying H Farms. Haylee and Ryan discuss what they are learning from Steve and Kim and their commitment to continuing the family legacy. The segment also includes conversations with their young children, who share their experiences at the convention and with their show cow. To learn more about the Tennessee Cattlemen's Association and how you can become a member of TCA, please visit TNCattle.org [https://www.tncattle.org/].