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The mission of the Agricenter International is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of agri-industry by providing a showcase for technologies by public and private entities. Agricenter International provides one convenient location where the entire agricultural community, from researchers to manufacturers to producers, can meet each other, share ideas, experiment with new products and exhibit the latest technologies.
Introduction
On the outskirts of Memphis, near Walnut Grove and Germantown Parkway, stands a unique contrast between urban progress and agriculture. Adjacent to these two busy thoroughfares stands 1,000 acres of land. When passing the area, one notices rows and rows of crops, and even a large red bam. However, rising in front of this rural setting is a large, steel and glass-encased structure that houses Agricenter International.
In 1979, a group of Memphis business leaders saw the need for creating a showcase of American agriculture which would promote an increase in jobs and provide a catalytic atmosphere where agriculturally-related companies could work hand-in-hand, sharing information. With federal, state, and local funding as well as the dedication of land from Shelby Farms, the Agricenter was born.
Jim Wadlington, President of Agricenter International, believes in the idea of the Agricenter as catalytic. "We [Agricenter International] are the catalyst. We are providing in environment and workplace. What is interesting abd this concept, to me, is that we have companies working side by side in the Agricenter, but in the marketplace they are bitter enemies."
The concept from 1979 and Wadlington's idea may seem unrealistic, until one sees the associates and companies working with Agricenter International. The list of occupants and associates reads like a veritable "who's who" in agribusiness and federal, state, and county agricultural agencies. Located within and without the main structure are offices, a farmer's market, an RV park, farmland, and a weather station (complete with Doppler radar). While one of the original visions of Agricenter International was that the facility would serve as a showcase for agriculturally-related techniques and equipment, Agricenter International has evolved to include this vision as well as a one-stop shop offering rich farmland for research and entrepreneurial assistance for emerging companies.
In addition, Agricenter International offers educational exhibits, information, and various training programs. Each year, more than a half a million people...