03/17/2026
FIN Game Time Tactics meetups explore how agricultural markets actually get built. We learn directly from those shaping ownership, governance, and durable systems on the ground.
On April 2nd, we will be joined by Lexy Close of the Appalachian Producers Cooperative, the first farmer-owned co-op established in Tennessee in over 50 years. We’ll explore how a group of farmers and community leaders turned an initial farmer investment into $10M in local, state, and federal funding to build a USDA-inspected beef processing facility in rural East Tennessee.
For decades, meat processing capacity has consolidated away from rural communities, leaving farmers with fewer local options and thinner margins. The result is what many refer to as the missing middle: the regional infrastructure needed to connect farms to viable markets. APC offers a compelling example of how farmers and community partners can come together to rebuild that infrastructure.
👉 Register for the webinar:
https://ow.ly/guI750YvoTc
🌱 Not yet part of FIN?
Join the Farmer Innovation Network here:
https://ow.ly/e7yK50YvoTe
About Appalachian Producers Cooperative
The Appalachian Producers Cooperative is a farmer-owned meat processing facility built to serve the needs of local producers. APC provides humane, high-quality processing for beef, hogs, lambs, and goats, delivering the professional results customers expect with the trust and transparency that come from a cooperative model.
About Lexy Close
Lexy Close is a grant writer and community organizer with over 13 years of experience advancing local food systems and agricultural training initiatives. She holds a degree in International Development and Social Change from Clark University and is passionate about strengthening rural communities through collaborative, values-driven work. A Johnson City, Tennessee native, Lexy lives there with her husband and two young sons.
