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CO-OP/Celebration Partnership Pays Dividends
Tuesday, January 20, 2009


      
Dr. Kevin Cox, Walking Horse Trainers’ Association President Link Webb, Dr. Gary Potter, Celebration CEO Dr. Doyle Meadows, and Co-op Nutritionist Kim Smith (left to right) together at the Co-Op seminar held at the Blue Ribbon Circle.
 

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn.—The partnership of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and Tennessee Farmers Cooperative (TFC) paid big dividends for a group of Tennessee Walking Horse trainers on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, at the Blue Ribbon Circle Club in Shelbyville.

Officials from both organizations were on hand to present a meeting and luncheon featuring experts on horse energy and health. The event’s featured speaker was Dr. Gary Potter, Professor Emeritus of Texas A&M University’s Equine Program, one of the world’s most renowned experts on performance horse energy nutrition. Accompanying Dr. Potter on the program were Kim Smith, Co-op Equine Specialist, and Dr. Kevin Cox, Co-op Staff Veterinarian.

“We continue to be honored to have Tennessee Farmers Co-op to our list of great corporate partners,” said Celebration Chief Executive Officer Dr. Doyle Meadows. “When we formed this partnership, we knew it would be beyond the 11 days of the Celebration each year. This special event for local Tennessee Walking Horse trainers is yet another example of Co-op’s commitment to the Tennessee Walking Horse industry.”

Co-op in Tennessee, recognized as one of the strongest federated farm supply cooperatives in the nation, includes TFC and its 58 member Co-ops that are locally owned by the farmers in their communities. Co-op horse feeds are manufactured in Tennessee at TFC’s three state-of-the-art feed mills located in LaVergne, Jackson, and Tenco, near Knoxville. Membership is not required to shop at Co-op.

“When we put together this partnership and were named the ‘Official Feed of the Celebration’, we challenged our marketing, sales, and technical staff to develop an educational program for Tennessee Walking Horse trainers that would address specific needs of the industry,” said Pat Whidden, TFC’s Animal Nutrition Operations Officer. “Our folks responded with an outstanding program featuring a world class expert on equine energy nutrition. We could not be more pleased with this program.”

The 2009 edition of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration will be held from Aug. 26-Sept. 5. For more details on the event, go to www.twhnc.com. For more information on Co-op’s Equine Nutrition and Health Program, visit your local Farmers Co-op or www.ourcoop.com.

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