Jason Cherry of Chester County brings a well-rounded voice to the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative (TFC) board after being elected as a Zone 1 Director at TFC’s Annual Meeting held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center on Nov. 27-28. 

With years of experience in the agricultural industry, Jason’s farming roots include row cropping and raising cattle. Growing up around hogs and cattle, Jason redirected his focus to row cropping after meeting his wife, Brandy, in 1993 and going into business with her father, Ricky Essary, and her younger brother, Kevin. The family’s operation, Essary and Cherry Farms, has expanded significantly over the years and now encompasses approximately 4,000 acres of corn and soybeans in Chester, McNairy, and Hardin counties. They also have a 50 to 70-head commercial cattle herd. 

As a member of First Farmers Cooperative’s Henderson location and current member of the First Farmers Cooperative board, Jason says he is blessed to be associated with such a strong 

Co-op — one he has been able to rely on throughout his farming career. 

“I believe in supporting my local Co-op, and if I need something that’s sold there, I don’t consider going anywhere else,” says Jason. “Whether or not it’s the cheapest, you can’t beat the level of service and expertise you get there.” 

Jason says he is thankful for friends such as recently retired First Farmers Cooperative Sales and Marketing Manager Mike Clayton and First Farmers Cooperative Henderson Location Manager Matt Hearn. Mike and Matt instilled in him a love for the cooperative system and encouraged him to join the TFC board when the opportunity presented itself.

“I want to help our system remain viable for years to come so that many more generations can feel the sense of pride you get from knowing you have ownership in a local business,” says Jason. “Two of the hurdles we have to jump to do this is to educate the public on the importance of agriculture and to get more youth involved.”

Jason views the agriculture industry as ripe with opportunity and has seen how his own two girls — Sydney, 17, and Bristol, 11 — have benefitted from such a challenging but rewarding lifestyle. 

“Less and less of the population truly knows what happens on a farm and what measures we take to be stewards of the land and our animals,” says Jason. “Being raised on the farm, my girls understand this concept very well, and they’re even learning to become entrepreneurs with their own cattle enterprise.” 

Sydney and Bristol care for a 40-head Hereford herd alongside their father’s commercial cattle operation, and Jason says he is proud to watch their self-sufficiency as they prep their animals to be shown nationwide while also managing the genetics of the herd. 

“Sydney has won the Junior Hereford Show at the Tennessee State Fair the last two years in a row, and they’ve both shown at the North American Livestock Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Hereford Junior Nationals in Kansas City,” says Jason. “It’s been a blessing watching them learn and grow. Raising cattle and working on a farm isn’t easy, but it’s taught them a great deal of responsibility.”

Jason says that his family’s strong faith has also contributed to their passion for the industry. 

“In our family, we live by the Co-op slogan, ‘Faith, Family, Farming,’” says Jason, who serves as a deacon and youth director at Shiloh Baptist Church. “We’re called to be stewards of the land and animals that God has given us, and I hope I can set an example for this as I help TFC consider new issues in agriculture.” 

Aside from the Co-op, Jason actively serves on numerous other agricultural related boards, including his positions as chairman of the Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board, secretary of the Chester County Soil Conservation Board, treasurer of the Tennessee Soybean Association, and member of the Southern Soybean Research Board — all of which allow him to bring a wealth of insight relating to both agriculture and the Zone 1 territory to the TFC board. 

“This is no doubt a busy time for my family, but I couldn’t pass up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the TFC board,” says Jason. “No matter how I’m serving, I want to know that I’m making an impact, and I look forward to being a part of bettering Tennessee agriculture.”