Wilson County Exposition Center welcomes Farm Bureau naming rights purchase

LEBANON, Tenn. – Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and Wilson County agreed upon a $225,000 naming rights sponsorship of the Wilson County Exposition Center. The name change is officially in place, effective Aug. 1, 2020.

The municipally-owned facility was renamed Farm Bureau Exposition Center after a nearly five-year search for sponsorship.

Farm Bureau will pay Wilson County $45,000 per year through 2024 for the naming rights of the facility.

The stellar reputation of James E. Ward Agricultural and Community Center, home of the Exposition Center, combined with Wilson County’s ongoing support of agriculture, education, and community involvement encouraged the partnership with the like-minded federation.

Farm Bureau’s vision “Working together to build strong agricultural communities,” is infused in the Exposition Center’s message and resonates with the values rooted in the community.

The federation is responsible for all signage, subject to Wilson County’s approval, which will coin the facility as Wilson County’s Voice of Agriculture.

The purchase of the 104-acre Baddour Estate in 1974 initiated the development of Wilson County’s agriculture center, named after James E. Ward, the county’s extension agent. Ward’s passion and community-oriented leadership enriched agriculture in this area.

The agriculture center and adjoined fairgrounds expanded again in 2016 after the Wilson County Commission voted in favor of building the state-of-the-art Exposition Center.

The 79,000-square-foot facilityis a landmark— on the same grounds as the nationally acclaimed Wilson County Fair, Tennessee’s largest county fair.

Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation is a voluntary organization and voice of agricultural producers at all levels that began in 1921.