Editing Grainger County, Tennessee (section)

===Agriculture===
Grainger County is acknowledged as a predominately [[Rural area|rural]] and [[exurb]]an county of the [[Knoxville metropolitan area|Greater Knoxville]] region.<ref name="easttnruralhomeless">{{cite web |title=Using the Social Ecological Model to examine how homelessness is defined and managed in rural East Tennessee |url=https://nhchc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/rural-homelessness-report_-nhchcpublication.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://nhchc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/rural-homelessness-report_-nhchcpublication.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |website=National Health Care for the Homeless Council |access-date=November 29, 2020 |date=April 2016 |quote="Rural areas are usually characterized by higher levels of economic disadvantage in terms of median income, percentage of residents living below the poverty level, and percentage of residents with a low education level. They often have higher levels of home ownership as opposed to multiple rental units. Union, Grainger, and Claiborne County reflect these traditional, rural characteristics."}}</ref><ref name="exurban">{{cite web |title=The United States: By Rural, Urban and Exurban Counties |url=https://dailyyonder.com/united-states-rural-urban-and-exurban-counties/2009/03/17/ |website=The Daily Yonder |access-date=December 6, 2020 |date=March 17, 2009}}</ref>  [[Agriculture]] has accounted for a large portion of the county economy throughout history due to the county's soil containing a mass amount of rich nutrients beneficial to select crops of choice.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bertone|first=Rachel|url=https://www.farmflavor.com/tennessee/why-grainger-county-tennessee-tomatoes-are-so-tasty/|title=Why Grainger County, Tennessee, Tomatoes Are So Tasty|date=March 13, 2017|work=Farm Flavor|access-date=March 14, 2020}}</ref> The [[tomato]] has been the major crop, though [[cattle]] raising continues to important gains. Grainger County tomatoes have in recent decades become nationally and internationally renowned.<ref name="Collins"/><ref>{{Cite news|last=DeVoe|first=Emily|date=August 6, 2020|title=WHY THE TOMATOES GROWN IN THIS RURAL TENNESSEE COUNTY ATTRACT PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD|work=[[WBIR-TV]]|url=https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/five-at-four/why-the-tomatoes-grown-in-this-rural-tenn-county-attract-people-from-all-over-the-world/51-86107d19-ea78-4f5e-81f8-c8b0b3e41d36|access-date=August 8, 2020}}</ref>

In 2018, Grainger County was reported to have over 650 greenhouses, 923 farms producing 500 acres of field vegetables, and nearly 90,000 acres of farmland.<ref name="extension">{{cite web |title=Agriculture |url=https://extension.tennessee.edu/Grainger/Pages/Agriculture.aspx |website=Grainger County Extension Institute of Agriculture |publisher=[[University of Tennessee]] |access-date=August 14, 2020}}</ref>

The county celebrates the tomato in an annual [[festival]] since 1992. Around thirty-thousand festival-goers across the state of Tennessee and the United States gather to witness events about the county's heritage and its significant agricultural impact across the state of Tennessee, enjoy live music performances, purchase local produce and handmade gifts, and take part in arts and crafts events. The Grainger County Tomato Festival takes place during the final weekend in July.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.graingercountytomatofestival.com|title=Grainger County Tomato Festival TN.|website=Grainger County Tomato Festival TN.|access-date=November 15, 2017}}</ref>