Project Overview
Farming
offers a viable avenue for returning veterans to transition into society and
capitalizes on skills that made them successful in the military. However, these
opportunities may be missed due to lack of targeted training programs, guidance
and information. We assembled a team with expertise in teaching
conventional and alternative agriculture, hands-on training, economics,
research and networking resources targeted to veteran farmers focused on
poultry, small ruminants and agroforestry production. Through our previous
BFRDP project, our team has supported hundreds of veterans through workshops,
internships, research and training opportunities yet there continues to be a
critical need to train and support this population of new farmers. Our objectives were to: 1) Enhance existing course and add
training modules to our New Farmer Online Training Program; 2)
Provide experiential opportunities including Armed to Farm Workshops and
training, on-farm demonstration and internship programs; and 3) Develop and
expand on custom networking and mentoring systems to effectively support a new
generation of farmers. This project will
targeted military veterans and minority farmers (women, African-American and
Latino farmers). Residents of the South have traditionally comprised a
disproportionate share of military personnel and many of them come from
agricultural backgrounds and would return to their agricultural roots if given
the opportunity. This dynamic program created specific training opportunities
and networking systems for these and other populations of new and beginning
farmers and ranchers. We served over 500 farmers face-to-face and thousands through online education over the lifespan of this grant.
Number of Participants: 548
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Individual Stories / Examples of Success