Project Overview
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension's
Battleground to Breaking Ground Expansion Program meets two main goals 1) to
expand the existing Battleground to Breaking Ground program (BGBG) to better
support limited agriculture experience participants; thus, increasing the
number of veteran and other new and beginning farmers and ranchers in Texas 2) enhances
the success and sustainability of Texas' veteran and other new and beginning
farmers & ranchers by providing them and their families with the knowledge,
skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions. To accomplish these goals
the project has A) Expanded the existing in-person Battleground to Breaking
Ground Phase 1 workshop into an Introduction to Agriculture Business online
course and 5-day in-person Introduction to Agriculture Business Bootcamp B)
Developed and conducted the Battleground to Breaking Ground Skillbridge Program
(BGBG-SB) for transitioning military service members. C) Developed and conducted
Battleground to Breaking Ground Mentorship Training Program (BGBG MTP) in
partnership with Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) to increase the number of
available veteran agriculture mentors in Texas and enhance their sustainability
through ongoing support. The existing successful BGBG program curriculum has
been expanded to addresses additional needs identified by the target audience
through developing an enhanced experiential agriculture production training for
beginning farmers/ranchers with little to no experience. Transitioning military
members gain the skills and training necessary to become successful
farmers/ranchers, as well as the program developed a mentorship training
program for BGBG graduates to provide them financial support and education to
train beginning farmers/ranchers. Lastly, the expansion program addressed education and support to beginning farmers related to the impacts of COVID-19
including business planning technical assistance and training in accessing
federal and state assistance programs. To substantiate the benefits of the BGBGXP
project, qualitative and quantitative data is collected for each cohort, and results are shared with the Project Advisory Committee, stakeholders and the general public.
Number of Participants: 808
Promotional Materials
There are no promotional materials available for this project.
Educational Materials
There are no educational materials available for this project.
Reports & Evaluations
There are no reports or evaluations available for this project.
Describe any unexpected results of the project:
How would you improve the project if you were to do it again?
What were the keys to success for your participants?
Individual Stories / Examples of Success