Military Veteran Farmer Training

This Military Veteran Farmer Training Page provides information about beginning farmer training programs specifically targeted toward military veterans.

Our Farming Organization of the Year Award for 2010 went to the Farmer-Veteran Coalition (see
https://beginningfarmers.org/farming-organization-of-the-year-farmer-veteran-coalition/).

Military Veteran Farmer Training Programs Throughout the Country are Working with Veterans to Help them Develop the Skills they Need to Become Successful Farmers. Here is a List of Resources to Help You Find the One that is Right for You:

– Colin and Karen Archipley run a small organic farm near San Diego called Archi’s Acres where they try out course work for veterans they train in hyrdroponics and other sustainable farming techniques. “They were trained to use rifles and coordinate air strikes, not operate businesses,” says Colin, himself a decorated Marine sergeant, “but we tap into the leadership skills they’ve obtained in the military.” Together the Archipleys are planting seeds of future occupations for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

– Veterans Farm in Jacksonville, Florida was started by Sgt Adam Burke, an OIF/OEF combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient who was wounded in battle during a 15 month tour in Iraq. In 2009, Adam was moved, when he noticed a young able and willing veteran sitting in the mall hungry and depressed. He could see the veteran was too proud to ask for help and knew he had to find a way to help his fellow soldiers. Just a hand out would not be sufficient, but a sustainable way to get their life back on track was the key. This is where the concept to combine therapy, work, education, and socialization through growing blueberries and blackberries was discovered. You can learn more at https://veteransfarm.com.

The Veterans to Farmers Program in Colorado was started in 2011 and trains military veterans in organic and hydroponic production. They wrote a feature story Military Veteran Farmer Training for our blog.

– BattleGround to Breaking Ground is an initiative launched by partners including Texas A&M, USDA NIFA Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program and Three Wire System’s MyAdvisor to enhance the sustainability and aid in the success of military veteran-run farms and ranches. The program is a 3-phase educational program available to veterans, active duty military and their families.

– Take Root is a free military veteran farmer training program operated by the Angelic Organics Learning Center in Illinois.

– The Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Alexandria, Virginia has a set of programs that pay veterans to learn how to farm.

– Heroic Food, is based in Columbia County, NY and is being developed in collaboration with the Farmer Veteran Coalition. It’s a residential, tuition-free program, and participants will have paid training positions on farms and other income streams throughout the program.

– Growing Veterans farm in Washington State offers peer support training, resources, and connections for veterans interested in farming careers.

– A list of training programs for veterans can be found on the Agribility resource page https://www.agrability.org/resources/veterans/

– Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund Grants for first year farmer veterans are available through the Farmer Veteran Coalition. Learn more at https://www.farmvetco.org/fvfellowship/.

– Learn more about being a veteran farmer from the USDA and find a list of resources at at https://newfarmers.usda.gov/veterans

– Find a state by state list of veteran operated training farms at https://walkyourtalk.tv/get-involved/programs-organizations/

Helping Veterans Trade Their Swords for Plows By (PATRICIA LEIGH BROWN – New York Times)

In a recent issue of the New York Times, there was a great article featuring the work of this organization as well as Archi’s Acres whose military veteran farmer training efforts are also described below. I have included an excerpt and link below, along with links to several other similar efforts to help veterans get into farming.

EXCERPT: On an organic farm here in avocado country, a group of young Marines, veterans and Army reservists listened intently to an old hand from the front lines. “Think of it in military terms,” he told the young recruits, some just back from Iraq or Afghanistan. “It’s a matter of survival, an uphill battle. You have to think everything is against you and hope to stay alive.”Veteran Farmer

The battle in question was not the typical ground assault, but organic farming — how to identify beneficial insects, for instance, or to prevent stray frogs from clogging an irrigation system. It was Day 2 of a novel boot camp for veterans and active-duty military personnel, including Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton, who might be interested in new careers as farmers.

“In the military, grunts are the guys who get dirty, do the work and are generally underappreciated,” said Colin Archipley, a decorated Marine Corps infantry sergeant turned organic farmer, who developed the program with his wife, Karen, after his three tours in Iraq. “I think farmers are the same.”

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