A new resource guide developed by Farm Bureau and the Farmer Veteran Coalition Partnership is now available.
Farm Bureau and the FVC are working together to train beginning farmers, make equipment available to veteran farmers and help find farm ownership or employment opportunities for members of the military transitioning into the civilian workforce.
“Through this partnership, I am optimistic returning veterans will learn how to continue their service to our country by helping feed its citizens, nourish its land and make its rural communities more viable through the many entrepreneurial opportunities agriculture has to offer,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman.
MFBF Executive Vice President Jake Cummins, a retired Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, praised the program, as well. “This is an excellent way to bring our veterans into civilian life again and give them a true purpose and opportunity. Agriculture can be a catalyst for these veterans to learn new skills and careers that will benefit not only them and their families, but will benefit everyone who enjoys the bounty of American agriculture.”
The resource guide provides Farm Bureaus with a simple framework outlining the many ways that are available to participate in the new partnership and assist returning veterans interested in staking their future on agriculture and rural America.
Service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have become the latest group of veterans in need of employment and who, by some measures, may be the most likely young people to enter agriculture and other rural-based businesses. Only 17 percent of the U.S. population calls rural communities home, yet 44 percent of military recruits come from rural America.
The FVC is an organization aimed at mobilizing veterans to enter agriculture and help feed America while rebuilding rural communities. Learn more at http://www.farmvetco.org.
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