2021 marks the 12th year that the Farmer Veteran Coalition has been helping those who’ve served to join the ag industry. FVC Communications Director Natalie Monroe explained, “we create a new generation of farmers and food leaders, and two, we simultaneously offer veterans a new purpose on America’s farms. It offers them a new mission that so many of them look for when they return home. And we as a team get to hear almost daily about the gratitude that they have for being on the farm.”
When making the leap into agriculture, there are plenty of obstacles every farmer has to get through and the organization helps with that. “Access to capital and getting funding for capital are one of the biggest hurdles, and so, that’s what we’re doing through one of our signature programs, which is our Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund. It’s a small grant program that we give out annually to support farmers with a piece of equipment they’ve identified as making a crucial difference in their operation,” she said.
The therapeutic benefits of farming can really help veterans as well. “I think a large part of it is that veterans find something so healing about having their hands in the dirt, about caring and nurturing life, about having a routine about having animals and plants that they’re responsible for tending to, and I think a lot of that farming routine is so similar to their time in the military,” Monroe said. “If there’s a certain task that needs to get done at a certain time, such as the cows all needing to be fed at a certain time, and veterans are used to putting in the commitment from dawn to dusk to get the job done.”
For more information on the Farmer Veteran Coalition, you can check out their website. Membership for veterans and active-duty military is free.
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