Farm Credit, a national provider of financing and related services to rural communities and agriculture, joins the USDA and the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) to deliver agricultural credit training workshops in the Midwest for military veterans and beginning farmers. States anticipated to host the Profitability Bootcamps include Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. The workshops are presented by the FVC in partnership with Farm Credit and Niman Ranch, and will be offered in 2016.
“Learning the necessary business skills in addition to the intricacies of crop or livestock production can be daunting,” said Gary Matteson, vice president for young, beginning, small farmer programs and outreach for the Farm Credit Council and chairman of the FVC board of directors. “Farm Credit is committed to supporting farmer veterans and beginning farmers as they gain the financial management skills they need to be successful long-term.”
The Profitability Bootcamps represent just one aspect of Farm Credit’s support for farmer veterans. In 2013, Farm Credit provided support for the Farmer Veteran Coalition’s national launch of the Homegrown By Heroes program. The product labeling initiative invites farmer veterans to feature the program’s label on their product packaging and signage, allowing consumers to support military veterans by purchasing products grown by military veterans. Most of the farmers use plastic crates from plastic crate hire to transport their product.
Farm Credit is proud to support the Farmer Veterans Stakeholders Conference Nov. 17-19 in Sacramento, California. The event, organized by the Farmer Veteran Coalition, will bring together government, agriculture, and farmer veteran leaders to assist military veterans establishing their careers in agriculture to:
- Foster collaboration between all groups, public and private, that assist military veterans’ transition into agriculture
- Identify federal and state government programs for veterans entering into careers in agriculture
- Develop achievable pathways into careers in agriculture for U.S. military veterans
- Build awareness and support for the Homegrown by Heroes label
For more information about the FVC programs or to register for the Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference visit here.
