Veterans Harvest: A Virtual Conference for Veterans in Agriculture

Tuesday, July 27, 2021 - 1:00pm to Tuesday, August 24, 2021 - 1:00pm
Location:
VIRTUAL
Contact email:
Contact name:
AgrAbility
Contact phone:
800-825-4264

Veterans Harvest: A Virtual Conference for Veterans in Agriculture

5 consecutive Tuesdays beginning July 27, 2021

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET

The National AgrAbility Project is pleased to present Veterans Harvest: A Virtual Conference for Veterans in Agriculture.

Click here for the registration form. All sessions are free. Those already registered for the 2021 AgrAbility National Training Workshop Virtual Sessions are automatically registered for the veterans’ conference. Register by Thursday, July 22. Instructions for accessing the session will be sent to registrants by Monday, July 26.

The current conference agenda includes the following sessions:

•July 27: "Conference Introduction" by Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility Project, and Jeanette Lombardo, Farmer Veteran Coalition, plus “One Veteran's Journey from PTSD to Farmer” by Sarah Creech, Blue Yonder Organic Farm and Indiana Farmer Veteran Coalition
August 3: “Celebrating Veteran Total Farmer Health” by Linda Emanuel and Shay Foulk, AgriSafe Network
•August 10: “Programming for Veterans in Agriculture: How Maine Does It" by Anne Devin, veteran outreach specialist with Maine AgrAbility
August 17: “Update on USDA's support for Veterans” by Bill Ashton, USDA Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison
August 24: “Panel Presentation on State/Regional Programs for Farmer Veterans” moderated by Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility Project

“Agriculture has become an important source of employment and healing for many veterans,” says Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility’s veteran outreach coordinator. “A large percentage of veterans come from rural areas, even though not all of them grew up on farms. After leaving the military, they discover that working in agriculture fulfills them in ways that other occupations can’t.”

Groups involved with the conference include Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) and Indiana AgVets. FVC is a national organization with chapters in Indiana and 23 other states that helps veterans develop viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities. Indiana AgVets is a USDA-sponsored agricultural career training program, led by Hoosier Uplands Economic Development Corporation in cooperation with Purdue’s Indiana AgrAbility Project, which provides internships and other support for U.S. military veterans in Indiana or surrounding states.


Please pass on this invitation to others you believe may be interested. Contact AgrAbility at 800-825-4264 or email agrability@agrability.org if you have questions.

The National AgrAbility Project is supported by USDA/NIFA Special Project 2016-41590-25880.