by Jordan Strickler

Kentucky Correspondent

Frankfort, Ky. – Kentucky veterans looking to enter the farming business will be getting a boost thanks to a new grant from the USDA. The $746,567 grant provides agricultural opportunities for active veterans that are either currently farming or looking to get into farming and transitioning service members who wish to enter the agriculture industry in Kentucky through the AgVets initiative.The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), along with the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD), Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office, Kentucky Horticulture Council and University of Kentucky’s Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky, will collaborate on administering the grant with additional support from the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation, Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs and Hopkinsville Community College.

“Creating more opportunities for our military veterans is vital for the men and women who have served this country,” Quarles said. “Being able to combine this endeavor with increasing agriculture pursuits is a great benefit for veterans and Kentucky. It also is a natural partner with our Homegrown by Heroes agricultural marketing program. We are happy to be a part of this grant and work with other organizations to make these partnerships successful.”

The program includes a mentor program which will pair up veterans with producers who wish to get into the farming game and the opportunity to attend four workshops a year. Additionally, vets can also have access to farming training through the Army Career Skills Program (CSP), a government program which assists transitioning soldiers acquire skills that will assist them once they leave the service.

“Through CSP, soldiers can get things such as their CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) and H-VAC certifications.” says Kellie Padgett, KCARD Business Development Specialist “Well, we’re working to create a permanent agriculture track.”

Padgett says that the program will initially be focusing on small ruminants, such as sheep and goats, and vegetable crops.

“It seemed like a lot of our veterans who are coming in our door, those were some of their key interests,” says Padgett. “However, we do have a really good working relationship with Kentucky cattlemen, so we do have the ability to pivot in that direction as well with enough interest.”

The farmer/veteran movement got a tremendous boost with the 2014 Farm Bill. Under the Farm Bill, for the first time the USDA designated veterans as a distinct class of beginning farmers, allowing them access to low-interest rate loans to buy animals and equipment. It also allows them to apply for grants to upgrade their farm and can aid them in receiving extra payments to implement conservation practices on their land.

Homegrown by Heroes, the official farmer veteran branding program of America currently administered nationally by Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC), was the brainchild of the KDA in January 2013. The program -- which will be used to help find mentors for the AgVets initiative -- certifies ranchers, farmers and fisherman of all military eras to sell their product as veteran-owned and produced. The label attached to products in the program informs consumers that the agricultural products donning the logo were produced by U.S. military veterans.

Those interesting in learning more about Kentucky AgVets can go to https://www.kcard.info/kentucky-agvets.