Two million U.S. military veterans are younger than 35, with nearly 45 percent of them coming from rural America. Most have expressed interest in returning to their communities, and census data indicates that the Southern region welcomes the largest concentration of veterans. With multi-year support from a $500,000 AFRI grant, the University of Arkansas led a team of experts from University of Missouri, Appalachian State University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and the Farmer Veteran Coalition in developing targeted mentoring programs for beginning farmers and ranchers that emphasize business practices, such as a “veteran-grown” label program, to create marketing opportunities. In 2016, 30 participants went to veteran-owned Across the Creek Farm and learned production operations, including business planning and financial decisions that impact the farm. The grant pays for vets’ attendance at workshops, boot camps, and free online courses.

NIFA originally published this impact in the NIFA 2016 Annual Report. Want to read about more impacts like this? Check out Fresh from the Field, a weekly bulletin showcasing transformative impacts made by grantees funded by NIFA.