New to farming? For military veterans, there's a local program for that

Jan. 5—Cullman County has lots of veteran farmers; experienced growers and ranchers who've made agriculture their business for decades or even generations. But what about farmers who are actual military veterans?

After partnering in recent years to offer training to beginning local farmers, the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service and the North Alabama Agriplex are tweaking their entry-level offerings to emphasize both active and veteran military service members.

Formerly known as the Beginning Farmer and Rancher program, the monthly series of free classes at the Agriplex is taking on a new name — the Veteran and Beginning Farmer program — as it starts over in the new year to encourage U.S. veterans to participate.

The name change comes as the Extension service and the Agriplex partner for a larger Alabama initiative known as Operation Grow — a new veteran farmer program sponsored by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.

"Operation Grow is a statewide program, and here locally, the Agriplex is a participating partner," explained Cullman County Cooperative Extension Agent Kira Sims. "Because we locally had been doing the Beginning Farmer and Rancher program for a couple of years, we agreed to kind of pivot that program to make sure that we were raising higher awareness that this is something that serves both the general population as well as military veterans."

The Veteran and Beginning Farmer workshops are equally aimed at those who are serious about starting out, as well as those who aren't yet sure if getting into farming or ranching is right for them.

"Some people who come to a class are testing the waters from a knowledge standpoint," said Sims. "A lot for them haven't even taken that first step yet: 'Hey, I like this idea — but let me learn more about it.' So, they'll come to the workshop and from there decide if this is something they want to pursue."

Classes in the free-to-attend program cover a broad variety of topics, with monthly classes for 2023 covering everything from beekeeping to meat goats; from growing pumpkins to animal first aid and more. Workshops take place on the second Tuesday of each month from January through September, running from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the North Alabama Agriplex. In past years, the program has also featured an annual field trip to a local farm; this year under its new name, that will expand to two trips.

"One goal of the Veteran and Beginning Farmer series is knowledge," the Extension Service said in a statement announcing this year's offerings. "Equipping beginning small farmers with the technical knowledge needed to succeed in a farming operation is critical ... Workshops are interactive and led by experts including Extension agents and specialists, farmers, producers, a veterinarian, and agriculture agency representatives."

Another goal of the program is "connection" — as in, bringing together local people with overlapping agricultural interests. It's a great way, said Sims, to share knowledge among farmers with different degrees of expertise and covering varying types of produce and livestock raising. Crucially, it also assures that beginning farmers with similar interests get to interact with each other, adding value to the learning process and reminding those just starting out that they're not alone in their pursuit.

"We want to make it engaging for people," Sims said. "In January [exploring financial resources for farmers] and February [beekeeping for fun and profit], both programs will have panels. People enjoy being able to go onto an actual farm and see how an operation works, so we're also adding that second farm tour this year. We'll still have a lot of Extension staff presenting information, but we're also getting more local specialists involved so that small and beginning farmers have more connections they can make locally, instead of seeing the same people over and over again."

Under its former name, the program already incorporated interested local veterans into all of its activities. But Operation Grow offers a wider array of state-level resources specifically aimed at helping veterans get started, and Sims said the local Veteran and Beginning Farmer program can serve as a gateway for service members to access more of what's available through the Operation Grow initiative.

"Our old Beginning Farmer and Rancher program was never exclusive of veterans, but the idea this year is make sure that they are encouraged along with anyone else in the community who comes to the workshops," she said. "We do have quite a few active and former military personnel in our community, and we want to make sure we're serving them. That's kind of why we did the name change: To make it evident that they know that beginning farming is for veterans too, and from there to funnel them into the Operation Grow program, if they want to explore their farming interests further."

The Veteran and Beginning Farmer workshops are open at no cost to anyone interested in the topics presented. Registration is requested, and a light supper will be provided at most monthly workshops hosted at the Agriplex. To register, contact Tony Glover at 205-568-0005 or via email at gloveta@aces.edu.

If you are interested in learning more about the topics offered through the Veteran and Beginning Farmer series, visit https://agriplex.org/WPtest/farmer-rancher-program/.

For any Alabama veterans who's interested in farming, check out the Operation Grow program offered through the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service at https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/farming/operation-grow-for-military-veterans/.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.

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