By Liz Stewart
For many years, the Center for Rural Affairs has worked alongside active service members and military veterans. Whether coming back to their agricultural roots or starting out as beginning farmers, veterans often get help from Center staff when they decide to operate small family farms and ranches.
The Center helps guide veterans in their endeavors through business and agriculture education. About four years ago, the Center began hosting on-farm and virtual AgVets workshops designed for active service members and military veterans interested in agriculture.
Kirstin Bailey, senior project associate with the Center, has been part of the planning and execution of these workshops since they began. An underlying intention was to put together a network of veteran farmers throughout the state and eventually form a chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) in Nebraska.
FVC is a nationwide nonprofit that helps veterans transition from military service into careers in agriculture. Joining FVC is free and open to both veterans and non-veterans. Based out of California, the FVC has a growing network of more than 30,000 veteran members across the country.
“When we started these workshops, we were looking for leaders at the same time as providing quality education,” Kirstin said.
Martin Neal and Gus Leigh, both veterans and members of the FVC, have taken on those leadership roles and have been instrumental in making the Nebraska chapter of the FVC a reality.
Bringing the FVC to Nebraska
Martin participated in the first two years of the Center’s workshops and hosted the event in 2023, the third year of the project. He got involved in the FVC several years ago when researching the possibility of starting a farm after his retirement from the military.
His leadership qualities and dedication to agriculture made him a prime candidate to help begin the process of opening Nebraska’s FVC chapter, with support from the Center.
“I’ve been involved with Center programs for about as long as I have been a member of the FVC,” he said. “To my knowledge, the Center is the only organization that has offered long-term programs that assist farmer veterans by exposing them to different aspects of agriculture production.”
Gus got involved in the FVC about two years ago while he was doing an online search for resources related to beginning farmers and veterans. He is one of the Center’s 2024 conservation fellows.
“I was specifically looking for an organization that could connect my wife and I with programs ranging from federal initiatives, such as those offered by the USDA, to state or local chapters that support beginning farmers through mentorship, on-site training, or similar opportunities,” Gus said.
“We feel that having a chapter here will further enable veterans who are interested in or already involved in agriculture to become established,” Martin said. “We hope to bring the national programs to Nebraska and to further the establishment of Nebraska-specific programs that enable farmer veterans to become the next leaders of agriculture in our state.”
FVC benefits and goals
The main goal of bringing FVC to Nebraska, Martin said, is to advocate for fellow farmer veterans.
“We want to collaborate with other organizations and provide training and instruction that enables farmer veterans to start their business and gain practical experience which makes them eligible for USDA programs,” Martin said. “We want to expand upon their ventures through cooperation and establish a mentor program for farmer veterans. We also aim to help them gain access to needed resources such as land and equipment.”
The FVC administers the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund, which offers financial assistance to veterans by buying equipment and other essential supplies on their behalf.
“FVC offers comprehensive support to farmer veterans in many ways, including financial resources, business planning, career counseling, and job placement, along with training opportunities like apprenticeships, internships, and mentorships,” Gus said. “FVC also facilitates market access and provides member product discounts.”
Gus hopes a Nebraska chapter will foster interest and enhance food security. He’s working on obtaining financial support for the group by collaborating with stakeholders across the state.
“I aspire to facilitate a robust network of partnerships among individual farmers, ranchers, businesses, and organizations across Nebraska,” he said. “This network will aim to support both veteran and non-veteran farmers.”
There is also every reason to believe there will be future collaboration with the Center.
“We hope to develop mutually supporting programs and work with the Center and other nonprofits to achieve the aims and goals of the chapter here in Nebraska,” said Martin. “The Center has been unapologetically rural and their dedication to farmer veterans has helped to establish a solid foundation for the chapter to build upon and expand.”
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