In honor of Veterans Day, the Tennessee AgrAbility Project (TNAP) highlighted some of its networking this year with veterans impacted by disability. Staff celebrated Veterans Day and are mindful every day to thank their military and Homegrown by Heroes/Pick TN Products logo farmers. When searching the PickTN database, look for the Homegrown By Heroes logo. That means a veteran owns and operates that farm or business. http://picktnproducts.org/
Horticultural therapy was highlighted when TNAP staff worked on the Survivor Outreach Services house with the Montgomery County Master Gardeners Association. UTIA made a great video to recognize them for Veterans Day! TN AgrAbility thanks them for all their hard work in honoring those Gold Star families and all veterans.
TNAP staff presented AgrAbility and talked about The Next Mission: Breaking Down Barriers for Veterans in Agriculture to the TN Field School in upper Northeast TN. It was part of another great USDA Beginning Farmer Program in TN. Staff referred one of their TNAP clients for a veteran scholarship. TNAP is networking to continue helping beginning farmers with disabilities to connect with others across the state, using the model F.A.R.M. (Farmer And Rancher Mentorship Program), a 200-hour on-farm internship program that pairs farmers.
Charley Jordan and Ron Bridges represented TN AgrAbility and the Beginning Farmer Outreach Project at the 2018 Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference in Kansas City. Staff learned about resources for veterans who want to begin farming and networking.
Farm Credit hosted farmer veterans from across the country in July to join them in Washington, D.C. Charley Jordan, of Farmer Veteran Coalition of TN and TN AgrAbility, was honored to be part of the ceremony on the floor of the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill where, along with members of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, they witnessed the unveiling of a new logo for the Homegrown By Heroes label. The new logo, which features updated colors and the addition of a female service member, was presented with help of Congressman James Comer from Kentucky, where the #HomegrownByHeroes label was created in 2013 while he was the commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Later in November, Farm Credit shared their stories and more as staff celebrated those who've served our country and now feed it. Learn more at farmcredit.com/veterans.
Submitted by Tennessee AgrAbility Project