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The state of California held a job fair for young veterans returning to civilian life. More than 1,000 job seekers showed up in San Bernardino to explore their options.

About a year ago, the Army was entrusting Spc. Jedidiah Martin with the lives of pilots landing expensive military aircraft in a war zone.

Today, Martin is a 23-year-old civilian living in Riverside, and the best job he can find is part time at a fast-food restaurant.

Veterans such as Martin who recently were separated from the service after tours in Iraq or Afghanistan are coming home to a much more uncertain economy than when they signed up.

The job fair produced by the California Employment Development Department included companies recruiting to fill job openings as well as apprenticeship programs and training programs that lead to future employment.

Finding good and fulfilling jobs is proving to be quite a challenge for all young people during these tough economic times, especially so for veterans. In California, the unemployment rate among non-veterans their early 20s is 8.8 percent, but among veterans of the same age it’s 14.3 percent. Many of those who are employed have taken jobs in fast food restaurants for $10 per hour or less just to get some income happening.

Many soldiers operated heavy equipment while serving in uniform, said Patti Roberts, an EDD communications officer, but the construction companies who once would have hired them for twice that are victims of the Inland area’s severe housing slump.

“There are still local companies looking for good, responsible employees,” Roberts said. “The challenge is to change some of the skill sets. That’s why the apprenticeship programs and community colleges are here.”

Veterans can be excellent workers, Roberts said. They’re trained to complete tasks. They understand teamwork and respect the chain of command.

Though some of the veterans attending the fair had transferrable skills, that wasn’t true of all of them. Some will require training to work in a skilled occupation. Some suffered injuries while on duty, which narrows their job choices.

Robert Adams, 21, of Fontana, was recruited by the Army after high school and, right after basic training, was sent to Iraq. He declined to discuss what he did in the war zone but said he came out with no special skills to help get a civilian job.

Adams has been separated from the service for three months and worked in warehouse and security jobs. Eventually he said, his reserve unit will be called up and he’ll fulfill the rest of his commitment.

“Right now I am looking for anything that pays, and hopefully leaves some time to go to school,” Adams said.

It’s been hard for Cedric Robinson, 31, of Perris, who was discharged in 2004. As a transportation specialist he suffered a serious back injury while overseas, which limits some of his blue-collar job choices.

“It’s hard, but you just have to find your niche,” Robinson said. “In the military you’re trained to do something for a long time.”

The Kellogg Foundation (yes, the “Frosted Flakes” Kellogg) provides grants to benefit rural development and studies of rural life in America. A previous article here included a slide show that was part of its Rural People, Rural Policy initiative.

Rural People, Rural Policy (RPRP), a multi-year national initiative, is based on the premise that rural America has abundant assets and that the brightest potential for rural America emerges when a critical mass of rural people are stronger, more organized policy actors. RPRP builds and strengthens skilled networks and organizations to advocate and act in the rural policy arena. Rural People, Rural Policy energizes and equips networks of organizations to shape policy that improves the lives of rural people and the vitality of rural communities.

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Here’s a Weblog that goes the extra mile to keep veterans up to date and informed about the benefits they are promised and should be getting. Just scanning the posts, we find coverage of preparing for a job interview, relationship counseling, supplemental family income, preparing families for deployment, finding employment and dealing with PTSD. The blogger, Greg Marlett - a Viet Nam vet - includes the writings of other vets and family members of vets.

Ben Block of Worldwatch Institute wrote an article on the WorldChanging site describing the recommendations of these studies. In summary, the studies call for an end to “business as usual” agricultural practices and a shift to sustainable farming everywhere.

The reports are the largest international collaboration to date to advocate more sustainable farming practices such as crop diversification, use of organic fertilizers, and the adoption of labeling and certification schemes. More controversially, the commission suggests policy options that include “ending subsidies that encourage unsustainable practices.” The reports also stress the ineffectiveness of genetically modified crops in aiding food productivity in some developing regions.
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The Department of Veterans Affairs conducted a survey of 1,941 veterans who left the military between December 2004 and January 2006 and found that 18 percent are unemployed, while - of those who have found employment - 25 percent are making less than an annual salary of $21,840.

As reported by Stephen Barr in the Washington Post’s Federal Diary column,

“Unfortunately, we found that receiving the GI Bill was not a strong predictor of successful employment outcomes such as high earnings, responsibility in civilian work and placement in senior management,” the study says.
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In an era where federal farm bills encourage farmers to grow monocrops of subsidized hybrid corn, a family in South Dakota has decided that the rewards - both social and financial - are better found in diversified organic farming. In this informative article titled Betting the Farm, written for Gourmet magazine, the system behind The Farm Bill is described as an almost irresistable force that drives farmers to join the herd and serve the increasingly industrial market.
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This online slide show with both video and audio components is based on surveys and focus groups exploring impressions and attitudes held by Americans regarding life in rural America. The study and presentation are by the Frameworks Institute, which translates and models scholarly research to re-frame public discourse. In this case, it’s remarkable how clear the messages are that describe the misconceptions and generalizations that people carry about rural life, from over-romanticizing it to coupling it with poverty and ignorance.

Most of this erroneous thinking is the product of mass media depictions. If you’ve never lived in the country, you’re pictures of it may be formed by television programming - Little House on the Prarie, the Andy Griffith Show and the Beverly Hillbillies.

Remember that almost all of our food is grown in rural areas today just as it has been throughout history.

Cornell University is making available a 9-week course for farm enterprise start-up training and the number of applicants has far exceeded the available openings.

Round one had only had 25 slots available. The course is designed to benefit participants from a diversity of backgrounds. Participants include those just exploring a new idea to those seeking to diversify or expand existing farm operations.

Classes began on March 19 with introductions and orientation to the online course structure. Over the next few months, students will learn about the basics of building a business plan; goals, skills and resources; marketing; evaluating land, equipment, and facilities; choosing an enterprise; land stewardship; profitability; regulations; taxes and legal issues.

The course offers opportunities to interact with agricultural entrepreneurs from around New York State, receive feedback and offer input on other ideas and issues encountered in today’s changing food and agriculture systems. To learn about upcoming beginning farmer online classes, contact Erica Frenay, project coordinator, at 607-255-9911 or ejf5@cornell.edu.

An article in the LaCross (WI) Tribune tells about Lyyne Tschumper, who became a produce grower at age 50 and for 10 years has increased the percentage of her product she sells to local buyers through the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. With more people wanting to buy food grown nearby, she’s finding success.

And a new blog called Freshman Farmer, chronicles the startup efforts of a younger, much newer CSA farmer named Andrew. His blog is sponsored by Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply, probably thinking that this local farming occupation could catch on.

Farming is an untapped and gainful alternative source of employment and civilian transition for returning vets.

An article in the Wall Street Journal describes the plight of Iraq War veterans competing for jobs with their civilian counterparts. The article quotes figures from a new report by the Veterans Affairs Department:

…the percentage of veterans not in the labor force — because they couldn’t find jobs, stopped looking for work, or went back to school — jumped to 23% in 2005 from 10% in 2000. Half of the young veterans — ages 20 to 24 — with steady employment earned less than $25,000 per year…

The report said, “Transitioning into civilian life and the workforce requires help and guidance. ”

Military and civilian policy makers increasingly are concerned about a different aspect of the long wars — the physical, mental and financial well-being of the young veterans who leave the military and attempt to reintegrate into the civilian world.

Veterans Administration efforts so far have failed to do a good job of guiding veterans through the transition to civilian employment.