Farmer Veteran Coalition members, volunteers, grantors and donors have been a big part of the successes in the past year and FVC has much more on the horizon.
Christmas Cards
I want to thank everyone who signed a Christmas card for our service members at the Farm Aid Festival in September in Saratoga Springs, New York. Those cards and any mailed to the Waco headquarters have been sent to both those currently in service and deployed, and to our Veterans hospitalized this holiday season.
Your thoughtfulness is always appreciated by those who receive it.
Year-End Wrapup
The highlights of this year are numerous, but there are a few that I would like to bring special attention to, as many of our members, volunteers, grantors, and donors have actively been participating with us, and we are grateful to them for making this work possible.
FVC National Training Program
FVC’s Holistic Impactful Veteran Engagement (HIVE) training program has been running in Montana through the funding of a USDA NRCS grant. We will be seeking support to expand this pilot to a national program.
The HIVE program is a 12-day course that gives Veterans and service members the skills to begin in farming and ranching. The step-by-step program assists beginning farmers and ranchers by illustrating how to utilize VA benefits earned in service and USDA grants to achieve success.
AgCareers
For several years now, FVC has maintained a plug-in to our website for our partnership with AgCareers.com, which showcases jobs available in the agricultural sector.
AgCareers.com serves companies throughout the world with offices and staff located across the United States and Canada. The site receives more than 1 million page views every month, processes thousands of applications monthly, and has approximately 4,000 jobs from employers each month.
Many of the jobs are being filled by Veterans who have completed a profile and notated their FVC affiliation.
FVC has long provided technical assistance to support Veteran readiness and employment services. Recently we have assisted with job recruitment and placement services to meet the increased demand of the commercial agricultural sector.
In 2025 FVC will take these various career-focused offerings and develop our Career Center.
I am proud of all that was accomplished with technological innovations and advancements in the agricultural sector in 2024. CRISPR gene editing, autonomous machines, robotic systems, AI-driven climate control systems, advanced LED lighting, and enhanced biocontrols are just a few things we witnessed this year.
It is an exciting time to be in agriculture, and our Veterans exiting their service to our country are such a wonderful skills match for the next generation of agriculture.
Food Insecurity
FVC food insecurity efforts have been abundant this year through our FVC and Homegrown By Heroes certified growers donating or selling foods to their community food banks using the buy/sell function on MarketMaker.
MarketMaker is an online platform for Farmer Veterans to sell directly to consumers. FVC’s efforts in fighting food insecurity in our military communities will be solidified into an official program that will be launched in early January. So, stay tuned, I cannot wait to share those details with you!
Behavioral Health
As many of you are aware, for the past two years FVC has been providing QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training and LivingWorks safeTALK training to many in rural America through our SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) grant.
These two programs as well as work supported by the USDA’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has heightened our awareness at FVC of the need to create a department to support the wellness needs of our membership.
Additionally, in 2024 FVC has been recognized for consideration as a “Center of Distinction” in WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) with Advocates for Human Potential.
WRAP is an evidence-based tool that addresses each of the areas of focus and FVC’s behavioral health continuum of care. Behavioral health is a broad term that refers to a person’s mental, emotional, and social well-being, as well as the behaviors and actions that impact that well-being. It also includes support systems that help promote well-being and prevent mental distress.
WRAP is a prevention and wellness process that anyone can use to get well, stay well, and make their life the way they want it to be through a series of tools and action plans.
Tidbits
2025 Stakeholder Conference – The 2025 annual Stakeholder Conference will be held October 26th-28th in the Quad Cities and hosted by our Illinois chapter. More details will be forthcoming shortly, but if you have any specific questions or sponsorship inquiries, you can reach out to Kloey at fvcconference@farmvetco.org.
Fellowship Fund — It is that time of year! The next cycle of funding for the FVC Fellowship Fund will begin on January 3 and run through Valentine’s Day (because we LOVE our Veterans)!
Please see this newsletter for specifics, but if you need assistance with your business or emergency plans, please contact the call center at 855-FVC-FARM or support@farmvetco.org.
If you are interested in assisting some of our Farmer Veterans begin their farming operation, please contact Abbie at fellowship@farmvetco.org.
Once again, THANK YOU to everyone who has given their time, treasure, and talent to Farmer Veterans this year. Without you as part of our team we could not help the sheer number of Veterans that we do.
Please enjoy your family and friends … and travel safe.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Jeanette
