A strategic plan is more than a document. At its best, it’s a promise: that we will meet the needs of today while building the capacity for tomorrow. The Farmer Veteran Coalition’s Strategic Plan (2026) which was approved by our Board of Directors in December, is grounded in that kind of promise.
In the plan’s opening message, I clearly state that over the next three years, FVC will expand what works, invest in what’s needed, and build stronger pathways for veterans who feel called to agriculture. The vision is hopeful and practical at the same time: more doors opened through the Fellowship Fund, greater visibility for Homegrown By Heroes, clearer career pathways, stronger behavioral health support, leadership in food security, and readiness to respond when disasters strike.
That combination – hope with a blueprint – is exactly what makes a strategic plan powerful. It doesn’t just describe what we believe. It outlines what we will build.
Our North Star: Vision, Mission, and Values
FVC’s updated vision calls us to national leadership: to develop a network of empowered veterans and active-duty service members dedicated to farming and ranching success, with a commitment to strengthening national food security. That matters because it connects individual opportunity with something bigger than any one farm – an agricultural future where those who served can lead, produce, and help feed communities across America.
The mission statement meets that vision with action: FVC exists to serve, empower, and connect veterans and active-duty service members with the resources, training, and partnerships necessary to cultivate successful careers in agriculture. And it anchors this mission through three core program areas: membership and education, technical support and resources, and advancing national food security through veteran-led agriculture.
Underneath all of it are core values that read like a steady heartbeat for the organization – Honor, Community, Resiliency, and Stewardship. These aren’t abstract ideals; they are field-tested principles that define how we show up for veteran farmers and ranchers, and how we strengthen the agricultural systems we all depend on.
Learning from Reality: Strengths We Protect, Gaps We Close
A hopeful plan isn’t a naive one. FVC’s strategic plan acknowledges both the strengths that give us momentum and the challenges we must address to grow responsibly. The SWOT analysis recognizes assets like strong partnerships, credibility, a committed community, practical tools and training, and multi-channel communication. It also candidly names constraints – staff size versus membership, limited resources, scalability needs, donor relationship management capacity, and underutilization of technology.
This clarity matters. It means we’re not building dreams on wishful thinking. We’re building them on honest assessment, measured growth, and the determination to strengthen what’s working while addressing what could hold us back.
The 2029 Goals: Ambition with a Finish Line
The plan sets bold, measurable targets:
- By 2029, FVC will have ten high-quality national programs and projects fully developed to serve membership needs.
- By 2029, FVC will record $4 million in revenues, strengthening sustainability and scale.
- By 2029, FVC will implement an efficient Subject Matter Expert (SME) structure to support those ten programs and projects with clarity and excellence.
These goals tell a hopeful story: a future where FVC is not only inspiring, but built to last – staffed and structured to serve more veterans effectively, and financially strong to keep promises through economic shifts and changing conditions.
Ten Strategic Priorities: A Whole-System Commitment to Veteran Success
What’s especially energizing about this plan is its completeness. It doesn’t treat veteran farmers’ needs as one-dimensional. It recognizes that success in agriculture requires funding, markets, skills, health, community support, stability during disasters, and policy conditions that don’t leave veterans behind.
The ten programs/projects identified in the plan create that whole-system holistic approach: Fellowship Fund; Homegrown By Heroes/MarketMaker; Careers Center; Behavioral Health; Fields4Valor/Food Security; Disaster Preparation, Relief & Recovery; Membership Services; Chapter Support/Regional Directors; Development; Government Affairs.
And within these priorities are ideas that should give anyone hope about what’s possible when veterans lead in agriculture:
- Expanding and diversifying the Fellowship Fund, improving accessibility, and building partnerships that increase impact for each award.
- Making Homegrown By Heroes the most recognized and trusted veteran-grown label – while strengthening brand integrity and building market access through partnerships with distributors and grocery chains.
- Growing the Careers Center to support certifications, apprenticeships, internships, coaching networks, and veteran-focused employer pipelines – so veterans can build stable careers in agriculture and related industries.
- Expanding behavioral health access through referral networks, trauma-informed training, and partnerships – because taking care of the people who feed communities is not optional.
- Advancing Fields4Valor to reduce food insecurity, strengthen community distribution partnerships, and elevate veteran growers as food security leaders.
- Building strong disaster readiness and response, including activation protocols, task forces, rapid microgrants, and preparedness education – because a resilient food system is a prepared one.
Each of these priorities is hopeful on its own. Together, they form a future where veteran farmers are supported not only to start, but to endure – and where their work strengthens communities at the same time.
The Heart of the Plan: We Grow This Together
My message in the plan emphasizes something essential: none of this happens alone. Progress comes by uniting partners, chapters, and communities – creating opportunity, hope, and lasting impact. That’s not just inspiring language; it’s the operational truth of this work. When local chapters are aligned and supported, when partners co-fund and amplify initiatives, when donors invest in real outcomes, and when veterans have clear pathways and strong networks, the impact multiplies.
This strategic plan is, ultimately, an invitation: to veterans seeking a new mission in agriculture, to supporters looking for meaningful ways to strengthen food security, and to partners ready to collaborate for national impact. It says: we see what’s possible, we’ve mapped the path, and we’re ready to do the work – together.
Looking forward to an amazing 2026!
Jeanette Lombardo
Chief Executive Officer
Farmer Veteran Coalition
