Project Lead: Nina Saeli
Veterans Assistant: Tess Noble Strohm
There are approximately 19 million U.S military veterans, representing less than 10% of the total U.S. adult population. New York State is home to over 800,000 of that military veteran population. Not commonly known and understood, military service members have unique skill sets, which easily transfer to several agricultural or horticulture vocations.
Farm Ops provides the means for veterans, active duty service members, reservists, and members of the national guard to explore agricultural and horticulture avenues. These individuals may be seeking prospects to be their own boss, paths to connect with the soil or with nature, ventures to continue to serve the community in which they work and live, or just opportunities to connect with other veterans. Whatever their interests, Farm Ops aims to serve and support the men and women of NYS, who dedicated their lives in service and support of our nation.
Mission: To support military service members and veterans who desire to explore and/or pursue agricultural vocations.
Vision:
- Provide a framework within which veterans can connect with their community, other military veterans involved in agriculture, and resources including targeted programs, information networks, and organizations oriented towards helping veterans transition to agricultural vocations.
- Grow the relationships between Farm Ops and the NYS military/veteran communities.
- Assist in synchronizing the efforts of veteran service/support organizations and farmer-oriented service organizations to gain efficiencies and better align services to farmer veteran needs.
Events
Events
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Feeding Strategies for Riparian Raised Pigs
Centurion Farm, LL 287 Creek Road, Locke, NY, United StatesJoin Farm Ops at veteran owned Centurion Farm, LLC and Benlauck Farm to explore a riparian forest raised pig operation that combines natural foraging with supplemental, nutrient-dense feed. The morning session at Centurion Farm, LLC will cover the temporary infrastructure used in support of this riparian forest-based operation. Participants will walk last year’s and the…
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Working with your Swine Butcher
VirtualJoin us for an informative Working with your Butcher virtual seminar featuring guest speaker Ethan Scheffler, Meat Lab Manager and Operator at The Ohio State University. In this seminar, Ethan…
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Raising Pigs on Small Acreage
All Family Farm 41 Upper Road, Middletown, NY, United StatesThis farm tour is designed specifically for farmers interested in adding pigs to their operation or improving their current swine management practices on small acreage. Participants will learn the fundamentals of raising pigs in a sustainable and efficient while maximizing limited land resources. Topics will include breed selection, housing and fencing options, feeding strategies, pasture management,…
Farm Ops News and Updates
Soil biology, urban soil health, soil amendments, biochar applications, crop rotation, cover crops, pest and weed management, reduced tillage—these were just some of the topics covered during this year’s New…
Farm Ops, the Cornell Small Farms Program’s veteran project, supported veteran attendance at the annual New York State Fiber Conference, helping farmer veterans develop new skills, explore value-added products, and…
Tyler Evans explored what it meant to be part of the U.S. Marine Corps, and he lived with a mindset to defeat the challenges that hinder progress. After completing his…
The Farm Ops SITREP is a monthly email digest built for farmer veterans. Emails will share upcoming events and training/educational opportunities, external news, curated agricultural articles, stories about fellow farmer veterans across New York State, and more.
About Nina Saeli
Nina joined the Small Farms Program in 2020 after five years of collaboration with the program as a beginning farmer. She works to support both current and future farmer-veteran programming efforts. Nina's transitioning from almost 20 years of military service into the civilian community helps to inform the program on how of some of the physical, social, and psychological challenges veterans face. Nina's work aims to help transitioning veterans find solace in aspect of agriculture that supports that veterans health, self sustainability, community inclusion or other life goals.
About Tess Noble Strohm
Tess joined the Small Farms Program in 2025 as a veterans project assistant with Farm Ops. Her love of the outdoors began by hunting for insects in her Brooklyn backyard as a child. After studying environmental science at Bard College, she worked on a small farm in the Hudson Valley, and then went on to study soil science at Colorado State University. Tess moved to Ithaca, NY, to work as a Research Support Specialist at the Cornell Soil Health Lab before joining the Farm Ops team where she helps veterans thrive in agriculture and ensures they have the tools and resources they need to succeed.
