Armed to Farm Training Comes to Central New York
June 6, 2016/
The Cornell Small Farms Program and the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) will conduct a week-long Armed to Farm workshop at the White Eagle Lodge in Hamilton, New York this summer from August 8th through August 12th.
The program is available to military veterans in New York State who are interested in starting a farm or who have been farming for less than 10 years and who wish to
learn more skills, explore sustainable and diverse enterprises, and improve or change their farm business plans.
Applications are due by July 1st and can be submitted online here.
The Cornell Small Farms Program is sponsoring this event with NCAT and is partnering with staff from Cornell Cooperative Extension to conduct the training. This residential, six-day Armed to Farm program has been delivered by NCAT since 2013 and is available to veterans from the Empire State at no cost through a USDA-funded Beginning Farmer Rancher Grant. The program includes classroom and on-farm learning through exercises, discussions, presentations, hands-on skill practice, and tours at host farms in the area.
Instructors include sustainable agriculture specialists from NCAT, Cornell staff, USDA agencies, and host farmers, some of whom are veterans. According to NCAT, the peer teaching by other farmers is what sets Armed to Farm apart from many other programs.
In addition, spouses and farming partners are welcome to apply. Host farm visits may include livestock, fruit, vegetable, and dairy operations with hands-on sessions. Those visits are interspersed with short classroom presentations and breakout sessions. Participants also receive a set of educational materials that include a selection of ATTRA sustainable agriculture publications and related texts.
The program includes most meals, all materials, and lodging for the week. More information about Armed to Farm and other NCAT farmer veteran resources can be found at the link www.ncat.org/armedtofarm/
The program is available to military veterans in New York State who are interested in starting a farm or who have been farming for less than 10 years and who wish to
learn more skills, explore sustainable and diverse enterprises, and improve or change their farm business plans.Applications are due by July 1st and can be submitted online here.
The Cornell Small Farms Program is sponsoring this event with NCAT and is partnering with staff from Cornell Cooperative Extension to conduct the training. This residential, six-day Armed to Farm program has been delivered by NCAT since 2013 and is available to veterans from the Empire State at no cost through a USDA-funded Beginning Farmer Rancher Grant. The program includes classroom and on-farm learning through exercises, discussions, presentations, hands-on skill practice, and tours at host farms in the area.
Instructors include sustainable agriculture specialists from NCAT, Cornell staff, USDA agencies, and host farmers, some of whom are veterans. According to NCAT, the peer teaching by other farmers is what sets Armed to Farm apart from many other programs.
In addition, spouses and farming partners are welcome to apply. Host farm visits may include livestock, fruit, vegetable, and dairy operations with hands-on sessions. Those visits are interspersed with short classroom presentations and breakout sessions. Participants also receive a set of educational materials that include a selection of ATTRA sustainable agriculture publications and related texts.
The program includes most meals, all materials, and lodging for the week. More information about Armed to Farm and other NCAT farmer veteran resources can be found at the link www.ncat.org/armedtofarm/
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