Branching Out: Veterans Grow Their Fruit Tree Knowledge
Veterans across New York State are gaining hands-on skills in fruit tree production through a unique learning cohort developed by the Cornell Small Farms Program’s Farm Ops project. Over the past two growing seasons, the program has helped dozens of veterans grow their confidence, technical abilities, and farming networks.
Farm Ops project lead Nina Saeli launched the Fruit Tree Production Cohort in early 2024 to deliver targeted training in orcharding. The program pairs peer group learning with the Cornell Small Farms Program’s “Introduction to Tree Fruit Production” course, a six-week online class taught by Cooperative Extension Regional specialists.
“Veterans often learn best when they’re surrounded by other veterans who understand where they’re coming from,” Saeli said. “We built this cohort to foster those connections – between veterans, trusted instructors, and hands-on farm experiences that bring the online coursework to life. They’re planting real fruit trees and putting down roots.”
Cornell Cooperative Extension Regional specialist Mike Basedow and Janet van Zoeren led the technical instruction for the online course, drawing on deep knowledge in cultural orchard management, pest control, and production planning. Basedow also facilitated veteran-specific cohort sessions that offered live Q&A and personalized support as participants moved through the course.
Farmer veteran Ken Brandt prepares a rootstock during a Cornell Small Farms Program Farm Ops veteran cohort event at Cornell Agritech. Farmer veterans who were members of the Fruit Tree Production Cohort were invited to the grafting workshop earlier this year. Rich Mattingly / Cornell Small Farms Program
“Working with veterans is different because they come with a strong sense of purpose and openly support each other,” said Basedow, reflecting on the veteran cohort sessions. “Their openness to learning made it easier to tailor lessons to their goals. Janet and I noticed the group was more engaged than usual, not shy about asking questions, and very comfortable sharing with each other.”
“Veterans sometimes generate unique ideas that other veterans understand due to a common history and experiences. They are able to speak a common language at times,” expounded Ken Brandt, a retired veteran who is hoping to get his first orchard planted in the coming season.
Instructors covered critical concepts like site selection, rootstock choice, pruning, and pest management. Veterans learned that mistakes in site planning can lead to long-term disease and productivity issues. They also explored the role of rootstocks in controlling tree size, encouraging early fruiting, and resisting pests.
Wes Roberts, a veteran and owner of Sweet Acres Orchards in Leonardsville, NY, joined the Fruit Tree Production Cohort as a guest speaker. His u-pick apple operation has become a local favorite, blending hands-on farming with community engagement. Roberts shared insights from his experience managing a working orchard, offering practical advice on orchard layout, customer relations, and seasonal challenges. His participation helped cohort members connect classroom lessons with real-world orchard management and business operation.
Farmer veterans participating in a Cornell Small Farms Program Farm Ops veteran cohort event at Red Jacket Orchard last year look on as veteran and Red Jacket Orchard owner Joe Nicholson demonstrates proper pruning techniques in one of Red Jacket Orchard’s apple tree nursery. Rich Mattingly / Cornell Small Farms Program
Cohort members built on these lessons during a March 2024 field day at Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva, New York. Navy veteran, orchardist, and business owner Joe Nicholson led a group discussion on his orchard training systems, how Red Jacket manages the scale of their operations, and led veterans through a live demonstration of pruning trees in one of Red Jacket’s nurseries.
“Seeing a working orchard up close helped me visualize how to set up my own. It made all the theory real and something I felt I could actually apply,” reflected one participant.
Later that day, Anna Wallis, Fruit Integrated Pest Management Coordinator for the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program and Janet van Zoeren walked participants through basic Integrated Pest Management strategies, including monitoring thresholds, orchard sanitation practices, and the timing of organic or conventional sprays. Each veteran left with two young fruit trees to plant at home, as well as printed resources and field tools to support continued learning.
“Those first trees made it real. I planted them right away, and they’re doing great,” said DeCola
Farmer veteran Xiaochun Zhang wraps her grafted scion and rootstock during a Cornell Small Farms Program Farm Ops veteran cohort event at Cornell Agritech. Farmer veterans who were members of the Fruit Tree Production Cohort were invited to the grafting workshop earlier this year. Rich Mattingly / Cornell Small Farms Program
Cohort programming in 2025 shifted focus to one of the most critical and challenging orchard skills: grafting. “We have several veterans currently establishing their orchards and many more in the planning stages of orchard establishment,” stated Saeli. “Having the skills to graft your own fruit trees can save on start-up costs when establishing an orchard business.
Saeli also suggests that an additional benefit of being able to graft your own fruit trees is the ability to establish a fruit tree nursery with your grafted trees.
“For an orchardist, a fruit tree nursery provides dual purpose benefits. First, you have a constant supply for fresh trees to replace any of your trees that die or are not producing as intended,” explained Saeli. “Secondly, it provides an additional source of farm income should you wish to add nursery sales as one of your farm business enterprises.”
Orchardist Roger Ort of Ort Family Farm supported the 2025 fruit production programming. Roger introduced veterans to the history of grafting and a variety different grafting techniques and the purpose and reasons for using each of these techniques. These techniques allow growers to propagate specific fruit varieties, top-work existing trees, and preserve heirloom genetics.
Veterans practiced cleft grafting during a hands-on lab at Cornell AgriTech in March. Under Ort’s guidance, they grafted three apple varieties onto semi-dwarf rootstocks and took home their trees along with full grafting kits.
“The grafting workshop was a highlight,” said one participant. “I didn’t just watch someone do it — I got to make something myself and bring it back to my farm. Now I’ve got grafted trees growing that I made with my own hands. That’s empowering.”
The final event of the season took place in April with a tour of Ort Family Farm in Bradford, New York. The farm grows more than 600 trees, including heritage and specialty crops like paw paws, quince, persimmons, medlars, and figs, in addition to three acres of unusual small fruiting plants. Veterans learned how niche fruits can open new market opportunities, especially when marketed directly to chefs or processed into value-added products like jams and syrups. Offering this expert advice, Maria Ort talked through her production methods of over 100 flavors of jams, sold throughout New York State at farmers markets, wineries, and local shops.
Farmer veteran Jennifer Caci prepares a rootstock during a Cornell Small Farms Program Farm Ops veteran cohort event at Cornell Agritech. Farmer veterans who were members of the Fruit Tree Production Cohort were invited to a grafting workshop earlier this year. Rich Mattingly / Cornell Small Farms Program
“There are many farm business opportunities should you decide to grow fruit, and we hope to continue to offer veteran fruit production cohorts in an effort to inspire veterans to build small farm businesses that continue to support the growth of New York State agriculture,” said Saeli.
Farm Ops staff say the cohort model works not only because of the technical content, but because of the relationships it builds between veterans, educators, and growers. The group dynamic creates space for questions, problem-solving, and confidence-building, things that are hard to achieve in a traditional classroom.
“Veterans come with a different mindset and level of engagement. Their mutual support and purpose drive their success in ways typical online learners don’t always show,” expounded Saeli.
The Fruit Tree Production Cohort is just one of several seasonal learning groups supported by Farm Ops, a program of the Cornell Small Farms Program and funded by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Farm Ops connects veterans to training, resources, and a peer network designed to support their transition to agriculture.
Learn more about Farm Ops, the veteran cohort model, and upcoming workshops at smallfarms.cornell.edu/projects/farm-ops.
