Farm Ops

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 & Vision

To support military service members and veterans who desire to explore and/or pursue agricultural vocations.

  • 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.

Farm Ops Resources

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Events

Events

Today

  • Raising Pigs on Small Acreage

    All Family Farm 41 Upper Road, Middletown, New York

    This 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, […]

  • Shiitake Mushroom Log Yard Management Workshop

    Hawk Meadow Farm 5066 Mott Evans Rd., Trumansburg, NY, United States

    In this workshop, we will cover the basics of shiitake mushroom log yard management in a natural woodland setting. These production techniques result in the best quality shiitake that can be produced. These principles can be applied to many other wood-decomposing mushrooms, including Lion’s Mane and Oyster. Workshop objectives: Discuss tree species selection, sourcing supplies […]

  • Farm Tour: Small Scale Farrow to Finish

    299 Yule Corners Rd, Jordanville, NY 13361 299 Yule Corners Road, Jordanville, New York

    Top Notch Livestock & Meats houses boars, barrows, guilts, and sows to support their farrowing to finish swine operation.  This farm tour will focus on the permanent infrastructure and equipment needs for separating various pig operations to facilitate biosecurity, disease control, and production efficiency. Approaches, such as separating pigs by age, production stage, and health […]

Farm Ops News and Updates

  • Finding the Tractor That Fits Your Farm

    by

    Rich Mattingly

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    For farmers deciding whether it is time to invest in a tractor, the stakes are high. A tractor can open the door to greater efficiency and safer work, or it can become an expensive mismatch. The recent two-day Tractor Operations and Safety Workshop hosted by Cornell Small Farms led participants through the basics of tractor…

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  • Farm Ops Tractor Operations & Safety Training 2-Day Event

    by

    Nina Saeli

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    Dates: October 6-7 Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM each day Location: Homer C. Thompson Vegetable Research Farm, 133 Fall Creek Road, Freeville, NY Registration: Limited to 24 participants Farm Ops will be providing support for overnight lodging.

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  • Pig Production Cohort for NYS Veterans

    by

    Nina Saeli

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    This cohort provides NYS veterans an opportunity to explore the diverse business prospects of pig production. This cohort will run from September 2025 – August 2026. From January – August 2026, you will be invited to attend various in person and virtual events, focused on specific aspects of pig production, such as farrowing, livestock infrastructure,…

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  • Branching Out: Veterans Grow Their Fruit Tree Knowledge

    by

    Rich Mattingly

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    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…

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  • Farmer veterans learn the fencing basics with Farm Ops

    by

    Rich Mattingly

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    WEST ONEONTA, N.Y. — Veterans and beginning farmers gathered May 30 at Turrell Farm for a hands-on livestock fencing workshop  hosted by Farm Ops, the veterans project of the Cornell Small Farms Program. The full-day event, titled “Fencing 101: The Basics,” provided participants with practical instruction in both temporary and permanent fencing systems. The workshop…

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See the full archive from Farm Ops

nina-saeli-sfp-staff-headshot

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.

Tess-Noble-Strohm-sfp-headshot

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.

Subscribe for Updates and Opportunities

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.

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