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
Join our email list to hear about new resources as they’re added.
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Upcoming Events for Veterans in Agriculture
This calendar features events specifically being offered for veterans interested in agriculture. For more event that you…
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Veteran Scholarships
The Farm Ops project facilitates veterans’ access to agricultural education and training resources. Our scholarship program is…
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Project Resources
Cornell Resources Cornell Small Farms Program Resource Page. Current information is essential to manage your farm and…
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Veteran Farm Stories and Tours
Our Farm Ops project collaborates with established Veteran and Farming groups to create a network of organizations…
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Subscribe to Farm Ops Emails
The Farm Ops SITREP is a monthly email digest built for farmer veterans and designed to enhance…
Events
January 2027
Wednesday, January 6, 2027 · All day
Growing Uncommon Fruit Cohort
Virtual
Designed to support your journey into sustainable and diversified farming, this cohort provides technical guidance, peer support, and access to experienced mentors in a cohesive and friendly environment. Cohort members will: • Receive an opportunity for free enrollment into the…
Farm Ops News and Updates
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Farm Ops’ Cohort Learning Sessions Bring Veterans Together to Talk Ag
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During the Small Farm Program’s online course season, Farm Ops, our military veteran project, provided veterans with free enrollment into select on-line courses and conducted veteran learning cohort sessions to supplement the course material. It is commonly known that military veterans are drawn towards opportunities to learn and train together, but in early 2020 when…
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Veterans Explore Culinary and Medicinal Herbs at Centurion Farm
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On August 20, 2022, Centurion Farm, LLC in Locke, NY, welcomed participants for an immersive herbal experience led by Nina Saeli, owner-operator of Centurion Farm. The event provided attendees with an opportunity to explore the farm’s abundant herb gardens while learning about the culinary and medicinal benefits of various plants. The day began with a…
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Veteran Virtual “Growing and Using Herbs” Workshop
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Veteran Registration for the Free Virtual Workshop “Growing and Using Herbs”: Please register to gain access to the workshop materials and to be invited to participate in the instructor led virtual classes. Whether you are a beginning or experienced herb grower, there is something for everyone to learn. Participants who attend all six sessions will…
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Farm Ops Expanding to Reach Military Veterans
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The Cornell Small Farms Program’s veterans in agriculture project is working with local Cornell Cooperative Extensions to in-person workshops. For the first time since March 2020, when the COVID pandemic swept across NYS, the Cornell Small Farms Program’s Farm Ops project brought military veterans together for three in-person workshops beginning in October 2021. Although still…
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Farm Ops Opens Next Round of Veteran Learning Cohort Workshops
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The Farm Ops project continued its efforts to support veterans interested in agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic. To provide more accessible learning opportunities, the project expanded its virtual workshop offerings to include Veteran Learning Cohorts. These cohorts brought together groups of veterans with a shared interest in agriculture, allowing them to progress through educational workshops…
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.
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.
