Armed to Farm: Sustainable Agriculture Training for Military Veterans

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is now offering a virtual version of its popular sustainable agriculture training program for military veterans. NCAT is moving the training online to make it accessible during COVID-19 restrictions. Veterans who want to attend the Virtual Armed to Farm training, which will take place in six sessions during April and May, can apply online now.

Virtual Armed to Farm will cover topics essential to farm success, including business planning, budgeting, recordkeeping, marketing, and USDA programs, as well as specific enterprise discussions. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and network with other beginning farmers from across the country. The training will also include breakout sessions for region-specific networking and resource-sharing.

Virtual Armed to Farm will include an engaging blend of interactive online instruction and video farm tours via Zoom. Participants will be expected to be involved in virtual activities, complete assignments, and interact with other attendees. NCAT Sustainable Agriculture specialists will teach the training sessions. Staff from partner organizations, USDA agencies, and experienced crop and livestock producers will provide additional instruction.

Applications are available at https://ncat.org/atf_virtu/ and are due by March 12, 2021.

Virtual Armed to Farm topics will be applicable to all beginning farmers regardless of location in the U.S. Military veterans interested in farming are encouraged to apply. Spouses are welcome to participate as well, but must submit a separate application. The number of participants will be limited to facilitate effective online interaction. NCAT will notify selected participants by March 19.

Training Session Dates

Virtual Armed to Farm will consist of two-hour sessions on the following dates:
April 1
April 8
April 15
April 22
April 29
May 6

The training sessions will take place from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Pacific time/4:00-6:00 p.m. Mountain/5:00-7:00 p.m. Central/6:00-8:00 p.m. Eastern.

The Virtual Armed to Farm training is free. While participants may join the live sessions via phone only, access to a computer, tablet, or mobile device and internet is required in order to watch recorded sessions and complete online assignments.