According to the Washington Post, a new initiative is being launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to attract veterans to farm work in their life after service.
The program, named the Returning Veterans to Agriculture project, comes as the average age of America's farmers rests at 58. Officials are hoping to encourage younger people to get involved with this important – and rapidly declining – career. Newsweek reported that, ideally, this push could attract at least 100,000 new farmers over the next few years.
Online resources encourage veterans to choose agriculture
The program's website launched 12 months ago, and serves as a resource for former servicemembers looking to get into agriculture. The Washington Post reported that it is filled with information about USDA loans, public and private sector job announcements, as well as posts from Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The page has been used by 6,000 veterans and receives 750 unique hits per month.
The website also includes information about the 2014 Farm Bill, noted Newsweek. The legislation allows veteran ranchers and farmers with facilities under 10 years old to receive financial aid from the government to get their operations off the ground. Officials hope that certain elements of the bill, like lowered interest rates on repairs, fuel and livestock, will encourage veterans to get into the industry.
If veterans support agriculture, agriculture can support veterans
The initiative was spearheaded by Al Muñoz, a project manager in USDA's Office of the Chief Information Officer. According to the Washington Post, Muñoz created the site mostly on his own time, using a preexisting Web platform and at no cost to the USDA. His passion for the cause motivated him to seek out the resources necessary to make the site happen.
While Muñoz had served in the military himself, his veteran daughter's experience as she attempted to reassimilate to civilian life was the driving force behind the site development. The Washington Post reported that her struggles to find herself on a successful career path inspired the project manager to help other soldiers facing similar challenges.
Newsweek reported that, just like Muñoz, government officials are hopeful that agriculture will help with the high unemployment rates among young veterans. Many of these servicemembers also experience mental and emotional challenges, like post-traumatic stress disorder, that make it difficult for them to adapt to professional life. While there is no scientific evidence that farming helps these disorders, a plethora of personal testimonies and groups like the Farmer Veteran Coalition claim that the trade has helped ease the difficult transition back to civilian life while providing a steady income to former servicemembers.