Agriculture workshop for military veterans slated for Nov. 10 in San Antonio

Program part of San Antonio International Farm and Ranch Show educational offerings

SAN ANTONIO – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, in cooperation with the Texas AgrAbility Project and U.S. Department of Agriculture, will present an agriculture workshop for military veterans from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the San Antonio International Farm and Ranch Show.

The no-cost workshop, called “From Battleground to Breaking Ground,” is one of numerous free  educational opportunities to be provided to attendees of the show, which takes place Nov. 8-10 on the grounds of the Freeman Coliseum, 3201 E. Houston Street.

“This program will give military veterans interested in farming or ranching the opportunity to get information on aspects of starting, developing and funding an agriculture-based business,” said Bryan Davis, AgriLife Extension agent for Bexar County and educational coordinator for the show. “It’s one of dozens of no-cost educational programs being offered during the SAIFRS, most of which provide attendees with continuing education units or credits.”

Davis said this and other educational programming is available to attendees free of charge due to the sponsorship of the San Antonio International Farm and Ranch Show.

“The military ag workshop addresses the possibilities for ranching or farming for veterans both with and without disabilities,” he said. “It has been developed with input from AgriLife Extension, the Texas AgrAbility Project, the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, the National Farmer Veteran Coalition, Farm Service Agency, Texas Department of Agriculture and others.”

The program begins with registration from 8:30-9 a.m. Presentations start at 9:15 a.m., beginning with an overview of agribusiness opportunities and a talk by a military veteran currently involved in production agriculture. Additional agenda items include a panel discussion on resources available for funding and business plan development, and the program concludes with a presentation on the Texas AgrAbility Project.

“Texas AgrAbility is a program of AgriLife Extension that focuses on connecting, assisting and empowering agricultural producers, their family members and employees with disabilities and chronic health conditions to stay engaged in production agriculture,” said Dr. Cheryl Grenwelge, AgriLife Extension specialist in disability transition with the Texas AgrAbility Project. “About 45 percent of returning veterans are from rural areas, and we want to enable veterans with or without disabilities to return to the area of production agriculture — if they choose.”

Register for the program online at http://txagrability.tamu.edu/ or download and fill in the registration form from the website and mail to: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Attn: Cheryl Grenwelge, Ph.D., 2251 TAMUS, College Station, Texas 77843-2251.

For more information on the Texas AgrAbility Project, go to http://txagrability.tamu.edu/ or contact Grenwelge at 979-845-3727, chgrenwelge@ag.tamu.edu.

For more information on the San Antonio International Farm & Ranch Show, go to http://www.farmandranchexpo.com

-30-