Virtual Agriculture Business Workshop series for military veterans, others

During late June and early July, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas AgrAbilty, and the Compatible Lands Foundation will present the Battleground to Breaking Ground Virtual Agriculture Business Workshop series for military veterans, beginning farmers and ranchers, and others.

Each workshop webinar will be from 2-3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 23 to July 7. Registrants will be sent a link to join the webinar prior to the start time. All sessions will be recorded for later viewing.

Registration is available at the Texas AgrAbility website. The registration fee of $10 covers all five webinar sessions, which include:

• June 23 – Navigating the Obstacle Course of Farming and Ranching: A Producer’s Perspective. Agriculture producers Doug Havemann, co-owner of Mesquite Field Farm, and Damon Cleaton, co-owner of 4E Farms, both Army veterans, will share their experiences starting an agricultural operation in Texas. They will highlight helpful resources, educational programs, and opportunities for veterans and beginning farmers and ranchers. Texas AgrAbility program coordinator Makenzie McLaurin will share resources and helpful equipment for farming and ranching.

• June 25 – Resources for Farmers and Ranchers. Erin Kimbrough, Battleground to Breaking Ground program manager with AgriLife Extension, College Station, will share financial resources and programs available for farmers and ranchers. Topics will include U.S. Department of Agriculture loans and programs, Texas Department of Agriculture grants and programs, Farmer Veteran Coalition programs and more. 

• June 30 – Agriculture Business Planning. Greg Clary, Ph.D., retired AgriLife Extension economist and consultant for the Texas Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, San Antonio, will present on agriculture business planning, tips for creating a business plan and helpful information for getting started in an agricultural business.

• July 2 – Agriculture Business Community of Interest. Participants will be broken into groups based on areas of agriculture production and led through an activity to discover resources, helpful tips, information sharing and connections to other agriculture producers.

• July 7 – Training Programs for Veterans and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. This session will highlight training programs available for military veterans and beginning farmers and ranchers. Speakers will include Tyler Froberg, farm manager, Hope Farms; Margo Hale, Armed to Farm program director; Kevin Cody, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project farmer training program manager and Kimbrough.