CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Veterans are invited to find a role in the wide world of West Virginia agriculture.
A starting point is the annual Urban Agriculture Conference this April 28-29 at Camp Virgil Tate in Kanawha County.
For the first time, the conference has a track specifically geared toward veterans who are intrigued by getting started in an aspect of agriculture.
“There is a push nationally and also here in West Virginia to help veterans transition back into the workforce, and agriculture is becoming one of the hot-button areas for them to move towards,” said Matthew Browning, director of communications research and public service at West Virginai State University.
“We’ve added a new track for the conference that will showcase some veterans who have already been doing this successfully, and they’ll be presenting their stories and their successes and challenges.”
The veterans track at the conference includes presentations with titles like “Farming is a Lifestyle, Not a Hobby” and “So You Think You Want to Be a Farmer.”
Lieutenant Brittany Evans with the West Virginia National Guard says more and more such avenues are opening for veterans. One of her jobs is facilitating opportunities through programs such as Patriot Guardens, spelled to indicate its connection to the National Guard.
Evans said veterans contact her with their interest in agriculture and she connects them to the right program, extension service or mentor.
“It’s very therapeutic. We in the military, we work with our hands, we work very well with that. Many studies show that working with your hands and helping things grow tends to be very therapeutic, not only for veterans but really for anybody,” Evans said in a telephone interview.
Evans recommended the Urban Agriculture Conference as a starting point for veterans who have an inkling of interest.
“It’s a great opportunity for anyone to come to a one-stop shop and learn what they can qualify for that’s available within our state,” Evans said.
Melissa Stewart is the assistant program director over the agricultural portion of the West Virginia State University extension service.
She said programs like Patriot Guardens and the veterans track at the urban agriculture conference are natural outgrowths for all involved.
“We’ve put a greater focus on our service members as well as veterans. Civilian soldiers, active military, trying to see what we can do to make West Virginia more of a gracious place to come back home.”
She said veterans could pick and choose among the various sessions at the urban agriculture conference, but this year it made sense to focus a particular track for veterans.
“We just wanted to be able to give focus back to that so if anyone wanted to do the full veteran track they could hear four or five veterans who are actively farming and hear their stories.”