cardinal.ncat.orgArmed to Farm: Sustainable Agriculture Training For Military Veterans - The National Center for Appr

-- THE NCAT MISSION Helping people by championing small-scale, local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources. Menu Home What is NCAT? 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Armed to Farm is Sustainable Agriculture Training For Military Veterans Learn more about current opportunities, technical assistance , and online tutorials . Help Us Spread the Word! Note: NCAT's Armed to Farm information is also available in PDF format for easy printing and sharing. Thank you! ATF Home ATF Events Media Resources Veteran Resources How Can NCAT Help You? Farmers and ranchers are looking for reliable information on sustainable and organic agriculture, on how to get started in farming, on how to qualify for government programs that reward land stewardship and resource conservation, and on how to pursue such profitable niche markets as organic meats and grains or agriculture tourism. The answers to these and many other similar questions are available free from an NCAT program called ATTRA - Sustainable Agriculture . Current Opportunities May 18-22nd, 2020 ~ Armed to Urban Farm ~ Albuquerque, New Mexico ~ Apply Here! May 4-8th, 2020 ~ Armed to Urban Farm ~ Baltimore, Maryland ~ Apply Here! There are no ATF Events scheduled in the near future, but please check back often as more events will be offered in 2020. Consider subscribing to our newsletter to be notified. Thank you. -- Coming in 2020: Armed to Farm 2.0 Armed to Farm 2.0 is a next-level sustainable agriculture training designed for those who have attended an Armed to Farm in the past. ATF 2.0 will have more in-depth curriculum on business planning, financial management, marketing, and scaling-up production. We will tailor hands-on activities at area farms to participants' needs and will focus on more advanced production, marketing, and entrepreneurship techniques. There will be plenty of time for information sharing and networking. NCAT will provide lodging, most meals, and transportation to local farms during this week-long event. Publications ATTRA publications cover a wide range of topics, including: Horticultural Crops Field Crops Soils and Composts Pest Management Irrigation, Water Conservation, and Water Quality Issues Livestock Production Grass Farming Marketing and Business Strategies Market Gardening Risk Management Agricultural Energy Organic Certification, Production, and Marketing Visit www.attra.ncat.org to view a complete list of our publications. Most are available to download in PDF format. Tutorials ATTRA offers free, online self-instruction courses to help beginning farmers and producers who want to diversify their operations or expand their markets. The courses include a variety of educational tools such as worksheets, narrated PowerPoint presentations, videos, and tip sheets. List of available ATTRA Tutorials Scaling Up for Regional Markets Tutorial Ecological Pest Management Tutorial Beginning Farmer Business Planning, Marketing, and Sheep, Goat & Poultry Resources Getting Started in Farming: An Introduction to Farm Business Planning Technical Assistance ATTRA's friendly staff members are knowledgeable about livestock, horticulture, agronomy, organic farming, marketing, farm energy, and many other sustainable agriculture topics, and are available to provide free assistance. ATTRA offers several ways producers can contact an agriculture specialist, who will research questions and send the client a report, including sources of more information. Call ATTRA at 1-800-346-9140 (English) or 1-800-411-3222 (Spanish) Use our online Ask A Sustainable Agriculture Expert form. Text your questions to askanag@ncat.org Website In addition to over 300 publications, ATTRA's website contains webinars, videos, searchable databases, plus tools to keep you up-to-date on what's happening in sustainable agriculture: Calendar of Events Funding Opportunities Weekly Harvest E-News What participants say about Armed to Farm training: "This was one of the best workshops, if not the best, in any field I have been involved in. It was a great mix of hands-on and classroom instruction. The instructors were very experienced and knowledgeable." "As a Wounded Warrior Project Alumni, two-time Iraq veteran, and beginning farmer I can, without hesitation, recommend the Armed to Farm program to any veteran seeking knowledge in a wide variety of agricultural topics." "Thank you! I feel that this program has changed the way we will farm in the future." Participants in the Armed to Farm training held in Jackson, Miss., Sept. 22-26, 2014. What is Armed to Farm? Armed to Farm is Sustainable Agriculture Training for Military Veterans. NCAT has been involved in targeted veteran outreach and assistance since 2010. NCAT agriculture specialists have hosted and been involved in at least 17 veteran focused trainings, reaching over 800 veterans across the US. NCAT has partnered with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Farmer Veteran Coalition, University of Arkansas, Growing Warriors, and other sustainable agriculture organizations to train veterans interested in sustainable agriculture careers. The goals of Armed to Farm are: To train veterans and their partners to operate sustainable crop and livestock enterprises To create a network of veterans and their families who are starting careers in sustainable agriculture To provide technical assistance to participants as they start and improve their farming operations Trainings range in length from conference presentations, two-day workshops, and week-long training events. The multi-day programs include a mix of educational classes — covering topics such as risk management, business planning, and marketing—and hands-on activities at successful livestock, crop, and agritourism operations. NCAT Sustainable Agriculture specialists will teach the training sessions. Additional contributors will include staff from the University of Arkansas, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and experienced crop and livestock producers. Contact Margo Hale at 479-442-9824 or margoh@ncat.org for more information about Armed to Farm Please note: Attendees are responsible for their travel to and from the event. Please let us know if travel cost is an issue. Space is limited and NCAT reserves the right to select those people it deems would benefit most by this event. Partners: Funding for Armed to Farm has come from NCAT's ATTRA - Sustainable Agriculture program, USDA Rural Business Cooperative Services, USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, projects with the University of Arkansas and Cornell University, USDA Risk Management Agency and Swords to Plowshares. Armed to Farm N...