Create Opportunities As An Ag Veteran

Are you missing work opportunities as a military veteran in the food and agriculture industries?

Veterans are needed to produce, supply, store, distribute, process, market and assure the quality and environmental sustainability of food and agricultural products for America.

The Ag Veterans program is a special focus within the Veterans Corps and Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps, and designed to increase the number of military veterans employed in agribusiness by providing middle-skill credentials and immersive training.

AgVets For A Diverse Pipeline of Employers

Wisconsin is fourth in the nation for food and beverage manufactured products. Southeastern Wisconsin alone has approximately 250 food and beverage industry employers who employ 15,000 individuals in the region. Companies like Ocean Spray, MillerCoors, Palermo’s and Butter Buds employ a large labor force to perform duties that range from sales to supply, production to R & D, and everything in between.

A robust farm to factory to table continuum requires a pipeline of talent, and the food and agricultural supply chain offers an extensive variety of employment opportunities for those with passion and purpose to feed and quench the world.

Great Lakes CCC ag veteran working at cistern in dairy industry

A Veteran Farming Program for Knowledge and Credentials in Agribusiness

Ag Veterans receive diverse immersive experiences as part of their next mission to help feed America. We equip veterans with the knowledge and middle-skill credentials necessary for 21st Century food system innovations and industry transformations. Ag Veteran participants receive classroom and online course instruction to meet the qualifications of industry credentials and certifications for occupations in the agribusiness sector and food supply chain.

Veterans are actively involved in hands-on learning, rotating through a variety of food and fiber production operations that include forestry, animal husbandry, fruit and vegetable farming, and farm-to-table marketing and market access. Field trips to diverse farm and agribusiness ventures in the region offer veterans the opportunity to study varied business models, network with employers, and understand the range of agribusiness options available.

Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps Ag Veterans graphic
Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps Ag Veteran squatting with just picked lettuce from farm

3 Tracks for Agribusiness & Food Supply Chain

Whether a veteran has an interest in professional pursuits, personal homesteading, or hobby farming, the Ag Veterans program features courses structured within three learning tracks related to the agribusiness sector and food supply chain.

TRANSPORTATION, WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS

Commercial Driver’s License (A and B); Hazardous Waste Operations; Powered Industrial Truck (Forklift); Heavy Equipment Operation, Hazardous Materials Transportation

CONSERVATION, ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainable Food Security, Introduction to Solar Systems, Chainsaw Operation, Invasive Species, Commercial Pesticide Application; Forestry Careers; National Incident Management System (100 and 200); OSHA Disaster Site Worker;

FOOD PRODUCTION & HANDLING

Introduction to Entrepreneurship; Running a Food Truck; Careers in Agriculture; Organic Farming; Digital Agriculture; Boots to Business (Veteran Entrepreneurship); Homesteading; Food Safety; Suburban Micro-Farming

The Ag Veterans programs is also able to provide veterans with access to a variety of courses and education outside of the three learning tracks based on their personal goals and career interests.

Getting A Start

The Ag Veterans program includes classroom-based entrepreneurial courses to prepare veterans with the skills necessary to start and grow a small business. Veterans who have an interest in selling produce and handmade products as a home-based venture or starting a small commercial farm can benefit from the Ag Veterans program connections to financial experts, veteran farmers and other resources that can provide insight into the demands and techniques of running a small business.

Ecotherapy and Therapeutic Volunteer Service

Gardening is therapeutic, and we offer veterans the opportunity to grow produce and manage a personal garden plot as a means to heal. The program also facilitates volunteerism at locations where veterans can share their talents and re-spark a sense of purpose and self-sacrifice.

Earn and Learn

The Ag Veterans program follows the model of the Veterans Corps to pay veterans for their time studying, acquiring skills through hands-on training, and preparing for vocational opportunities related to the food and beverage industry.

We meet veterans where they are, offering a variety of options for veterans to participate – from Flex Time to Full Time – so they can find the right program fit to continue their journey of personal and professional growth. Whether veterans receive disability benefits, or are currently employed, the money veterans can receive through participation in the Ag Veterans program of the Veterans Corps will add to their monthly disability checks or paychecks.

Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps Ag Veteran smiling with basket of harvested vegetables

Interested in joining our Ag Veterans Program? Just tell us:





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