Frontline to Farm, a program of Appalachian State’s College of Fine and Applied Arts, is planning its 2024 farmer veteran and beginning farmer training to be held Monday, June 24-28, for new trainees and June 27-28 for training alums. The training focuses on sustainable farming in the region and is intended to support veterans transitioning into farming as a livelihood and is supported by a USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development program grant.
This is the fourth year the training will be offered and the third year it is being offered in person here in the High Country. Classroom training will be held on the campus of Appalachian State University, and farm visits will include cattle and crop farms in and around Boone. The program is pleased to partner once again with experts from NC Cooperative Extension, the National Center for Appropriate Technology, the National Agricultural Law Center, local USDA representatives, and Appalachian State faculty and students, as well as community partner Blue Ridge Women and Agriculture.
Participants will visit local ag operations including New Life Farm, Brown’s Ridge Farm, Against the Grain Farm, Springhouse Farm, Cheek Farmstead and Creamery, Heritage Homestead Goat Dairy, Shipley Beef Farm, Watauga Butchery, Apple Hill Farm, Hidden Happiness Bee Farm, and more.
According to TShane Johnson, 2022 training alum, US Marine Corps veteran, and co-owner of Big Guns Coffee in Tyron, NC, “Frontline to Farm provided the opportunity for me to connect with other veterans and to share the importance of local farming in America.” Mr. Johnson and his co-owner/daughter, Charli, are working with Isothermal Community College to bring the first indoor, hydroponic coffee farm in the US to North Carolina, an endeavor Johnson notes would not have been possible without his work with Frontline to Farm.
US Air Force veteran Taz Kim, a fixture in the High Country veteran community and 2023 Frontline to Farm alum recommends the program to her fellow veterans noting that “veterans can tend to isolate, and that can be a problem. This program brought us together and demonstrates that we can continue the sense of belonging with others that we had in the military.”
A key component of Frontline to Farm is building collaborative support networks that serve beginning farmers, especially those who have served in the military. Farmer veterans are the focus of the USDA/BFRPD grant-funded training program, which began in 2020 with the goal to increase the number of veterans transitioning to successful farming careers. In turn, these farmer veterans can impact locally-available food.
USDA data indicates that the population of small and medium-scale farmers is decreasing in the US. While that decrease has slowed down over the last decade, coupled with the loss of farmland, it continues to represent a real threat to the health of Americans. Dr. Anne Fanatico, co-Director of Frontline to Farm and faculty in the Appalachian State’s Department of Sustainable Development notes that, “small and mid-size farms support rural economies, the environment, and populations at risk for food insecurity.” It’s Frontline to Farm’s mission to support Farmer Veterans in making farming a career that connects them to their communities.
Those who want to support Frontline to Farm, Farmer Veterans, and beginning farmers can contact Dr, Lynn Gibbard at FrontlinetoFarm@appstate.edu for more information or visit FrontlinetoFarm.AppState.edu to donate and become part of our mission.
About Frontline to Farm
Frontline to Farm, a program of Appalachian State University’s College of Fine and Applied Arts, aids veterans with the transition to civilian life by teaching sustainable farming practices through a grant from USDA/NIFA Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program (#2020-49400-32301). Dr. Anne Fanatico and Dr. Lynn Gibbard spearheaded the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture-funded program. Frontline to Farm is a collaborative effort between the Department of Sustainable Development and the Department of Communication. Eddy Labus, National Center for Appropriate Technology, is a partner in the program and a key part of the training. The Frontline to Farm program also works to support sustainable gardening on campus and in the community through its Victory Garden project, a re-imagining of the WWII Victory Garden that focuses on food security, food and farm equity, the environment, and connecting farmers with their communities and is developing a renewable energy project.
To find out more or how to support Frontline to Farm, visit our website:
www.FrontlinetoFarm.appstate.edu
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