By JORDAN STRICKLER

Kentucky Correspondent

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Fewer than 1 percent of America’s population consider themselves farmers. The University of Tennessee is hoping to increase that number with the help from military veterans.

With support from the USDA, the University of Tennessee (UT) Extension, Tennessee State University (TSU) Extension and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) have created the Tennessee Beginning Farmers Development Program (TBFD), which will provide resources and assistance beginning farmers, with a focus on those who are military personnel, veterans and farmers with disabilities.

Funded with two, 3-year awards from USDA, the TBFD will launch in early 2018 in upper Middle Tennessee, and then expand statewide. Upper Middle Tennessee was chosen because of its proximity to Fort Campbell, which has a high concentration of military personnel including those who are on active duty, discharged and retired. The program will be expanded statewide in years two and three.

The TBFD is set up to educate military personnel and veterans desiring to transition into farming after their tenure in the military. “Educational programs are the main goal,” said Charley Jordan, a Tennessee Homegrown by Hero producer who leads the efforts to organize the Tennessee Chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. “New farmers need to know the basics before beginning an operation no matter how large or small it is. The TBFDP is a wonderful initiative to bring more individuals into agriculture.”

According to the former U.S. Army aviator, veterans are drawn to farming due to their ambition to serve the nation and that the program is great opportunity to showcase Tennessee’s agricultural programs and boost the overall population of farmers. “Veterans, whether they’ve served four years or thirty, still have the desire to serve and agriculture is a great outlet for this. Veterans learn many skills while in the service such as technical and mechanical skills. They also gain other skills such as purpose, motivation, leadership, responsibility, perseverance and discipline. All of these attributes can apply to everyday use on a farm. Veterans will also find that agriculture can be therapeutic in nature. This just doesn’t apply to physical injuries but to mental injuries as well.”

The USDA awards, which amount to nearly $739,000 during the course of three years in separate grants to the two universities, will help fund UT and TSU Extension specialists as they meet with farmers to develop a business and financial plan for their farms to help beginning farmers’ efforts lead to success.

Additional TBFD partners are the Tennessee AgrAbility Project and the Farmer Veteran Coalition. These partners, the two universities and TDA support the Homegrown by Heroes project through their Pick Tennessee Products program.

Tim Prather, a specialist with UT Extension, will serve as the principal investigator for the UT portion of the grant and for the Tennessee AgrAbility Project. Dr. Roy Bullock, TSU Extension Professor and Agriculture Program Leader, is coordinating the TSU grant.

“The program is not just for individuals who want to own a large acreage operation,” said Jordan. “The TBFDP is geared to educate all potential farmers on every aspect of agriculture from horticulture to livestock on either a one-acre plot or 100 acres.”