FRANKFORT, Ky. – In a concerted effort to further strengthen its Homegrown By Heroes campaign, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) recently announced it has handed over its ownership of the program to the National Farmer Veteran Coalition.

The transfer will allow the agency to fulfill the terms of a 2017 memorandum of understanding between the two organizations, said Ryan Quarles, KDA commissioner.

“The Homegrown by Heroes program has been instrumental in promoting the successful farming careers of active-duty and veteran military members,” he said. “In 2013, the Kentucky agriculture community was excited about the prospects of honoring our farmer-veterans with their own logo and now, eight years later, we are just as thrilled to turn it over to the Farmer Veteran Coalition. We know it’s in good hands.”

Supported by the USDA, Farm Credit Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation, the coalition unveiled a new Homegrown By Heroes logo July 11, 2018, during a special ceremony on Capitol Hill. The new logo, which was updated for the first time in the program’s history, features refreshed colors and, most notably, the inclusion of a female service member.

While grown nationally by the National Farmer Veteran Coalition, KDA continued to own the rights to the Homegrown By Heroes name and logo, which serves as identification to prospective consumers that the products were locally grown or raised by a veteran.

During the last few years, the department licensed the logo rights to the coalition to be used nationally. With the recent agreement, those rights will now move over to the National Farmer Veteran Coalition.

Established by the KDA in 2013, Homegrown By Heroes was created to promote agricultural products produced by military veteran farmers. Since then, the program has grown to include active-duty personnel, reservists and National Guard members.

In 2013, the coalition and KDA entered into a memorandum of understanding to extend their partnership through 2021, allowing the coalition to grow the program on a national scale. Today, Homegrown by Heroes has more than 2,000 certified producers around the nation.

The coalition is a national nonprofit organization based in Davis, Calif., that seeks to help veterans find employment and careers in agriculture by providing training, mentorship, financing and marketing support.

While the coalition will now own the Homegrown by Heroes trademark, KDA will still partner with the organization to help Kentucky military members promote their agricultural products by maintaining its own Homegrown By Heroes marketing program.

Currently, 44 percent of the men and women who serve the nation in the military also have roots in small towns and rural communities, according to Farm Credit Council.

Gary Matteson, Farm Credit Council senior vice president of beginning farmer programs and outreach, said he welcomes the growth the program has seen over the years. Matteson serves as president of the coalition’s board of directors.

“Our military veterans served this country with honor and a special few are willing to take on the daunting task of starting a farming operation,” he said. “Farm Credit believes supporting farmer veterans as they get started is the right thing to do for them, and it also helps strengthen our rural communities.”

Jeanette Lombardo, executive director of the National Farmer Veteran Coalition, said she looks forward to facilitating the Homegrown By Heroes label, and has plans for expanding the program.

“Today is a milestone marking the next chapter in the life of Homegrown By Heroes trademark label,” she said. “The Homegrown By Heroes trademark is the cornerstone of the marketing plan the Farmer Veteran Coalition developed to assist our farmer veterans in achieving success with the sales of their products.

“With the transfer of the ownership label, we look to see the expanded use of the label at local farmer’s markets and online with MarketMaker, which facilitates Internet sales to consumers and new markets,” she added.

To learn more about Homegrown By Heroes program and eligibility, visit KDA at www.kyagr.com or the coalition at www.farmvetco.org.

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