Veteran Farmers of America Receives $20,000 Grant

Veteran Farmers of America (VFA) has received a $20,000 grant from Swords to Plowshares, an organization founded in 1974 to help heal the wounds of war and restore dignity, hope, and self-sufficiency to veterans in need.

VFA partners with Ventura County farmers to provide veterans with agricultural training. The grant will be used by VFA to place veterans in paid internships at Ventura County farms. During the internships, veterans learn the trade of the particular farm and the agricultural industry in general. “It’s an opportunity for veterans to find out if a career in agriculture is a good fit for them,” says Julie Sardonia, VFA program coordinator. “We have already found that the skills acquired during military service transfer very well into agricultural careers.”

VFA has placed over a dozen veterans in agricultural internships at farms including Mission Produce, McGrath Family Farms, Limoneira Company, Underwood Farms and Rancho Del Pueblo. “The Swords to Plowshares grant enables us to add even more veterans to the program,” explains Sardonia. “What’s exciting is that many of the veterans in the program have gone on to fulltime, permanent jobs in ag after their internship is over.”

For more information about VFA, go to http://vetfarm.org or contact Sardonia at juliesardonia@vetfarm.org, 805-797-5539.

About Veteran Farmers of America

VFA was founded to help veterans transition from active duty to civilian life—an often difficult task. VFA and Ventura County farmers provide veterans with agricultural training and internships. Through VFA, a veteran’s mission goes from protecting the country in far off lands to providing fellow Americans at home with a healthy and abundant food supply. VFA is under the umbrella of Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching children about the “journey of food—from field to fork” through school programs and farm fieldtrips. www.vetfarm.org