Battleground to Breaking Ground Entrepreneurial Training Project Rick Peterson, Ph.D., LMFT, CFLE Professor and Extension Specialist Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Introduction- Program funded through USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture The members of Texas A&M AgriLife will provide equal opportunities in programs and activities, education, and employment to all persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity and will strive to achieve full and equal employment opportunity throughout Texas A&M AgriLife.

70% of funds are allocated to serving the military veteran population. Who We Serve New & beginning farmers/ranchers with an emphasis on military veterans. 70% of funds are allocated to serving the military veteran population. Project will serve 70% Veterans

Veterans Texas ranked second in the nation in population of veterans, with 1,593,072 million (Texas Workforce Investment Council, 2011). The National Center for Veterans Analysis (2010) indicates that 30% of veterans live in rural areas, making the Texas rural veteran population some 477,921 strong. A staggering 26.9 percent of the rural veterans reported being unemployed as compared to only 14.8 percent  of rural non-veterans.

Veteran High unemployment rate for service men and women transitioning from military service back into civilian life with the highest unemployment rate occurred in veterans ages 35-64. Several factors influence veterans’ ability to return to work or find new careers after their military service physical or mental health challenge due to disability career and/or job opportunities for veterans lack of transition services

Veteran Military service is highly correlated with self-employment probability Self-employment has many advantages for individuals with disabilities including: provide solutions to many of the employment barriers difficulties with transportation, workplace discrimination, the absence of available jobs in which the individual is skilled. self-employment can mediate many of the needs of individuals with disabilities, and provides the most direct route to achieving the individual's career goals. People with disabilities are self-employed at almost twice the rate of the general population 14.7% compared to 8%

What We Do

Provide Education & Support Face-to-face and online educational training in: farm business planning (16 week) farm/ranch management production specific agriculture practices Field days- Veteran Mentors-looking for mentors

Provide Education & Support Individualized educational planning Guidance to support diverse agriculture business interests Field days- Veteran Mentors-looking for mentors

Provide Education & Support Hands-on learning opportunities connected to online course content Follow-up mentor support Field days- Veteran Mentors-looking for mentors

Peer-to-Peer Education Cohort Model Peer-to-Peer Learning Community Of Practice Field days- Veteran Mentors-looking for mentors

Support Services Veteran Transitional Services Disability Support Services AgrAbility - Assistive Technology VetAdvisor’s Coaching Behavioral health VA benefits navigation Personal finances Wellness Field days- Veteran Mentors-looking for mentors

Battleground to Breaking Ground Ag Workshop Phases Phase 1 (optional) Battleground to Breaking Ground Ag Workshop Rural Business Ideas Business Planning Basics Resources Phase 2 Online Education 16 weeks of business planning courses Individual Education Plan Community of Practice Develop your business plan! Phase 3 Production Education Mentorship Hands-On Training Production Agriculture Online Courses Apply

Webinar Series Texas AgrAbility Archived Webinars Farm Food Safety On Farm Processing Rules & Regulations Overview of Food Manufacturer's license requirements Archived Webinars Texas AgrAbility

Partners Texas Center for Rural Entrepreneurship VetAdvisor Online courses, Community of Practice, Workshops VetAdvisor Veteran transitional and disability support services for veterans & veteran families

Incubator / Farm Sites F.A.R.M. Millican Reserve Mesquite Field Farm Dallas, Texas Millican Reserve College Station, Texas Mesquite Field Farm Nixon, TX Hands-On Workshops Farmer Education and Training (FEAT) Farm Gatesville, Texas

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Contact US! Rick Peterson Cheryl Greenwelge Co-Director Director Phone: (979) 845-3727 Chgrenwelge@ag.tamu.edu   Rick Peterson Director Phone: (979) 845-1877 rlpeterson@ag.tamu.edu Erin Kimbrough Program Coordinator Phone: (979) 847-6185 Erin.Kimbrough@ag.tamu.edu Cathryn Morgan Program Assistant- Battleground Cathryn.Morgan@ag.tamu.edu Jason Morgan Program Assistant- FSA Program Marine Veteran & Farm Owner Jason.Morgan@ag.tamu.edu