Veterans and people in the agricultural industry are invited to the Washington State Chapter of the Farmer Veterans Coalition SPLASH event on April 19th at the Chelan County Fair Grounds. The SPLASH event marks the creation of a statewide network to support veterans already in agriculture and veterans interested in pursuing a career in agriculture.
The SPLASH event includes a series of speakers from Farmer Veterans Coalition National Executive Director Michael O’Gorman, to a panel of farmer veterans who received a Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund grant. The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund is the largest grant program in the country that provides direct assistance to veterans in agriculture and has awarded more than $1 million since it was established in 2011.
“I am excited for the Farmer Veteran Coalition’s work to begin in Washington State,” said Lourdes “Alfie” Alvarado-Ramos director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. “With over 112,000 veterans living in rural parts of our State, these partnerships will help veterans get connected to careers in agriculture.”
“I wholeheartedly support efforts to connect veterans interested in agriculture with organizations that can help them reach their goals,” said Derek Sandison, director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
“Agriculture can be a rich and rewarding career and it is a major industry for our state. But for agriculture to continue thriving here, we need more farmers - smart, dedicated people willing to work hard and get their hands dirty. I can think of no other population that fits that bill as well as our military veterans.”
The Washington State Chapter of the Farmer Veterans Coalition includes members from the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Washington State Conservation Commission, the Spokane Conservation District Vets on the Farm, the Washington State Microenterprise Association, Vets CAFÉ, the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, Growing Veterans, Patriot Shellfish Farmers and many others.
Sign up today and join us in Wenatchee to support veterans and our agricultural communities on April 19th from 5:30pm to 10:30pm at the Chelan County Fairground. https://fvcwaplash.eventbrite.com
For more information about the FVC visit www.farmvetco.org
For more information about WDVA visit www.dva.wa.gov/program/veterans-farm-orting
For more information about the WSDA Veterans programs visit https://agr.wa.gov/aginwa/veterans/default.aspx