Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:NNY Veterans in Agriculture: Agriculture and the Military Educating Service Members and Veterans in Agricultural Businesses, Practices, and Careers. Due to CCE of Jefferson Counties unique proximity to Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division this project works closely with the Fort Drum Soldier for Life, Transition Assistance Program (TAP), Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) and other organizations on the Fort Drum installation to access active duty service members who are considering future civilian careers. In addition, AgVet's conducts outreach with Veterans in the region and the state to achieve the project goals. Below are the specific, targeted audiences reached in Calendar Year 2023 by AgVet's efforts. • We briefed employees at Peer to Peer Counselors, a non-profit group affiliated with the Mental Health Association of Jefferson County, on Farm-Ops purpose, goals, and opportunities for their clientele. • We contacted and provided direct assistance to veterans in the region who are interested in entering an agriculture career. These individuals learned of our servicesthrough targeted advertising, affiliations with the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Veterans Administration service organizations, and tabling events. • We participated in monthly events on Fort Drum for transitioning Soldiers looking for new career paths. These include Soldiers transitioning out of the Army through the Soldier for Life, Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP), Career Skills Program (CSP). The majority of Farm-Ops audience was reached through these outreach and education efforts. In addition to monthly briefings to the Careers Skills Program, we actively marketed our Farm-Ops classes, workshops, tours, work parties and other immersive farm engagement programming to transitioning service members. Farm-Ops also arranged and coordinated internships/mentoring with local farmers (many of whom are veterans), matched to participant member's interest. TAP staff assisted our efforts by active promotion of Farm OPS to their clientele. • We conducted training for Counselors in the Peer to Peer Veteran Counseling program, Soldier Recovery Unit, Veteran's Affairs, and the SFL-TAP CSP program. Staff providing career direction for veterans and service members are now able to appreciate and better understand opportunities afforded by agriculture if they are to guide this target population as well as refer their clients to Farm-Ops as appropriate. • We conducted awareness and training for community-based veteran-serving organizations such as the Vets Center, Veterans Affairs, Farmer Veteran Coalition, Youth Services Network, and others. • Farmer Veterans participated as mentors, educators, or learners in all Farm-Ops programs. Changes/Problems:We continue to observe fewer Service Members and Veterans than initially projected, though numbers have grown as our relationship with the Fort Drum Career Skills Program has strengthened. The program faced challenges due to employee turnover, which resulted in the program coordinator position being unoccupied from April 2024 to July 2024. Due to this staff change the outreach to Service Members and Veteranswas temporarily reduced, resulting in fewer than anticipated participants. While we have continued to offer classes for Service Members and Veterans, we have seen a decline in attendance. Despite our efforts to promote the classes through various channels--such as multiple social media posts, traditional media, flyers, and increased engagement with Fort Drum--we have not seen the expected increase in participation. Additionally, we have sent direct emails to previous participants from other classes in an attempt to boost attendance. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We offered the following training to veterans and transitioning services members in 2023/2024: Master Gardener Course, Bee Keeping Course, Monthly Bee Keeper Forums, Fast Track to Farming Series (5 classes-Business planning and Marketing 101, Livestock 101, Horticulture 101, Value Added Food Production 101, Putting it all together), Vegetable Production Class/Tour, Green House Production Class/Tour, At Home Maple Production, Poultry 101, Beef Processing and Poultry Processing Class Livestock 1st aide/handling Course, Small Dream Farm Course. Classes were also held in a Veterans in Agriculture style forum, where participants are able to share ideas and experiences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As part of routine advertising and correspondence, we report outcomes informally to affiliated veteran and non-profit groups, to include the Farmer Veteran Coalition (New York State), Peer to Peer, STL-TAP Ft. Drum, Veterans Affairs, Vet Center and the Cornell Small Farms Project. Results from program participation are also reported through Cornell Cooperative Extension's annual report on programming and participation. The program was highlighted in Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County's Annual Report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Funding under this grant has been approved for extension into 2025. This will allow us to continue on-farm mentorships for transitioning Service Members and Veterans. Through the AgVet's program, we will continue our partnership with the Ft. Drum Career Skills Program. We will continue to provide career transition services and programming, especially mentorship experiences. We will continue to have a Veterans in Agriculture style forum to have active participants meet on a regular basis, share ideas and experiences and participate in in-person classes. We will continue funding scholarships for web-based or in-person learning, such as courses offered through the Cornell Small Farms Project, to accommodate varied schedules. Since being awarded funding through the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers the new project has been useful complement to our AgVet's mentorship efforts. Using that funding source, additional Extension educators will teach two-day course each quarter for beginning farmers and ranchers. The course will provide an overview of farm planning, marketing, livestock management, row crops, horticulture, risk management, and related topics for aspiring Service Members and Veterans who may be entertaining the idea of becoming a farmer. Along with the two-day series, Extension educators will also provide seasonal courses throughout the year such as maple production class/tour, vegetable production class/tour, value added dairy production class. From there, we hope more participants will go on to AgVet's mentorship experiences to continue their journey forward in the agricultural field.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) A communications and marketing plan were reviewed and updated to reflect on-the-ground findings from 2023 pertaining to how best to reach clientele. This plan included marketing through the CCEJC website, social media, direct outreach to the target audience, and interviews published via traditional media (radio, TV, newspapers). We routinely corresponded by electronic mail to Veteran and transitioning Service Member organizations such as Peer to Peer Counseling, Vet Center, the Fort Drum Soldier Recovery Unit, and others. Farm-Ops sent routine updates, information and/or tags through social media. Farm-Ops is featured on the CCE Jefferson website along with highlighted farmer veterans who serve as mentors. Tabling and outreach were conducted at several Ft. Drum specific, as well as community events, to include Ft. Drum Spring Expo, Ft. Drum Outdoor Expo, Ft. Drum Trades Day, Ft. Drum Career Exploration, Jefferson and St. Lawrence County Fairs. Monthly presentations on available programing were provided on Ft. Drum to transitioning Soldiers. As a result, a total of 312 individuals were reached in person. Internet, social and traditional media was able to reach well over the 1000 soldier goal. 2) All Ft. Drum and peer to peer counselors were trained, to include new mentors for the intern/immersion portion of the program. In total 3 new counselors were trained. 3) 24 total classes were held for transitioning and/or active duty soldiers. 5 of those classes held were solely attended by active/transitioning military service members. 4) 14 classes held were available to the Veteran community, and attended by Veterans. 5) A total of 32 scholarships were provided to transitioning Soldiers and Veterans for agricultural course tuition, course supplies or books 6) A total of 8 soldiers participated in immersion sessions, ranging in lengths from 4 to 14 weeks. 7) 2 soldiers experienced unique experiences at the model farm facility. The following outcomes have been achieved to date from the beginning of the program: 10 participants have started or expanded a farm or agricultural business, 1 participant has gained employment in an agricultural/ food supply jobs, and 1 participant in the program has pursued higher education in agriculture related fields.

Publications

Progress 09/15/22 to 09/14/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Farm-Ops: Advancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans in New York seeks to serve military Veterans and Military Service Members transitioning out of active service into civilian life. Due to CCE of Jefferson Counties unique proximity to Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division this project works closely with the Fort Drum Soldier for Life, Transition Assistance Program (TAP), Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) and other organizations on the Fort Drum installation to access active duty service members who are considering future civilian careers. In addition, Farm-Ops conducts outreach with Veterans in the region and the state to achieve the project goals. Below are the specific, targeted audiences reached in Calendar Year 2023 by Farm-Ops efforts. • We briefed employees at Peer to Peer Counselors, a non-profit group affiliated with the Mental Health Association of Jefferson County, on Farm-Ops purpose, goals, and opportunities for their clientele. • We contacted and/or provided direct assistance to Veterans in the region who are interested in entering an agriculture career. These individuals learned of our services either through targeted advertising, affiliations with the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Veterans Administration service organizations, and tabling events. • We participated in monthly presentations on Fort Drum to transitioning Soldiers looking for new careers paths. These includes Soldiers transitioning out of the Army through the Soldier for Life, Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP), Career Skills Program (CSP). The majority of Farm-Ops audience was reached through these outreach and education efforts. In addition to monthly briefings to the Careers Skills Program, we actively marketed our Farm-Ops classes, workshops, tours, work parties and other immersive farm engagement programming to transitioning service members. Farm-Ops also arranged and coordinated internships/mentoring with local farmers (many of whom are veterans), matched to participant member's interest. TAP staff assisted our efforts by active promotion of Farm OPS to their clientele. • We conducted training for Counselors in the Peer to Peer Veteran Counseling program, Soldier Recovery Unit, Veteran's Affairs, and the SFL-TAP CSP program. Staff providing career direction for veterans and service members are now able to appreciate and better understand opportunities afforded by agriculture if they are to guide this target population as well as refer their clients to Farm-Ops as appropriate. • We conducted awareness and training for community-based veteran serving organizations such as the Vets Center, Veterans Affairs, Farmer Veteran Coalition, Youth Services Network and others. • Farmer Veterans participated as mentors, educators or learners in all Farm-Ops programs. ? Changes/Problems:We continue to see fewer Service Members and Veterans than initially projected, though numbers have grown as our relationship with the Fort Drum Career Skills Program has strengthened. Because Service Members transition throughout the year, we continue to have difficulty placing individuals during the winter months, when farm operations are largely curtailed. To address, we've turned to classroom instruction. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We offered the following training to veterans and transitioning services members in 2022/2023: Master Gardener Course (22 classes), Beginner Beekeeping Course (18 classes), Lawn to Garden Course, Buying Your Small Farm Dream, Monthly Beekeeping Forum, At Home Maple Production, Poultry 101. Classes were also held in a Veterans in Agriculture style forum, where participants are able to share ideas and experiences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As part of routine advertising and correspondence, we report outcomes informally to affiliated veteran and non-profit groups, to include the Farmer Veteran Coalition (New York State), Peer to Peer, STL-TAP Ft. Drum, Veterans Affairs, Vet Center and the Cornell Small Farms Project. Results from program participation are also reported through Cornell Cooperative Extension's annual report on programming and participation. The program was highlighted in Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County's Annual Report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Funding under this grant has been approved for extension into 2024. This will allow us to continue on-farm mentorships for transitioning Service Members and Veterans. Through the AgVets program, we will continue our partnerhip with the Ft. Drum Career Skills Program. We will continue to provide career transition services and programming, especially mentorship experiences. We will continue to have a Veterans in Agriculture style forum to have active participants meet on a regular basis, share ideas and experiences and participate in in-person classes. We will continue funding scholarships for web-based or in-person learning, such as courses offered through the Cornell Small Farms Project, to accommodate varied schedules.We have also been awarded funding through the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers; this three-year project will begin in 2024. This new project, entitled Fast Track to Farming, will complement our FarmOps mentorship efforts. Using that funding source, additional Extension educators will teach a week-long course each quarter for beginning farmers and ranchers. The course will provide an overview of farm planning, marketing, livestock management, row crops, horticulture, risk management, and related topics for aspiring Service Members and Veterans who may be entertaining the idea of becoming a farmer. From there, we hope more participants will go on to FarmOps mentorship experiences.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) A communications and marketing plan were reviewed and updated to reflect on-the-ground findings from 2022 pertaining to how best to reach clientele. This plan included marketing through the CCEJC website, social media, direct outreach to the target audience, and interviews published via traditional media (radio, TV, newspapers). We routinely corresponded by electronic mail to Veteran and transitioning Service Member organizations such as Peer to Peer Counseling, Vet Center, the Fort Drum Soldier Recovery Unit, and others. Farm-Ops sent routine updates, information and/or tags through social media. Farm-Ops is featured on the CCE Jefferson website along with highlighted farmer veterans who serve as mentors. Tabling and outreach were conducted at several Ft. Drum specific, as well as community events, to include Ft. Drum Spring Expo, Ft. Drum Outdoor Expo, Ft. Drum Trades Day, Ft. Drum Career Exploration, Jefferson and St. Lawrence County Fairs. Monthly presentations on available programing were provided on Ft. Drum to transitioning Soldiers. As a result, a total of 731 individuals were reached in person. Internet, social and traditional media was able to reach well over the 1000 soldier goal. 2) All Ft. Drum and peer to peer counselors were trained, to include new mentors for the intern/immersion portion of the program. In total 7 new counselors were trained. 3) 54 total classes were held for transitioning and/or active duty soldiers, 4 classes held were solely attended by active/transitioning military service members. 4) 50 classes held were available to the Veteran community, and attended by Veterans. 5) A total of 34 scholarships were provided to transitioning Soldiers and Veterans for agricultural course tuition, course supplies or books 6) A total of 11 soldiers participated in immersion sessions, ranging in lengths from 4 to 14 weeks. 7) 8 soldiers experienced unique experiences at the model farm facility. The following outcomes have been achieved to date from the beginning of the program: 26 participants have started or expanded a farm or agricultural business, 7 participants have gained employment in an agricultural/ food supply jobs, and 7 participants in the program have pursued higher education in agriculture related fields.

Publications

Progress 09/15/21 to 09/14/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Farm-Ops: Advancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans in New York seeks to serve military Veterans and Military Service Members transitioning out of active service into civilian life. Due to CCE of Jefferson Counties unique proximity to Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division this project works closely with the Fort Drum Soldier for Life, Transition Assistance Program (TAP), Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) and other organizations on the Fort Drum installation to access active duty service members who are considering future civilian careers. In addition, Farm-Opsconducts outreach with Veterans in the region and the state to achieve the project goals. Below are the specific, targeted audiences reached in Calendar Year 2022by Farm-Opsefforts. • We briefed employees at Peer to Peer Counselors, a non-profit group affiliated with the Mental Health Association of Jefferson County, on Farm-Opspurpose, goals, and opportunities for their clientele. • We contacted and/or provided direct assistance to Veterans in the region who are interested in entering an agriculture career. These individuals learned ofour services either through targeted advertising, affiliations with the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Veterans Administration service organizations, and tabling events. • We participated inmonthly presentations on Fort Drum to transitioning Soldiers looking for new careers paths. These includes Soldiers transitioning out of the Army through the Soldier for Life, Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP), Career Skills Program (CSP). The majority of Farm-Opsaudience was reached through these outreach and education efforts. In addition tomonthly briefingsto the Careers Skills Program, we actively marketed our Farm-Opsclasses, workshops, tours, work parties and other immersive farm engagement programming to transitioning service members. Farm-Opsalso arrangedand coordinatedinternships/mentoring with local farmers (many of whomare veterans), matched to participantmember's interest. TAP staff assisted our efforts by active promotion ofFarm OPS to their clientele. • We conducted training for Counselors in the Peer to Peer Veteran Counseling program, Soldier Recovery Unit, Veteran's Affairs, and the SFL-TAP CSP program. Staff providing career direction for veterans and service members are now able to appreciate and better understand opportunities afforded by agriculture if they are to guide this target population as well as refer their clients to Farm-Opsas appropriate. • We conducted awareness and training for community-based veteran serving organizations such as the Vets Center, Farmer Veteran Coalition, Youth Services Network and others. • Farmer Veterans participated as mentors, educators or learners in all Farm-Opsprograms. Changes/Problems:During late 2021 and early 2022, COVID-19 guidelines limited participation in some activities, to include availability of facilities on Ft. Drum. Due to limitations related toroom capacity due COVID-19, we had to create a waiting list of customers for our bee forum. As guidelines continue to ease we began offering more classes and training on Fort Drum and more in-person events. Many individuals interested in the program, through the Ft. Drum Career Skills Program, planned on returning to home states, making it difficult for follow up and feedback. We will implement a more comprehensive exit interview for individuals who participate in our mentorship program. A limited number of individuals, as a whole going through the Career Skills Program, expressed interest in the agricultural field; feeling limited in start up cost, land access, initial investment, potential offered salaries/benefits etc. Many individuals have unique interests and variable time availability due to current employment and family situations, which are best addressed by one on one consultation. We will continue to focus on individual needs of each participant in an attempt to address these issues. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We offered the following training to veterans and transitioning services members in 2022: Ft. Drum Ag Career Day (Oct 2021) Rabbitry 101 Dairy Career Day Buying Your Small Farm Dream Beekeeping Forum (10 classes) Market Gardening 101 Poultry 101 Ft. Drum AG Career Day (March 2022) Summer Series (7 Classes) Poultry Processing How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As part of routine advertising and correspondence, we report outcomes informally to afffiliated veteran and non-profit groups, to include the Farmer Veteran Coalition (New York State), Peer to Peer, STL-TAP Ft. Drum, and the Cornell Small Farms Project. Results from program participation are also reported through Cornell Cooperative Extension's annual report on programming and participation. The program was highlighted in Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County's Annual Report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Due to 1) time availability and 2) varyingskill level/experience of our veteran participants, we have found that our customersare best served with relatively informal tours of local farms. An example being one of our veteran participants was interested in raising hogs and had no experience raising hogs. We provided himin-person consultation, conducted an on-site visit of his property, and provided a scholarship to attend the Cornell Small Farm's program online course on pork production. We were able to have this participant meet up with another of our veteran participants (who came to us with an interest in raising cattle, but had already been successfully raising hogs on his own) for an informal tour of his operation, to ask additional questions, and to create a network for future advice. Due to both participant's busy schedules (between their respective work and family obligations), a formal internship or tour would have been impractical. GIven these considerations, inthe coming year we plan on creating a Soldier-Veterans in Agriculture Forum whichbring local Veteran farmers from all fields together with fellow Veterans and Service Members interested in or working in agriculture. The intent of this workshop will be to create a space for like-minded veterans to share ideas and information and create bonds to better help them build their respective agricultural businesses. We will continue to increase participation by partnering with Ft. Drum. We will continue to offer introductory level agricultural courses to provide education to entry level participants. We will continue to use web-based learning, such as courses offered through the Cornell Small Farms program,to cater to outlying Veteran populations in the North Country area.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) A communications and marketing plan wasreviewed and updated to reflect on-the-ground findings from 2021 pertaining to how best to reach clientele. This plan includedmarketing through the the CCEJC website, social media, direct outreach to the target audience, and interviews published via traditional media (radio, TV, newspapers). Weroutinely correspondedby electronic mail to Veteran and transitioning Service Member organizations such as Peer to Peer Counseling, Vet Center, the Fort Drum Soldieri Recovery Unit, and others. Farm-Opssentroutine updates, information and/or tags throughsocial media. Farm-Opsis featured on the CCE Jefferson website along with highlighted farmer veterans who serve as mentors. Tabling and outreach were conducted at several Ft. Drum specific, as well as community events, to include Mountainfest, Ft. Drum Retiree Day, Philadelphia Sesquicentennial, Ft. Drum Spring Expo, Ft. Drum Career Fair, Hungry for History, Jefferson and St. Lawrence County Fairs.Monthly presentations on available programing were provided on Ft. Drum to transitioning Soldiers. As a result, a total of 616 individuals were reached in person. Internet, social and traditional media was able to reach well over the 1000 soldier goal. 2) All Ft. Drum and peer to peer counselors were trained, to include new mentors for the intern/immersion portion of the program. In total 17 new counselors were trained. 3) 25 total classes were held for transitioning and/or active duty soldiers, two of which (Ft. Drum Agriculture Career Days) were held on Ft. Drum. 4) All classes held (with the exception of Ft. Drum Agriculture Career Day on Ft. Drum) were also available to the veteran community. 13 classes offered were exclusively attended by veterans. 5) A total of 19 scholarships were provided to transitioning soldiers and veterans for online course tuition or for course materials such as books. 6) A total of 7 soldiers participated in immersion sessions, ranging in lengths from 5 to 16 weeks. 7) 2 soldiers experienced unique experiences at the model farm facility. The following outcomes have been achieved to date. Since beginning the program, 5 participants have started or expanded a farm or agricultural business, 3 participants have gained employment in an agricultural/ food supply jobs, and 4 participants in the program have pursued higher education in agriculture related fields.

Publications

Progress 09/15/20 to 09/14/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Farm OPS: Advancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans in New York seeks to serve military veterans and military service members transitioning out of active service into civilian life. Due to CCE of Jefferson Counties unique proximity to Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division this project works closely with the Fort Drum Soldier for Life, Transition Assistance Program (TAP), Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) and other organizations on the Fort Drum installation to access active duty service members who are considering future civilian careers. In addition, Farm OPS conducts outreachwith veterans in the region and the state to achieve the project goals. Below are the specific, targeted audiences reached to date by Farm OPS efforts. Veterans associated with Peer to Peer Veteran Counseling. This project falls under the Mental Health Association of Jefferson County. Peer to Peer Counselors (veterans) have been trained in Farm OPS purpose and goals. Veterans in the region who are interested in entering an agriculture career. Soldiers transitioning out of the Army through the Soldier for Life, Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP). The majority of Farm OPS audience is reached through these outreach and educationefforts. Efforts include monthly briefings to the Careers SkillsProgram, ongoing marketing of classes, workshops, tours, work parties and other immersive farm engagement programming. Farm OPS also arranges and coordinates internships/mentoring with farmer (many farmer-veterans) matched to transitioning service member's interest. TAP staff support and promote Farm OPS. Training for Counselors in the Peer to Peer Veteran Counseling program, Soldier Recovery Unit and the SFL-TAP program. Staff providing career direction for veterans and service members need to appreciate and better understand opportunities afforded by agriculture if they are to guide this target population as well as refer to Farm OPS as appropriate. Awareness and training for community-based veteran serving organizations such as Vets Center, Youth Services Network and others. Farmer Veterans are also invited to participate as mentors, educators or learners in all Farm OPS programs. Changes/Problems:There were two significant problems this project faced. The first was finding and hiring the Project Coordinator which resulted in a slower roll-out of the program. The Project Director ensured the project goals moved forward despite a lack of staff. Farm OPS has now hired a stable, trained and oriented Project Coordinator. Current Project Coordinator is a veteran who also runs a small, diversified family farm. Program delivery is accelerating and TAP soldiers are being placed with mentors. The second problem was Covid19. The plan was to offer virtual and remote trainings which we did accomplish. However, the closedown of Fort Drum and inaccessibility of veteran serving organizations significantly slowed down progress as we simply had no access to transitioning soldiers or veterans beyond our direct advertising. Once the restrictions were lifted Farm OPS became much more successful in recruiting and outreach. Attendance continues to be slow. Farm OPS is working with the 3rd party evaluator to develop a continuous improvement/evaluation tool to help us adapt our outreach strategies. Finally, an important limitation is our harsh seasons. Farm OPS in Jefferson County really has a limited timeframe for any outdoor immersion opportunities. We have condensed our schedule to reflect a March- November seasonality. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Farm OPS main strategy for veterans and transitioning service members to achieve the goal to start or expand a farm or agricultural business, gain employment in an agricultural/food supply job, or pursue higher/further education in an agriculture related field is through training and education. Many veterans and soldiers transitioning out of service have highly transferable skills but little understanding of agriculture and thus do not appreciate the opportunities agriculture affords them. Opportunities are offered through introductory experiences, classes and workshops, in-depth subject matter offerings and hands-on immersion experiences. In many cases the target audience needs to learn how their skills can be transferred to a career in agriculture. Below is a list of training and professional development opportunities that have been offered to the target audience and Training: Master Gardener Training with 15 separate classes-botany, soil science, plant pathology, entomology, integrated pest management/pesticides, invasive species, turfgrass/weed, woody plants/pruning, landscaping, fruit production, vegetable production, annuals/perennials, plant propagation, organic gardening/composting, and wildlife (3 participants) USDA resource workshop (4 participants) Grow Your Own Mushrooms (6 participants) Asparagus 101 webinar (6 participants) Beef Quality Assurance virtual training Churchill bee tour and work party (7 participants) Season Extension Workshop (3 participants) Professional Development Beef Quality Assurance virtual training and in person chute side training (1 participant) Peer to Peer, Jefferson Community College Soldier Engagement staff, Local Veteran Center staff, Fort Drum MWR CCE contract staff, Youth Services Network community coalition and TAP Career Councilors - (81participants) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?To date, the only results that have been disseminated is to a partner, the Cornell Small Farms - Farm OPS. Monthly zoom meetings include updates on progress and program sharing. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This project will intensify it's outreach by coordinating with local VFW, American Legions, the VET Center and other local veteran non-profit groups, to better reach our veteran population. The project also plans to better reach active duty and transitioning soldiers by coordinating with Ft. Drum MWR, Better Opportunity for Single Soldiers (BOSS), and Army Continuing Education Center (ACES). Farm OPS plans to organize a rotating schedule of introductory agricultural classes on Fort Drum, to meet the 24 offered classes per year objective. To address possible complications of COVID-19 restrictions, Farm OPS plans to offer classes in a webinar format for applicable, non-hands on classes, to meet the 12 classes per year for veterans and/or the 24 classes for transitioning soldiers objectives. In person training, hands on experiences, and interactive classes will still be held when practical.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) A communications and marketing plan is developed and routinely implemented as an outreach and education tool. This plan includes the CCEJC website and social media, direct outreach to the target audience, traditional media (radio, TV, newspapers) and a list of numerous veteran and transitioning service member organizations. Farm OPS sends routine updates, information and/or are tags other social media. Farm OPS is featured on the CCE Jefferson website along with highlighted farmer veterans who serve as mentors. Attending/tabling at public events has been stymied due to Covid 19 this past year but Farm OPS is attending some events as local community events open (tabled at Agriculture Day at the local baseball opening and Mountain Fest, for example). Goal was to reach 1000 soldiers - Goal achieved. 2) All Fort Drum and Veteran Peer to Peer counselors were trained. A training lesson plan is developed and implemented with revisions based on feedback. One on one training for new hires is continuous but keeping up with staff changes in other organizations has proven challenging. Goal achieved. 3) A total of 23classes/workshops and webinars were offered for transitioning soldiers at Fort Drum that focus on transferable skills from the military to agriculture and training on specific agriculture careers. The goal was 24. These include a Master Gardener certificate program that offered 15 classes including botany, social science, plant pathology, entomology, integrated pest management/pesticides, invasive species, turfgrass/weed, woody plants/pruning, landscaping, fruit production, vegetable production, annuals/perennials, plant propagation, organic gardening/composting, and wildlife. These virtual morning classes were followed by active in person afternoon training and mentorship in a community/urban garden where all the produce was donated to an agency serving low-income populations. Career opportunities include landscaping, urban gardening, market production, and land and water stewardship positions. While the afternoon sessions could be considered an "immersive" experience Farm OPS is counting them as an extension of the classroom sessions. Additional classes and workshops were offered on a variety of topics. 4) Veterans in the region were offered the same program opportunities as active and transitioning service members. This is because most programming was virtual due to COVID19. Offerings exceeded goal but this remains an area needing increased outreach and engagement as Farm OPS did not have any veterans attend. 5) Access and scholarships have been offered consistently through ongoing marketing and outreach. To date, no veterans and onetransitioning service members hastaken advantage of this resource. This SM is also mentoring on the Model Farm. 6) Farm OPS has only been successful lining up 5 mentorship/immersion experiences with transitioning service members. The goal was 20-25. One is a TAP soldier who wanted to reside in the area and was particularly interested in a support career in dairy. Farm OPS facilitated an internship between TAP and Birch Creek Dairy, a progressive 3,000 head dairy farm with an active maternity facility. Birch Creek Dairy is recognized for utilizing updatedtechnology and evidence-based animal welfare protocols. The manager of Birch Creek Dairy is a veteran.This mentorship experience has been progressing very well and it is expected that the TAP soldier will be offered a management position once his service ends. The second mentorship wasa veteran who attended the Master Gardener program. He did his "community" work as an internship with another farmer veteran mentor in central NY (he lived 2 hours away). He went on to start his own small produce farm. A third mentorship/immersion experience was with a soldier who did not want to wait the 2 months before he was eligible to enter the TAP (TAP gives paid internship time while still serving the last 6 months of their active-duty service contract). He is rotating through a diversified produce and poultry experiences and learning different business models. He is doing this on his own time on weekends. His plan is to identify his interests, plan his future agricultural enterprise and use his upcoming 6 months of TAP paid internship to focus on learning/practicing his chosen agricultural enterprise for when he is discharged. A fourth mentorship/immersion experience was a soldier, participating through TAP, interested in the beef industry and equine husbandry. He is currently at Center Dale Farm, a 500-acre, black angus cow/calf operation. After his internship and honorable discharge from the Army, this soldier plans on continuing his education, in Agricultural Business at the University of Utah, with aspirations of seeking employment in the beef industry, and eventually starting his own beef ranch. A final soldier is in the Army reserves, temporarily stationed at Ft. Drum and is, at the time of this writing, being placed on the Model Farm to learn about equine management and raising beef. This soldier is also part owner of a hemp farm in Puerto Rico and is furthering his knowledge of managing an agricultural business, by taking the Farm OPS Small Farm Project's online course: BF 103-Taking Care of Business. While COVID19 closures including Fort Drum closure is one reason this goal was unmet there exists considerable challenges in exposing veterans and Service Members with agriculture career opportunities. 7. To date no unique farm experiences have been held at the Model Farm. Other local farms have been used due to specific interests or focused business models. These include 2 tours of an organic asparagus farm, 2 tours to a specialty maple producer operation, 2 tours to a diversified produce/meat/egg operation, 1 tour to an apiary and 1 work party where the target audience assisted the apiary owner build 40 bee frames and 22 bee boxes. In addition, in collaboration with a Beef Quality Assurance a workshop and chute side training was held at a local farmer veteran's Angus beef farm. This totals 9 of the 10 experiences. Several opportunities were planned to make the total offerings greater than the goal of 10 but were cancelled due to lack of attendance. Of the 15-20 program participants who will: Start or expand a farm or agricultural business; Gain employment in an agricultural/food supply job; or pursue higher/further education in an agriculture related field only 1 program participant went on to start his own produce enterprise during this first program year.

Publications