Progress 09/01/21 to 01/24/25

Outputs
Target Audience:By the numbers for 2024...115 Veterans applied for the program. -43% of Veterans who applied were female. -53% Identified as non-white or multi-racial. -83% Reported trauma or disabilities. -41% Heard about Veterans to Farmers through another Veterans groups. These numbers are very similar to 2023: 143 Veterans applied 42% were female 60% identified as non-white 90% reported trauma or disabilities. Market Farming Class Dates:May 13th - Oct 8th Monday & Tuesday, 7:30-3:30 9 participants per session Greenhouse Class # 1 April 1st - June 4th & June 17th - August 26th Monday & Tuesday, 8am - 4pm 4 participants per session, 8 total Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Over the course of three years, the staff leading theVeterans Farm programattended countless workshops and conferences on farming, rural development and engagement, soil health and Veteran-led trainings in the Denver-Metro area that focused on farming, mental well-being, and food system-related activities. TheExecutive Director of Veterans to Farmers was thekey-note speaker at Colorado State University's foremost event - The Colorado Food Summit at theCSU SPUR campus. All Denver Botanic Gardens and Veterans to Farmers Staff attended, as well as veteran participants. Among other trainings - all participants and facilitators of DBG/VTF attended annually - "Your mind is your weapon", an all-day training on Veteran's Core Issues, culture and military awareness and cultural competency led by an independent contractor, Tiffany Morgan, who runs the veteran's awareness organization and is a Naval veteran. Unfortunately, there was not sufficient funding to attend teh Veterans Farmer Coalition conferences every year out of theDBG/VTF budget, in hindsight that would have been a great grant-funded activity due to thecost of airfare and other factors. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?How can they process it all in a way that is coherent? The veterans utilize an app called "group me" to stay connected with resources, community and events. How do they move forward with this knowledge? Many veterans attend theWINTER BUSINESS PLANNING course to finalize a business plan to begin work on a farm/farm-related ag. business model. Up to three winners from this business course will receive a scholarship from American Ag. Credit of up to $10,000 to help kick-start their farm business. We had several successful winners complete the challenge and receive these fundsin 2022, 2023 and 2024. How do they continue to experiment and grow? With the community events scheduled and "closeness" of the community post-program, the Veterans will stay in touch and continue to explore farming. One post-program project is taking place at a residential facility for veterans with addiction issues in central Denver called Valor Point. It is being led by a graduate of our program, John Bauman, who has been a star graduate by starting several farm businesses and programs on his own after completing Market Farming Course at Chatfield Farms.What is the first step once they leave the program? We council the Veterans that once they complete the program, the first step is to identify ways that they can stay connected to other veterans, who are doing similar projects and have similar interests/mind sets. Isolation is one of the first killers of mobility in farming because we all need each other to be successful in starting a business or farm. That is our first recommendation.They also talked about personalpersonal growth. They werelearning how to translate their budding passion to their families and communities and begin healing. Theywere slowly starting to rebuild theirconfidence and hoped to continue to nourish it. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal #1: Train veteran farmers in innovative agricultural technology, equipment, and methods. 1.Objective1: 10veteran farmers will complete the Market Farming course each year with at least 315 hours of hands-on farming and instruction time each, totaling 30 trained farmers by October 2024. 2022 8 vets graduated 2023 11vets graduated 2024 10 vets graduated 2.Objective2: 10veteran farmers will complete the Controlled Environment Agriculture Course per year, with at least 300 hours of hands-on farming and instruction time, by October 2024 2022 7 vets graduated 2023 8 vets graduated 2024 9vets graduated 3.Objective 3: 80 veterans and family members will complete at least 4 hours of Urban farming training We did not meet this objective, instead we applied to change teh budget, allocating more money to our program staff and to mental wellness support for participants, and stopped doing this part fo teh program. Attendance was very low the first grant year, and did not meet our goals or expectations. THis was documented in other REEport progressreports from the past. 4.Objective 4: 25% of Market Farming Course Participants will pursue post-graduation agricultural-related education, incubation, or employment. 2022 67% of participants plan to continue in ag-related education, employment or programming 2023 76% of participants plan to continue in ag-related education, employment or programming 2024 83% of participants plan to continue in ag-related education, employment or programming 5.Objective 5: 80% of program participants will demonstrate increased skill and knowledge in farming, evidenced by pre and post skills tests. 2022 80% of participants reported an increase in skill and knowledge 2023 100% of participants reported an increase in skill and knowledge 2024 100% of participants reported an increase in skill and knowledge Goal #2: Provide mental health training and support to Veteran farmers mind-body-spirit approaches, self-care, and coping mechanisms. 1.Objective 1: 80% of program participants will demonstrate an improvement in mental health and self-care coping mechanisms, evidenced by self-evaluation forms and qualitative data from farmers including one on one interviews from mental health/horticulture therapy professionals and small focus groups who identify with specific issues like PTSD or TBI for example. 2022 100% of those who responded to the survey question reported improvement in overall wellbeing 2023 77% of those who responded to the survey question reported improvement in overall wellbeing 2024 100% of those who responded to the survey question reported improvement in overall wellbeing To what extent - if at all - did participating in Veterans to Farmers impact your overall wellbeing in life? 2024 100% ranked this statement as a 5: improved my wellbeing tremendously To what extent - if at all - did participating in Veterans to Farmers impact your sense of community? 2024 100% ranked this statement as a 5: improved mysense of communitytremendously 2022 "I think [the mindfulness] was a critical piece of the program. It allowed for a more real, deeper connection between us all." "I find myself using the [self care and mindfulness] techniques we learned in all aspects of my life, the lessons learned have been really useful to my wellbeing." "Some of my buddies would notbe alive today if they had this program." 2023 "VTF has brought me mental and emotional healing." "I have more patience, take time to enjoy the moment and feel overall less anxious on a daily basis." 2024 "A full reset on life." "It has improved my mental health by getting out of my house and being around like-minded people." "In everything I've done in life, nothing will remain in my mind as much as this class. I will reference and remember and relish every day." "This program will fill empty gaps you don't know that you have and create a community that will inspire you." "I'm no longer a narcissist. I'm not focusing just on my family but on my family in the midst of our community." 2.Objective 2: Veteran Farmer Program participants will attend at least 5 mental health and self-care activities, classes or experiences each season, for a minimum of 20 hours of program time throughout the season. Activities range from nutrition, to self-care to cooking to mental health topics. 2022 67% reported increased skills in self care and mindfulness 2023 36% reported increased skills in self care; 46% reported increased skills in mindfulness 2024 Pre-survey, 33% reported "knowing a good amount" or "being proficient" at self-care and mindfulness, 67% indicated they fell into those categories in the post-survey 2022 "The community of Veterans and spending time in gardens was helpful for my mental health." "[The most impactful] has been the community I formed with all the folks involved with the program and the focus on wellbeing." 2023 "This has been a tremendous opportunity to... reconnect with fellow Veterans, which I have not done for several years. It was nice to rekindle the camaraderie I once shared with others in a meaningful way through shared experiences from the past." "This was an amazing program that taught me so much. Not just about farming, they created a community for us to come to.." 2024 " Sometimes, a positive change in your mental health can come from something as simple as putting your hands in the dirt or going for a walk outside." " Community is essential." " It changed my negative opinions of veterans."

Publications

Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:? Applicants came from thethe green areas of the US map depicted above. Applicants: 115 • 43% woman ; 55% man ; 3% Prefer not to say • 53% non-white -36% black/African-American, 16% Hispanic / Latino, 8% Native American, 4% Asian American, 1% Middle Eastern / North African, 0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander • 67% army, 14% air force, 5% navy, 10% Marines, 0% coast guard 82% reported traumatic injuries or dissabilites • 52% post-traumatic stress disorder, 57% tinnitus, 24% sleep disorders, 24% migraines, 10% hearing loss; 14% traumatic brain injury; 10% none Changes/Problems:The issue that occured during this program is that Veterans to Farmers, our partenring non-profit organization applied for an additional BFRDP grant and was not awarded. This severly impacted thelongevity and continuity of the organization. Denver BotanicGardens can't continue to solely fund thefuture of the program so there is a funding gap going forward due to this grant ending, and no larger grant lined up to continue salaries. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Data will be reported at theend of thegrant period in Janurary. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?FInal 3 year report has many eye-catching graphics that we will share at our annual conference for American Public Gardens. Other dissemintation will include efforts made by Veterans to Farmers within theVeteran community ofColorado and nation-wide. We also hope the USDA NIFA AgVets program will share our reports widely. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal #1: Train veteran farmers in innovative agricultural technology, equipment, and methods. 1.Objective1: 10veteran farmers will complete the Market Farming course each year with at least 315 hours of hands-on farming and instruction time each, totaling 30 trained farmers by October 2024 2022 8 vets graduated 2023 11vets graduated 2024 ??vets graduated 2.Objective2: 10veteran farmers will complete the Controlled Environment Agriculture Course per year, with at least 300 hours of hands-on farming and instruction time, by October 2024 2022 7 vets graduated 2023 8 vets graduated 2024 9vets graduated 3.Objective 3: 80 veterans and family members will complete at least 4 hours of Urban farming training Unsure. There is no mention in the 2022 report. It is listed as no data available for 2023. I was unaware of this in 2024. 4.Objective 4: 25% of Market Farming Course Participants will pursue post-graduation agricultural-related education, incubation, or employment. 2022 67% of participants plan to continue in ag-related education, employment or programming 2023 76% of participants plan to continue in ag-related education, employment or programming 2024 83% of participants plan to continue in ag-related education, employment or programming 5.Objective 5: 80% of program participants will demonstrate increased skill and knowledge in farming, evidenced by pre and post skills tests 2022 80% of participants reported an increase in skill and knowledge 2023 100% of participants reported an increase in skill and knowledge 2024 100% of participants reported an increase in skill and knowledge Goal #2: Provide mental health training and support to Veteran farmers mind-body-spirit approaches, self-care, and coping mechanisms. 1.Objective 1: 80% of program participants will demonstrate an improvement in mental health and self-care coping mechanisms, evidenced by self-evaluation forms and qualitative data from farmers including one on one interviews from mental health/horticulture therapy professionals and small focus groups who identify with specific issues like PTSD or TBI for example. 2022 100% of those who responded to the survey question reported improvement in overall wellbeing 2023 77% of those who responded to the survey question reported improvement in overall wellbeing 2024 100% of those who responded to the survey question reported improvement in overall wellbeing To what extent - if at all - did participating in Veterans to Farmers impact your overall wellbeing in life? 2024 100% ranked this statement as a 5: improved my wellbeing tremendously To what extent - if at all - did participating in Veterans to Farmers impact your sense of community? 2024 100% ranked this statement as a 5: improved mysense of communitytremendously 2022 "I think [the mindfulness] was a critical piece of the program. It allowed for a more real, deeper connection between us all." "I find myself using the [self care and mindfulness] techniques we learned in all aspects of my life, the lessons learned have been really useful to my wellbeing." "Some of my buddies would be alive today if they had this program." 2023 "VTF has brought me mental and emotional healing." "I have more patience, take time to enjoy the moment and feel overall less anxious on a daily basis." 2024 "A full reset on life." "It has improved my mental health by getting out of my house and being around like-minded people." "In everything I've done in life, nothing will remain in my mind as much as this class. I will reference and remember and relish every day." "This program will fill empty gaps you don't know that you have and create a community that will inspire you." "I'm no longer a narcissist. I'm not focusing just on my family but on my family in the midst of our community." 2.Objective 2: Veteran Farmer Program participants will attend at least 5 mental health and self-care activities, classes or experiences each season, for a minimum of 20 hours of program time throughout the season. Activities range from nutrition, to self-care to cooking to mental health topics. 2022 67% reported increased skills in self care and mindfulness 2023 36% reported increased skills in self care; 46% reported increased skills in mindfulness 2024 Pre-survey, 33% reported "knowing a good amount" or "being proficient" at self-care and mindfulness, 67% indicated they fell into those categories in the post-survey 2022 "The community of Veterans and spending time in gardens was helpful for my mental health." "[The most impactful] has been the community I formed with all the folks involved with the program and the focus on wellbeing." 2023 "This has been a tremendous opportunity to... reconnect with fellow Veterans, which I have not done for several years. It was nice to rekindle the camaraderie I once shared with others in a meaningful way through shared experiences from the past." "This was an amazing program that taught me so much. Not just about farming, they created a community for us to come to.." 2024 " Sometimes, a positive change in your mental health can come from something as simple as putting your hands in the dirt or going for a walk outside." " Community is essential." " It changed my negative opinions of veterans."

Publications

Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience is any veteranwho served in any capacity, era, and geographic region for all branches of the U.S. Military. We are an equal access, non-discriminatory organization that seeks to have a diverse program serving all areas of active and non-active military members. Applicants Sep '22 - August '23 42% woman ; 55% man ; 3% Prefer not to say 48% white, 36% black/African-American, 16% Hispanic / Latino, 8% Native American, 4% Asian American, 1% Middle Eastern / North African, 0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 67% army, 14% air force, 5% navy, 10% Marines, 0% coast guard 52% post-traumatic stress disorder, 57% tinnitus, 24% sleep disorders, 24% migraines, 10% hearing loss; 14% traumatic brain injury; 10% none Participant data for Year 2 (2023) of the AgVets Program/Grant Cycle 33% woman; 62% man 80% White, 27% black, 33% Hispanic/Latinx, 0% Asian, 13% Native American, 13% prefer not to answer 59% Army, 15% navy, 15% Air Force, 10% Marines, 1% coast guard 55% Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, 43% tinnitus, 29% sleep disorder, 20% Migraines, 26% hearing loss, 15% Traumatic Brain Injury; 10% none Changes/Problems:During this past reporting period, we wrote a letter to NIFA leadership, expressing a need to restructure our 3-year grant funding to reallocate funds that weren't being used due to fewer participants that were receiving the stipend. We then allocated the money to increase the stipend rate to $15 an hour, and to cover more professional salary than in previous years. A new budget was submitted and approved that covers the allocations for this year and next year (the final year 3). What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In 2023 we raised our hourly stipend from $12/hour to $15/hour, bringing us more in line with what is considered a living wage in our area. In 2023 we had 15 students attend our Business Planning Course either online or in-person to learn about business planning and different types of business plans depending oneach individualsneed, SWOT analysis, developing their markets and revenue streams, record keeping and budgets, forming a business entity, insurance and food safety, and different opportunities for funding. As they learn about all the aspects of planning a business, they have the chance to connect directly with experts in each of these individual areas, helping them to build relationships and find mentors that can help each Veteran reach their goals. At the end of the course, we had 8 veterans who went on to pitch their business plans to a panel of ag/business experts who asked questions and gave advice to the veterans on their business plans. From this, we were able to give three $10,000 grants to the students with the strongest business plans, thanks to our partner American AgCredit. In addition to our participants receiving this scholarship, our staff has joined in numerous professional development opportunities for farm/agricultural education such as soil health workshops, land management conferences, flower farming workshops, compost production training/conferences, and workshops. These opportunities paid for by Denver Botanic Gardens have allowed a higher level of teaching expertise to be passed onto our veteran participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Veterans to Farmers and Denver Botanic Gardens have presented to the Board of Trustees for Denver Botanic Gardens, several community organizations, and several local veteran's organizations, and had some local media coverage on the program. We have also disseminated our program curriculum and methods to the following collaborators: During this year we have worked to build awareness for Veterans to Farmers by partnering with multiple veteran-focused and local non-profits and expanding our impact through collaboration: · Warrior Now - suicide prevention presentation · Colorado Springs Veterans Center - Building awareness · Small Business Administration, Boots2Business - presented for a group of 120 veterans to teach and build awareness for our program as part of the SBA's first Ag focused veteran training. · Veterans Community Living Center at Fitzsimmons - Conducted a 4-hour on-site training for residents at the Community Center. Also assisted with troubleshooting and repair of their community gardens irrigation system allowing them to continue growing this season. · Guidestone Colorado and Landlink - Veterans to Farmers leadership was able to attend Guidestone's annual conference, connecting with farmers and veterans from all over the Rocky Mountain region. Through this event, we have built a long-term partnership with Guidestone with plans for VTF to present at their conference in 2024. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next period, which will finalize our three-year project, we plan to culminate our evaluation plan findings and develop a comprehensive report on our goals and objectives for the program. We will report on the following metrics: - Agricultural aptitude and skill of graduates. - Improvements in physical and mental well-being, including community building, self-care, and an increased awareness of empathy for others. - An increase in demographic diversity including women and BIPOC farmers, if an increase is needed however we statistically are over the national average for women and BIPOC in the military. - Finalize a new website resource for veterans and interested communities to access in order to disseminate our methods and curriculum to interested communities. - Present data on where graduates end up - in terms of career advances or next steps for a farming career after completion of the program.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal #1 Objective 1:For the Market Farming course at Chatfield Farms, Nine veterans completed the 2022 season, each completing an average of 290 hours. Currently, The market Farming course at Chatfield Farms 10 veterans in the Market Farming Program have accrued 2500 hours. Objective 2: In 2023 The Controlled Environment Ag. coursehad8 graduates from two cohorts accumulating a total of 1120 hours of training. Objective 3: The urban farming workshop series this season has had 46 students made up of veterans and their families with 184 training hours. As of now, we have 23 students signed up for the last two workshops of the season. Objective 4: As we continue to collect more data from our students and graduates, we plan to look deeper into where our students go with their agriculture journey. It really depends on the year, as far as what percentage of our graduates pursue agriculture after the program. Objective 5: Skill and knowledge assessments are based on pre and post-survey. Survey results will be compiled and reported on in year 3, with the final report. Goal #2 Objective 1: In 2022 - 23 over 90%of our veterans reported through surveys and focus groups an improvement in mental health and self-care during the course. We are still waiting for end-of-season surveys but expect that this trend will continue in 2023. Participants are demonstrating improved mental health and self-care through displayingempathy to others in the group, speaking openly about their individual struggles and asking for help, expressing an improved sense of purpose and meaning in their lives, seeing themselves and others as "whole persons", and practicing mindfulness techniques like breathing, stretching and meditation. In year three, our evaluation plan will beginshowing theimpactof the pre and post-surveys in a culminated way. Objective 2: Each veteran has participated in approximately 50 hours of mental health and self-care training during the following classes: Veterans and Mental Health; Interpersonal Ice-breaker activities; Developing a Community Agreement; Body Mechanics, physiology and Stretching; Nutrition Considerations for Healthy Bodies; mindfulness practices while farming; yoga, mindfulness and art with the Denver Art Museum; knife skills and fresh produce preparation; self-care practices with Colorado Springs Vet Center; goal setting with the VA's Whole Health program; and daily reflections of learning and introspection.

Publications

Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience is all veterans who served in any capacity, era and geographic region for all branches of the U.S. Military. Applicants Sep-August '22 27% women, 70% man, 1.3% Prefer not to say, 1.3% Trans Man 50.5% white, 22% black/African-American, 6.6% Hispanic / Latino, 5.5% Native American, 2.2% Asian American, 2.2% Middle Eastern / North African, 2.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 48% army, 24.7% air force, 13% navy, 11.7% Marines, 2.6% coast guard Average years served in military = 9.2 25.7% post-traumatic stress disorder, 21% tinnitus, 18.6% sleep disorders, 12% migraines, 9% hearing loss Participants - Year 1 of the AgVets Program/Grant cycle 33.3% women, 66.7% man 47% White, 15.8% black, 5.3% Hispanic/Latinx, 5.3% Asian, 5.3% Native American, 5.3% Jewish 46.7% Army, 20% navy, 20% Air Force, 6.7% Marines, 6.7% coast guard Average years served in the military = 6.73 24.2% Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, 27.3% tinnitus, 18.2% sleep disorder, 15.2% Migraines, 6.1% hearing loss,3.0% Traumatic Brain Injury Changes/Problems:We described our challenges atthe end of the last section on "accomplishments and what we will do different next season" howeverto reiterate, our challenge is with thenumber of participants we projected for certain parts of theprogram and theactual attendance/contact hours. This flucuation in attendance is due to a variety of Covid-related changes, gas prices/inlfation and uknown causes. We can still meet our goals for theprogram and follow theevaluation plan that was created for theprogram, but our stated hours of contact for each student will not be exactly thesame form thegrant proposal. We applied via writing a letter to our program coordinator at NIFA/AgVetsto disperse thefunds a little differently based on theparticipant changes and that letter/program change was accepted. Most likely we will need to do thesame process again - once we see where we end up for this season in terms of contact hours with our Market Farming veteran stipendsand any left-over funds. We would like that tobe distributed to theother program expenses not coverd by theAgVets grant - if approved. We will submit a letter once theseason for theVeteran's program ends in October. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Theinstructors and coordinator of our program was set to attend the annual Farmer Veteran's Coalition Stakeholder's Conference untilit was cancelled sadly. Other professional development opportunities for our staffwho work with veterans include: "Military Cultural Competance Training" led by pyschologist social worker and military veteranTiffany Morgan. "Public Speaking" a workshop offerred to our staff who are eductors and instructors on how to effectively communicate tothepublic in an engaging way. VeteranEducators attend all field trips to other farms to observe new and diffrenet techniques of farming andsoil/water managmentacross thestate of Colorado in both ural and urban settings. Collaborative work with "Armed to Farm" for educational tours and veterans' educaitonal best practices. Tractor safety and awareness with other small machine trainings for staff. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We are still compiling our data per our formal evaluation plan, we expect to share results of the program in y3, in thewinter quarter once we receive final evaluationsand results from thefocus group interviews. We also are working with several Botanic Gardens on building a Digital Hub for Veterans and Educators to use as an online resource and toolkit for expanding our Veterans to Farmers program methods to possibly other non-profit farms or botanic gardens that want to facilitateagriculural programming for veterans. This project will evolve as we gain more data from each year's evaluation data but we have already begun initial research and funding sources for this project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our challenge has been with the participant numbers we projected - those were based on before-Covid times where we had a fuller cohort of participants. While our Market-Farming course only was 1 participant down from our projection (10 spots avaible) (9 on-track to graduate), our Urban Farming Workshops have seenlow attendance. These are free oppoortunities and we have seen high initial interest and even registration, but then theattendance numbers of people participating have been low. We will need to research why this is and adjust next year's offerrings in this area. The other challenge was that we had to reduce thenumber of indoor participants in the CEACourse due to a spike inCovid levelsin the Denver area, as a result we did not meet theoriginalprojections for participants in that area either. We will analyze the feasability of higher numbers for theCEA course next spring and adjust if possible. Then we will also take a look at offerring the urban ag. workshops either at a different location/timeor we possibly will ask for a registration deposit redeemable after people attend theworkshop - or some variation of that toensure higher participant numbers.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal #1: Train veteran farmers in innovative agricultural technology, equipment, and methods. Participants have had an opportunity to work with local farmers and sell produce at farmers markets. This is a new addition to the program. Veteran farmers used innovative equipment such as small-scale market farming tools including a walk-behind BCS tractor, a Jang seeder, small scale harrow and various water saving irrigation equipment. Veterans also had the chance to analyze soil and soil health techniques while making a bioreactor for soil fertility applications and meet with NRCS soil scientists. Farmers also visit several local farms where innovation and efficiency are paramount and key to the curriculum. Veterans also engaged in controlled environment agriculture and work with the innovative technique of using hydroponic towers for specialty greens production in central Denver. Objective 1: 10 veteran farmers will complete the Market Farming course each year with at least 315 hours of hands-on farming and instruction time each, totaling 30 trained farmers by October 2024 We are on track to achieve this goal, with 9 participants set to graduate the course by October 2022, with an average of 139 hours of training each, so far. Objective 2: 10 veteran farmers will complete the Controlled Environment Agriculture Course per year, with at least 300 hours of hands-on farming and instruction time, by October 2024 We are on track to achieve this goal. With 7 participants set to graduate the course by the end of September 2022, with an average of 29.5 hours of training each, so far. Objective 3: 80 veterans and family members will complete at least 4 hours of Urban farming training With 51 total tickets issued, we have only had 21 students. Each with an average of 4 hours of training, so far. Objective 4: 25% of Market Farming Course Participants will pursue post-graduation agricultural-related education, incubation, or employment. As this is the first year of the grant, we do not have data to report on this objective yet. At the end of the season opportunities for post-graduation will be offered to participants and then we can report on this objective next year. Objective 5: 80% of program participants will demonstrate increased skill and knowledge in farming, evidenced by pre and post skills tests We are awaiting end-of-season survey data to be able to report on this objective; however, based on observation and focus groups with participants we believe we are on track to meet this objective. Goal #2: Provide mental health training and support to Veteran farmers mind-body-spirit approaches, self-care, and coping mechanisms. Objective 1: 80% of program participants will demonstrate an improvement in mental health and self-care coping mechanisms, evidenced by self-evaluation forms and qualitative data from farmers including one on one interviews from mental health/horticulture therapy professionals and small focus groups who identify with specific issues like PTSD or TBI for example. We are waiting for end-of-season data to report on this objective; however, based on focus groups, 1-1 conversations with participants and observation, we believe we are on track to meet this objective. Participants are demonstrating improved mental health and self care through: demonstrating empathy to others in the group, speaking openly about their individual struggles and asking for help, expressing an improved sense of purpose and meaning in their lives, seeing themselves and others as "whole persons", and practicing mindfulness techniques like breathing, stretching and meditation. At the beginning of the season, the group created a Community Agreement and reflects on its effectiveness on a monthly basis. This is a result of following Whole Health curriculum designed by the VA. The group stretches and responds to a reflection question at the beginning of each day. There has been a class on mental health norms, and resources for veterans from Tiffany Morgan (Your Weapon is Your Mind). Chad Haven has taught physiology and stretching. Addressing common physiological ailments, how to correct them, and maintaining positive physical health throughout the growing season. Chef Charity, Nourish Me, teaches knife skills, and easy-to-follow recipes for seasonal vegetables. Catharine has lead multiple yoga classes focusing on movement and flexibility, end-of-day stretches, and breathing techniques to calm and focus the mind. These sessions range from five minutes to an hour long. The group harvested lavender, learned about its medicinal properties and distilled essential oil and hydrosol from their harvest. Objective 2: Veteran Farmer Program participants will attend at least 5 mental health and self-care activities, classes or experiences each season, for a minimum of 20 hours of program time throughout the season. Activities range from nutrition to self-care to cooking to mental health topics. We have achieved this objective. Each class within the training courses includes some element of self-care activities including stretching, mindfulness meditation, breathing exercises, horticultural therapy, nutrition, and more. See above list for a detailed explanation of how we have met this goal.

Publications