Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Florida has the nation's third largest veteran population at nearly 1.6 million veterans. Many live in rural counties with strong agriculture based economies and employment opportunities. Agriculture is one of Florida's largest economic sectors generating nearly $270 billion in economic impact and supporting nearly 2 million jobs. Agricultural employment makes up a significant percentage in the rural areas served by the Veterans Florida Agriculture Program. In these counties, a total of 1,094,975 agricultural jobs exist, and there is a continuing high demand for a trained workforce to meet the industry needs. Many of Florida's rural veterans lack the training and experience necessary to find sustainable employment in the agriculture industry. The goal of the Veterans Florida Agriculture Program is to help veterans transition into sustainable careers. The Program is an immersive learning experience that provides them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be competitive for today's agriculture careers.The Program feeds the agriculture talent pipeline with a highly skilled veteran workforce and is a catalyst for future community leaders. The benefits of the program include intrinsic and therapeutic value to the veterans.Veterans Florida reaches veterans around the world with the goal of veterans making Florida their permanent home. Veterans Florida will connect veterans interested in agriculture careers with the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Research and Education Centers (REC) for paid internships under the Agriculture Program. Interns are provided support by Veterans Florida including resume assistance and career matching opportunities once they have completed their agriculture internship. Additionally, interns who wish to start an agribusiness can participate in the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program which provides mentorship, networking, and training, to assist veterans in starting their own business. The Veterans Florida Agriculture Partnership Panel, consisting of Veterans Florida leadership, participating UF/IFAS REC Staff, and Florida Agribusiness Owners and Leaders, assesses and makes recommendations about program operations and growth. The panel also connects agribusinesses to the program for follow-on internships, employment, and assistance with evaluating the program's success. The Program results are disseminated through the Veterans Florida website, www.veteransflorida.org/. In addition, the program is marketed through the Florida Department of Food and Agriculture Services (FDACS) website, www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Veterans/Veterans-Agriculture, and through presentations at local government and non-government organizations.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
40%
Developmental
10%
Knowledge Area
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants;
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife;
204 - Plant Product Quality and Utility (Preharvest);
206 - Basic Plant Biology;
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;
712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins;
121 - Management of Range Resources;
213 - Weeds Affecting Plants;
Subject Of Investigation
1419 - Leguminous vegetables, general/other;
1460 - Tomato;
3716 - Ornamental finfish;
3310 - Beef cattle, live animal;
1122 - Strawberry;
0199 - Soil and land, general;
1219 - Edible tree nuts, general/other;
2499 - Plant research, general;
Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);
1101 - Virology;
1160 - Pathology;
3020 - Education;
1081 - Breeding;
1100 - Bacteriology;
1080 - Genetics;
1170 - Epidemiology;
Goals / Objectives
The Veterans Florida Agriculture Program's goal is to help veterans transition into a viable and rewarding career in agriculture. Agriculture jobs require a vast depth of skills that few veterans possess in their entirety. The internship model allows veterans to earn a stipend while learning agricultural skills that will lead to a career in the industry. The structured program of instruction ensures that each participant gains valuable experience in a wide variety of agricultural knowledge and skills. The knowledge and skills obtained will be used to gain practical hands-on work experience through the three-month optional internship at a local agribusiness and then ultimately as a permanent employee at that agribusiness or in another agriculture job.Objectives:Train a total of 30 veterans (10 per year) in basic agriculture skills through Veterans Florida Agriculture Program internships.Show a demonstrated increase of basic agricultural knowledge and skills of 100% of participants.Place 30 veterans in permanent agriculture related jobs.
Project Methods
The Program is unique because it leverages existing research farms, equipment, and staff to train veterans on a broad range of agriculture topics and lessons. By leveraging these existing highly experienced farms and ranches, the program requires no salary for instructors and no purchases of land or equipment. These research farms exist throughout the country, making this project easily reproducible by other states and regions.The Program will use the VETS database to monitor and report on every aspect of all veteran interns' applications, acceptance, progress, and outcomes through the life of the program. Program Evaluation will be completed by a third party vendor.Objective 1: Train a total of 30 veterans (10 per year) in basic agriculture skills through an internship training program that provides structured instruction at University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (UF/IFAS) Research and Education Centers (RECs) and practical hands-on work experience at local agribusinesses.EffortsMarketing and Recruitment: For purposes of cost and targeting capabilities, social media will be the primary advertisingplatform. Veterans Florida will also place print ads in local and agriculture-focused publications, specifically those with higher readership in rural areas. Additionally, Veterans Florida will coordinate with policymakers, industry partners, and other well-known stakeholders to promote the program.Program Acceptance and Enrollment: Veterans will apply for Program using the Veterans Florida website to submit proof of veteran status (honorable discharge), resume, and an essay describing their interest in agriculture, what they would like to achieve from Program internship, and any prior experience in agriculture. The Program Manager and respective UF/IFAS REC Director review applications and accept participants. Veterans are placed according to their interests and long-term goals; i.e. range cattle/rancher, horticulture, growing strawberries, etc.Stipend: Veteran interns will receive an educational stipend for the duration of the program at the REC (first six months.) Providing a stipend through grant funds improves program sustainability by removing the budget dependency on individual RECs and increases the RECs' intern capacity.REC Training: Six (6) to thirteen (13) RECs will participate in all three years of the program and each REC focuses on different Program Areas depending on the regional needs. Veteran interns will work full time, 40 hours per week, at the assigned REC location while receiving one-on-one instruction and mentorship from REC leadership and staff. The program of instruction is tailored to each REC's focus and designed to give participants a basic understanding of the fundamental knowledge, skills and abilities needed to be a productive employee in that area of agriculture. Each REC has a structured rotation plan to expose veterans to different production methods and challenges such as trial planning, field/site preparations, preparing plant materials, trial maintenance, data collection, harvesting, and various cropping activities depending on season, crop, and individual research program needs.Professional Development: Interns participate in industry events such as the annual Farmer Veteran Coalition conference and Military Agriculture Tours for exposure to career options beyond the field that focus on technology and management systems for the production of food, medicine, consumer products, and energy. During these events, interns are able to network and collaborate with their peers. Interns are introduced to local, county, state and federal (USDA, Farm Service Agency, IFAS Extension Offices, County Ag Offices) agriculture resources throughout their internship through field visits, informational packets, and local governmental meetings.These interactions also provide opportunities for interns to demonstrate skills learned and educate officials on research conducted during their period of instruction.EvaluationPerformance Measure: 50 Program applications submitted per fiscal year (150 total)Performance Measure: A total of 30 veterans placed in Program internships.Objective 2: Show a demonstrated increase of basic agricultural knowledge and skills of 100% of participants.EffortsInitial Skills Review: Participants' pre-internship knowledge and skills are ascertained both in the Program application and during the initial interview conducted by the Program Manager.Routine Skills Reviews: Increase in knowledge and skills over the duration of the internship are discussed and tracked by the Program Manager. Measure gains in knowledge and skills through surveys conducted by the VETS team. Surveys consist of five (5) to ten (10) questions using the Likert scale.Certifications: Interns are provided opportunities to use their Department of Veterans Affairs' education benefits to enroll in various courses and agriculture certificate programs offered through the University of Florida and earn Florida Department of Agriculture certifications.EvaluationPerformance Measure: Monthly performance reviews of all interns to gauge their increasing level of knowledge of agricultural skills necessary for employment.Performance Measure: Number of professional certifications earned.Objective 3: Place 30 veterans in permanent agriculture related jobs.EffortsJob placement: Veterans will receive job offers while performing the internship. The Program Manager and VETS team will work with each participant to place them into full-time agriculture related careers. The participants also may choose to continue their education or start their own agribusiness,farm, or ranch.Additional Training: Veterans Florida will provide entrepreneurship training and mentoring at no cost to USDA-NIFA through its existing and highly successful Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program (VFEP). VFEP equips veterans with the tools they need to successfully launch and operate a business. Whether our veterans are exploring an idea or growing an existing venture, we offer training and connect them with resources, mentors, and networking opportunities.?Anticipated Outcome: Veterans Florida projects that 75 percent of all veterans who complete their internships at the RECs and private agribusinesses will enter full-time employment in the agriculture industry within 90 days. Veterans Florida will continue to work with the remaining 25 percent of Program graduates to help them find permanent employment. Each participant will be tracked for one year to determine if they are still employed in the industry. Those veterans who do not maintain full-time employment with their agribusiness internship provider will be assigned to a VETS team member employed by Veterans Florida. This team member will serve as a case manager for the veteran, actively working with the candidate to refine his or her resume, determine their work location and salary preference, and begin matching their skills with vacant agricultural industry positions.EvaluationPerformance Measure: Ten (10) veterans are offered an agribusiness opportunity per fiscal year.Performance Measure: Eight (8) veterans are offered an agribusiness opportunity within 90 days of program completion per fiscal year.