Combat Boots To Cowboy Boots
More than 60 percent of farmers are over the age of 55 but if you’re young and have a strong work ethic there’s never been a better time to enter the ranching or farming industry. Welcome to Open Range I’m Susan Allen and I’ll be back after the break to explain. Recently Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was quoted as saying he hopes that “ 100,000 new farmers and ranchers will join the ranks in the next few years”. Yes the number seems daunting but due to new innovations and segmentation like organics and precision ag coupled with governmental programs that provide USDA support, even start up loans, his goal might actually be obtainable. One program I wish our Northwest land great universities would investigate, that was developed by Nebraska College Of Technical Agriculture is called Combat Boots to Cowboy Boots . It appears to be a win win for the young soldiers now returning to civilian life and for rural communities that have lost youth to city life. Given the statistic that rural communities are home to 45 percent of armed service members and that the discipline learned during combat and training is whats needed to be a good farmer, Combat Boots to Cowboy boots makes sense. It’s basically part job-training and part career-placement for military veterans interested in becoming farm or ranch owners.The program, open to all military, veterans and family members, is one example of a new type of nonprofit where college programs work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to attempt to ease the transition into the agricultural industry for young veterans and youth.
