With the number of U.S. farms declining and the average age of American farmers now at 58 years, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking ways to attract a new generation to the land, reports The Washington Post.
Returning Veterans to Agriculture Project (RV2A) is a website resource for those who have served in the military to find opportunities and information needed to return to family farms or to start careers in agriculture.
“We have a large number of young people who are coming back from service and no one is encouraging them to go back to work on the family farm. So I started developing a transition guide and then built the website,” said Al Muñoz, project manager in USDA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer.
The website, www.RV2A.org, includes information on USDA grant and loan programs, real-time agricultural job announcements from USAJOBS.gov and from the private sector and plug-ins from LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. There also is information on starting small farms, on educational and training opportunities and details from the 2014 Farm Bill that created special incentives for veterans seeking to work in agriculture.