Hoosier Uplands Economic Dev Corp

The Proposed Agvets Project Addresses the Need for a New Generation of Farmers and Ranchers by Providing Returning Veterans Educational Opportunities That Will Equip Them With Knowledge and Skills Necessary for Successful Agricultural-related Careers. Participating Veterans Will Complete an Evidence-based Orientation Curriculum to Enhance Job Readiness, Followed by Supervised Internships at Collaborating Farms and Agribusinesses. Collaborators Will Provide Comprehensive, Hands-on Training Aligned With the PARTICIPANT'S Personal Interests and Goals. the Project Will Be Managed by Hoosier Uplands, Inc. Located in Rural Mitchell, in. This Organization Has Been One of the STATE'S Leading Community Action Agencies for Over Five Decades, Providing Social Services Including Housing and Financial Counseling, Child and Adult Food Programs, Job Placement, and Psychiatric Counseling Services to an Economically Distressed Region. Hoosier Uplands Will Partner With the Nationally-recognized Agrability Program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, in to Develop and Deliver Educational and Training Services, Provide Worksite Accommodations Due to Disabilities, and Assist With Mentoring and Job Coaching for Interns. Purdue Will Offer 11 Regional Agricultural Research Farms as Internship Sites, Providing an Array of Agricultural Enterprises Including Beef, Dairy, Sheep, Poultry, Swine, Row Crop, Vegetable, Fruit, and Timber Production. Participants Will Be Recruited Primarily From Over 400 Veterans Associated With INDIANA'S Farmer Veteran Coalition, Along With Veteran Clientele of the Agrability Project Network in Surrounding States. the Fundamental Measure of Success of the Project Will Be the Number of Veterans Recruited for the Program Who Become Gainfully Employed in the Food and Agriculture Sector.