You have probably heard it said that food security is national security.
Veterans in agriculture know this well, and it is the idea behind Project Victory Gardens, an organization helping bring former service members to the farm.
According to Matthew Rutter, Farmer Veteran Coalition of South Carolina President, “The military allows veterans in their last like four or five months of service to go intern somewhere, and so we wrote the curriculum and designed this internship program, and it’s based off a consortium and we can bring any veteran that’s getting out of the military that gets approval by their chain of command into South Carolina and put them on anything that smells like agriculture. But any farm in South Carolina, any farm business, Farm Bureau, Farm Credit, anything that is associated with agriculture or ag adjacent— we can place them.”
Matthew’s wife Kara says that the unique program connects these veterans to a variety of industries, including agritourism.
“We’re running the first cohort of our agritourism incubator program currently. So, they’ll come up to our farm in June, and that’s been a really great program, and with that, we’ve launched Farms of the Brave, which is a marketing and branding program for veteran-led agritourism farms. And, we’re registering farms in North and South Carolina now, and in 2026 we plan to take that national,” Kara Rutter adds.
She says a great introduction to farming is their Farmer Boot Camp. They run that program five or six times a year.
More Info
Reed Marcum started hosting a toy drive in 2015. Since then, he has distributed thousands of toys across his home state of Oklahoma and in Texas and Arkansas. Now serving in the Army, Reed’s family and local 4-H chapter are running the event.
December 05, 2025 04:20 PM
·
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is helping connect veterans with resources to pursue careers in farming and agriculture.
November 14, 2025 03:45 PM
·
Once a year, Army crew chiefs and Black Hawk mechanics undergo live aerial gunnery training—loading, firing, and practicing the teamwork they’ll need in real missions.
November 11, 2025 03:57 PM
·
Kubota President Alex Woods discusses the “Geared to Give” program, the company’s commitment to those who served, and how the initiative continues to grow and impact veterans.
November 11, 2025 01:52 PM
·
Today, we honor the courage, dedication, and service of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces by taking a closer look at their commitment and teamwork in action.
November 11, 2025 01:40 PM
·
One Iowa man’s story is a powerful reminder of service, sacrifice, and home.
November 11, 2025 12:01 PM
·
Today is Veterans Day, a day to honor all of the brave men and women who have served this great nation in times of war and in peace, those who are still with us, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
November 10, 2025 03:32 PM
·
November 04, 2025 02:44 PM
Pork producers are making Veterans Day a little brighter for Iowa’s military families.
October 29, 2025 01:29 PM
·
