Farm Ops

Veterans in Agriculture

Project Lead: Nina Saeli
Veterans Assistant: Tess Noble Strohm

There are approximately 19 million U.S military veterans, representing less than 10% of the total U.S. adult population. New York State is home to over 800,000 of that military veteran population. Not commonly known and understood, military service members have unique skill sets, which easily transfer to several agricultural or horticulture vocations.

Farm Ops provides the means for veterans, active duty service members, reservists, and members of the national guard to explore agricultural and horticulture avenues. These individuals may be seeking prospects to be their own boss, paths to connect with the soil or with nature, ventures to continue to serve the community in which they work and live, or just opportunities to connect with other veterans. Whatever their interests, Farm Ops aims to serve and support the men and women of NYS, who dedicated their lives in service and support of our nation.

Mission & Vision

To support military service members and veterans who desire to explore and/or pursue agricultural vocations.

  • Provide a framework within which veterans can connect with their community, other military veterans involved in agriculture, and resources including targeted programs, information networks, and organizations oriented towards helping veterans transition to agricultural vocations.
  • Grow the relationships between Farm Ops and the NYS military/veteran communities.
  • Assist in synchronizing the efforts of veteran service/support organizations and farmer-oriented service organizations to gain efficiencies and better align services to farmer veteran needs.

Farm Ops Resources

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Events

Events

Today

  • Air Pruned Raised Beds for Tree Seedling Production

    Dilmun Hill Farm 705 Dryden Rd, Ithaca, United States

    Join the Cornell Small Farms Program for a hands-on workshop introducing Air Pruned Raised Beds (APRBs) from construction to implementation. This session will cover APRB design, build, materials, growing media, […]

Farm Ops News and Updates

  • CCE Helps Farmer Veterans Grow Their Dream

    by

    Rich Mattingly

    |

    Peter and John Lehning grew up farming as young boys, but it wasn’t until after retiring from the military that they decided to return to their agricultural roots. With guidance from Nancy Glazier, a Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Specialist and member of the NWNY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Team, the brothers embarked on a…

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  • Elly’s Acres Farmer Veteran Tour

    by

    Rich Mattingly

    |

    After serving 27 years in the United States Military, John Lamondes made a deliberate choice to pursue farming, a lifelong dream sparked by his childhood experiences working on a farm. Today, he owns and operates Elly’s Acres, a sheep and maple farm specializing in pasture-raised, grass-fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free lamb, as well as fine wool.…

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  • 2017 NY Veterans in Agriculture Conference

    by

    Dean Koyanagi

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    SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Farmer veterans from across New York gathered in Syracuse on Nov. 29 for the 2017 New York State Veterans in Agriculture Conference, an event focused on networking, technical training, and celebrating veterans in the agricultural sector. Hosted by the Cornell Small Farms Program and the New York Farmer Veteran Coalition, Inc., the…

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  • Farm Ops Veterans are Armed to Farm

    by

    Kat McCarthy

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    Walking into classroom 167 at SUNY Adirondack on July 31, 2017, it would not have been immediately apparent that two unifying features connected the individuals gathered there. Twenty-five veterans from across New York filled the room, each with a stack of books in front of them and a cup of coffee in hand. At first…

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  • Veteran Trainings in Agroforestry in 2017

    by

    Dean Koyanagi

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    The Cornell Small Farms Program, with support from New York State and the USDA, announced three trainings in agroforestry in the winter and spring of 2017 to support veterans looking to get into agricultural production. Agroforestry includes farming practices that combine trees and forests with crop production. The three trainings focused on three of the…

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See the full archive from Farm Ops

nina-saeli-sfp-staff-headshot

About Nina Saeli

Nina joined the Small Farms Program in 2020 after five years of collaboration with the program as a beginning farmer.  She works to support both current and future farmer-veteran programming efforts. Nina’s transitioning from almost 20 years of military service into the civilian community helps to inform the program on how of some of the physical, social, and psychological challenges veterans face. Nina’s work aims to help transitioning veterans find solace in aspect of agriculture that supports that veterans health, self sustainability, community inclusion or other life goals.

Tess-Noble-Strohm-sfp-headshot

About Tess Noble Strohm

Tess joined the Small Farms Program in 2025 as a veterans project assistant with Farm Ops. Her love of the outdoors began by hunting for insects in her Brooklyn backyard as a child. After studying environmental science at Bard College, she worked on a small farm in the Hudson Valley, and then went on to study soil science at Colorado State University. Tess moved to Ithaca, NY, to work as a Research Support Specialist at the Cornell Soil Health Lab before joining the Farm Ops team where she helps veterans thrive in agriculture and ensures they have the tools and resources they need to succeed.

Subscribe for Updates and Opportunities

The Farm Ops SITREP is a monthly email digest built for farmer veterans. Emails will share upcoming events and training/educational opportunities, external news, curated agricultural articles, stories about fellow farmer veterans across New York State, and more.

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