As veterans they stood for you, now as consumers you have a chance to stand by them – through agriculture. Coming soon to farmers markets and grocery stores across Oklahoma is a new label that will inform consumers that they are purchasing their food straight from veterans. Homegrown by Heroes (HBH) is the official farmer veteran branding program of America through the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC).
The FVC’s mission is “To mobilize veterans to feed America.” The coalition believes how important therapeutic agriculture careers are to veterans and how the agriculture producer population is aging and needs replacing, the combination of the two is the perfect fit.
One farmer veteran who was quoted on farmvetco.org said, “This program gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment while producing a quality product. It allows us to have a sense of peace again. This is what I needed to heal.”
This program is coming to Oklahoma through a partnership of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) and the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. According to farmvetco.org, “The HBH logo serves to inform consumers that products donning the logo were produced by military veterans. The program is available to farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and value-added producers of all branches and eras of military service.”
At its core, Homegrown by Heroes is a labeling program for veterans producing agricultural products. It is a young program, started in Kentucky, then incorporated with the Farmer Veteran Coalition. Meriruth Cohenour, the Agritourism Coordinator at ODAFF said, “This is a mission to find those who are interested, who we can reach out to that we haven’t already, and who are willing to support this.”
To sign up for this program please go to the national website, www.farmvetco.org/homegrown-by-heroes/. Or to learn more about Homegrown by Heroes and the Farmer Veteran Coalition go to the website or contact Meriruth at (405) 488-7532 or meriruth.cohenour@ag.ok.gov.
