They all come from different walks and stages of life and for many reasons, but one thing they all share is they want to know more about starting their own farm or ranch or improving their knowledge and resources for their existing farm or ranch. And the Battleground to Breaking Ground (BG2BG) program is just the island these military veterans and beginning agricultural producers need in a sea of “information overload.”

The Battleground to Breaking Ground (BG2BG) program is a multifaceted agricultural business training program for veterans and beginning farmers and ranchers. The original idea for the program was a twoday workshop to help veterans learn about local, state, and federal resources that relate to agriculture.

Since BG2BG started, the program has expanded to teach business plan development, launched an approved Department of Defense (DoD) SkillBridge program for transitioning activeduty military members, provided mentoring, and taught agricultural production training in in a variety of enterprises, such as beekeeping cattle, sheep and goat production through a fiveday inperson boot camp, to help trainees decide what avenues they wanted to pursue. Through BG2BG, cohorts acquire the skills and knowledge to help them start and/or improve their agricultural operation.