We host conferences and field days, build coalitions, and create opportunities for emerging and established farmers and ranchers to learn from one another.
Farmer-Focused Convenings in California and Texas
This year, NCAT hosted its 10th annual Latino Farmer Conference in California and its sixth Hispanic Farmer and Rancher Conference in Texas. Serving almost 60,000 producers across these two states, these conferences honor Latino farmers’ knowledge and expertise and celebrate their accomplishments. Farmers play a central role in designing the program and selecting the speakers. At the 2024 Latino Farmer Conference in California, 60% of presenters and field day hosts were farmers.
Spotlighting farmers as successful experts has ripple effects throughout the community. A partner shared these reflections about the farmers who hosted field days during the Latino Farmer Conference:
I regularly work with all four of those farmers, as well as many of the beginning and small-scale Latino farmers who were in attendance. Those four farmers all seemed relatable to the Latino farmer attendees, and at the same time they are all success stories in their own ways. It was really beautiful to see Antonia and Juan, Guillermo, Cecilia and Alejandro, and Isabel and Isias all take the spotlight—finally—after many years of struggle! And beautiful to see how many people in the audience heard these stories and felt like they, too, could one day be presenting at the Latino Farmer Conference as successful farmers.
We design these conferences to provide farmers and ranchers with information about regenerative conservation practices. Participants have opportunities to learn about and access USDA NRCS resources and connect with fellow producers, technical assistance providers, researchers, and other agriculture professionals.* The programs prioritize peer-to-peer learning, spotlighting the expertise of local farmers. This generates trust and builds farmer networks. And all programming is in Spanish. This year, the Latino Farmer Conference also provided translation of all panel discussions into Triqui, an indigenous language spoken by many farmworkers.
Many attendees noted in our conference evaluations that they appreciated that the farmers featured were not from the typical group that speaks at local conferences and events. Bringing new perspectives and experience to the conference is something we are very proud of. A partner shared how meaningful this foregrounding of farmer expertise is, especially to beginning farmers:
It was really significant for [the farmers who presented] to have their knowledge and experience honored in such a big way… [M]any of the beginning farmers in the audience were inspired to hear presentations from farmers themselves, rather than just from Extensionists, technical assistance providers, researchers, and policy makers.
Latino farmworkers make up 78% of the agricultural workforce, but only 3% of farms in the U.S. are owned by Latinos. Many aspiring Latino farmers struggle to gain access to technical assistance, financing, and other supports that would enable them to make the shift from working on a farm to owning one. NCAT’s farmer-focused convenings are an effort to bridge the gap between Latino farmers in California and Texas and the broader farming community. NCAT supports Latino farmers by providing culturally relevant solutions, so they and their communities thrive.
Deep Local Ties Allow Us to Pivot When Farmers are Impacted by Natural Disasters
Most of NCAT’s work is planned months in advance. But when natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, and drought strike, we are able to mobilize our local partnerships quickly to support farmers and ranchers in need. When Hurricane Helene struck Southern Appalachia in late 2024, Wayne Riley, the Director of the Laurel County African American Heritage Center, which operates a community farm in London, Kentucky, sprang into action, with NCAT support. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, NCAT staff worked with Wayne to coordinate donation drops of food, water, and livestock feed for farmers. In the days and weeks that followed, Wayne sourced and delivered supplies farmers needed to rebuild damaged barns and destroyed fences. Wayne shares, “I look for bargains—things that aren’t necessarily new but still very functional; I found a place that had lots of used wooden fence posts—they come off the big horse farms in Lexington, Kentucky, because they’re not pretty anymore. But they’ve got a lot of life in them. By bringing used fence posts, we were able to help a lot more farmers than if we had bought new ones.” NCAT staff supported Wayne with logistics and planning, while he sourced and delivered supplies to farmers in neighboring North Carolina. “I know you guys weren’t on the ground with me, but we never would have made this happen without your support,” Wayne said.
Farmer Portrait: Wayne Riley, London, Kentucky
The Ripple Effects of Armed to Farm
Armed to Farm is NCAT’s weeklong training that introduces military veterans to different farming ventures in their region and provides a mix of classroom and on-farm training. One Armed to Farm participant reflected on the power of the hands-on training: “Being able to get out and actually experience what it is that they’re teaching, and then talking to specific farmers and making those connections has been completely priceless.”
Perhaps more important than the farming knowledge veterans gain from participating in Armed to Farm trainings is the community they build with other farmer veterans.
Chris Ramirez, who participated in a 2024 training in Arkansas, reflects on the importance of community:
“As a veteran, there’s a connection you have in active duty and hopefully after your career in the military that is not matched anywhere else….And that’s the whole intent of why I’m drawn to farming, to be more intimate in the community with the people around me.”
The healing power of farming and community is profound. Sara Creech, who served in Iraq, used farming as a tool to find hope and healing. Her post-war life was filled with depression, disconnection, PTSD, and the loss of her spouse, also a veteran, to cancer. The couple had dreamed of buying land and starting a farm, but knowledge and resources were hard to find. After seeing information about Armed to Farm online, Sara packed up for “the most powerful week of her life” at an NCAT Armed to Farm training. Nearly 12 years later, Sara runs a profitable, diversified produce and livestock operation. But her story doesn’t end there. Sara also teaches other veterans what she learned at Armed to Farm. “I really look at this life that I’ve built right now, and it all started with that Armed to Farm,” said Sara. “I took those skills and passions back home with me and felt confident that I know what I’m supposed to do now.”
NCAT continues to support Armed to Farm graduates as they return to their communities and begin to farm or continue their farming journey. Randall Kelly, a veteran who served from 2001 to 2006, started growing corn and squash on his family plot on the Navajo Nation in 2019. After he completed an Armed to Farm program in New Mexico in March 2022, Randall returned to his community and started applying what he learned to addressing food insecurity among the Navajo. Randall grows food himself and serves as a member of the Farm Board and leadership of Crystal Chapter of the Navajo Nation, where he works to build community gardens, preserve indigenous farming practices, and spark enthusiasm for farming among the tribe’s children. “I would like to produce vegetables for the whole Navajo Nation, and the whole Southwest,” he says. “I am very grateful for the Armed to Farm experience. I’ve utilized the information and have been marketing my produce, and the past month we’ve sold out each time. It’s motivating and exciting.”
Armed to Farm Stories: Sara Creech
SUPPORT US
NCAT works across the country with farmers and ranchers to support them in adopting regenerative agriculture practices. Recent government funding cuts are limiting our ability to do this work. Your support today will allow us to continue to provide services to farmers and ranchers who want to adopt practices that will help ensure the health of their soil, their families, and their communities.
Thank you for helping us continue to build the world we all want to live in.
