Last week, the Veteran Farmers of New Jersey (VFNJ), a project within NOFA NJ, hosted NJ’s first week-long farming “Boot Camp” geared towards U.S. Military Veterans interested in agriculture and food systems. The week consisted of AM classroom lectures held at the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce in Flemington, NJ, with afternoon farm visits, providing hands-on education and experiential learning for 19 Veteran attendees.

This boot-strapped effort was made possible by the hard work and dedication of Cliff Pristas, VFNJ Coordinator, with administrative support from NOFA NJ. Cliff has spent the last 18 months fundraising and networking to be able to offer this resource to area Veterans. “The goal for my vets is to give them a broad exposure to various topics, both classroom and actual hands-on tours, so that they can see what they may be interested in, as well as what they may not be interested in,” Pristas says.

During the Boot Camp, attendees learned from 20+ speakers and visited 7 farms (see itinerary below). Funding for this year was provided by a Underserved Farmer Specialty Crop Block Grant from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and a variety of local sponsors and donors (listed below).

See the below articles written about VFNJ’s First Annual Boot Camp:

• Farm Progress: Attention! “Bootcamp” Introduces Vets to Farming (10/31/2024)
• Lancaster Farming: Hazelnut Farming Takes Root in New Jersey with Help from Military Veterans (10/30/2024)

VFNJ/NOFA NJ would like to thank the following sponsors who made the week possible:

• Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce
• Hunterdon County Board of Agriculture
• Mercer County Economic Development Authority
• Bonnie Tire & Auto Service of Flemington, NJ
• Belle Mead Garage
• Haztek Inc. Safety Management
• Sons of Norway
• Angelo’s Pizza, Petrock’s Bar & Grille, Panatieri’s Pizza, Lenny’s Pizza, A Catered Affair, and Main Street Bagel
• Celeste, friend of VFNJ