{"id":243411,"date":"2026-11-12T08:05:36","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T18:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=243411"},"modified":"2026-11-12T08:05:36","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T18:05:36","slug":"veterans-farming-grant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/11\/12\/veterans-farming-grant\/","title":{"rendered":"$750K grant helps veterans build farming businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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The program will also help start or improve 25 veteran-operated farms.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hawaiʻi<\/span> veterans looking to start or grow a farm business will get training in farming and business skills, along with well-being support, through a $750,000 grant to GoFarm Hawaiʻi<\/span><\/a>, a program of the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>). GoFarm Hawaiʻi<\/span> will partner with the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC<\/abbr>) of the Pacific, which moved from 糖心视频<\/abbr> Hilo to CTAHR<\/abbr> in August.<\/p>\n

Over three years, the project will provide agricultural and farm business education and support to 600 aspiring veteran farmers. The program will also help start, maintain, or improve 25 veteran-operated farms through technical assistance, business consulting, and help accessing U.S. Department of Agriculture resources.<\/p>\n

In-person activities will focus on Oʻahu<\/span> and Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island.<\/p>\n

Growing the partnership<\/h2>\n

The grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s National Institute of Food and Agriculture supports a partnership between CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s GoFarm Hawaiʻi<\/span> beginning farmer training program, VBOC<\/abbr>, Seeds of Wellbeing<\/a> and Cooperative Extension<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The support and warm welcome from the Dean and the college\u2019s faculty and staff made it easy to become part of the CTAHR<\/abbr> ʻohana<\/span>,” said Lori Hiramatsu, director of VBOC<\/abbr>. “Our missions align, and we can create synergy for the community of veteran agricultural entrepreneurs.”<\/p>\n

“Bringing VBOC<\/abbr> into our college is part of our strategy to provide business skills to Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s farmers and increase local food production,” said CTAHR<\/abbr> Dean Parwinder Grewal. “Combining farm production science with essential business, financial, and entrepreneurial skills creates a pathway for our military veterans to succeed.”<\/p>\n

Business support<\/h2>\n

Funded by the Small Business Administration, the outreach center provides free business training and counseling, including Boots to Business and Reboot workshops.<\/p>\n

Based at the M\u0101noa Innovation Center, the team serves transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, military spouses and widows across Hawaiʻi<\/span>, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa.<\/p>\n

Excerpt: Military veterans who want to farm have new opportunities from the Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific and CTAHR<\/abbr><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Military veterans who want to farm have new opportunities from the Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific and CTAHR<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[222,212,811,9,478],"class_list":["post-243411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-agriculture","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-gofarm-hawaii","tag-uh-manoa","tag-veterans","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t