Training Programs
Rodale Institute Veteran Farmer Training
A paid, hands-on organic farming program for military veterans at Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Applications for the 2027 group are open now.
What It Offers
- 35 weeks of paid, hands-on training on a working organic farm. You learn by doing the work, not just in a classroom.
- What you learn: vegetable production, composting, soil health, beekeeping, machinery and equipment, greenhouse and high tunnel growing, and marketing.
- Free housing may be available for participants.
- Training takes place at Rodale Institute headquarters in Kutztown, PA, with some work at Pocono Organics. Kutztown is about a 3-hour drive from the Southern Tier and the Hudson Valley.
- Open to veterans who served in the U.S. military.
How to Get Started
- Have your resume and a copy of your DD 214 (Member 4) showing your discharge status ready.
- Apply for the 2027 group through the link on Rodale's Veteran Farmer Training page. Rodale has not posted a deadline, so apply early.
- Questions about pay, dates, or housing: email Veterans@RodaleInstitute.org or call 610-683-1442.
- After the program, use our New Veteran Farmer Roadmap and Farm Business Plan Builder to plan your own farm in New York.
Key Links
Source: rodaleinstitute.org (Rodale Institute, a nonprofit organic farming research and education organization in Kutztown, Pennsylvania). Program details can change; check with Rodale before applying.
