Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Lanon Baccam
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Lanon Baccam recently addressed the general session of the 2016 AgrAbility National Training Workshop in Fort. Collins, Colorado.
Sponsored by USDA, AgrAbility works to enhance the quality of life for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities. Through education and assistance, AgrAbility helps to eliminate (or minimize) obstacles that inhibit success in production agriculture or agriculture-related occupations. Military veterans outreach is a major component of AgrAbility’s mission.
Baccam’s message to conference attendees focused on the transition of military personnel to civilian life. Often, this transition takes these veterans to rural America and into a life of farming and ranching. In some cases, these transitioning veterans have physical disabilities that, without AgrAbility services, would prevent them from pursuing their production agriculture dream.
“Veterans involved in farming and ranching realize a new ‘sense of duty’ as they transition from protecting our country to providing for our country,” said Baccam. “AgrAbility and USDA programs provide the support, tools, technical assistance and financing needed to ensure a successful business venture.”
Baccam, who serves as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison is himself a military veteran having served eight years in the U.S. Army and Iowa National Guard and deployed to Afghanistan in 2004-2005.
“AgrAbility and USDA programs are not just for post-9/11 veterans. They are available to all qualifying veterans,” said Baccam. To learn more about veterans in agriculture, visit www.usda.gov/veterans.
Click on the links below for Baccam’s AgrAbility general session remarks and related interview compliments of Brian Allmer of BARN Media.
Presentation: http://livestream.com/accounts/719888/AgrAbility/videos/119502318
Interview: http://livestream.com/accounts/719888/AgrAbility/videos/119502482