<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Roboto;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Helvetica Neue";}
@font-face
{font-family:inherit;
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
h1
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
font-weight:bold;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.Heading1Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
font-weight:bold;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal">All – please apply if you’re located on the West Coast and are looking for a week of great, intensive sustainable agriculture training! Please share if you know others who would be interested.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">-Robyn<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<h1 align="center" style="margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:15.6pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:22.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#001589;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:1.5pt">NCAT’S FREE FARMER-VETERAN TRAINING IS HEADED TO CALIFORNIA<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:10.2pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.2pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;background:#F8F8F8;vertical-align:baseline;box-sizing: border-box;overflow-wrap: break-word">
<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is bringing its free Armed to Farm training to southern California for the first time, after hosting a 2018 training in Davis, Calif. Armed
to Farm will take place April 18-22, 2022, in San Diego. West Coast farmer-veterans will attend classroom sessions and travel to local farms for hands-on learning experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:10.2pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.2pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;background:#F8F8F8;vertical-align:baseline;box-sizing: border-box;overflow-wrap: break-word">
<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">Armed to Farm trainings include an engaging blend of farm tours, hands-on activities, and interactive classroom instruction. NCAT Sustainable Agriculture specialists will teach the sessions. Staff
from USDA agencies and experienced crop and livestock producers will provide additional instruction.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;background:#F8F8F8;vertical-align:baseline;box-sizing: border-box;overflow-wrap: break-word">
<strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"inherit",serif;color:#001589;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">“We’re eager to bring Armed to Farm back to the Golden State,”</span></strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"> said
NCAT Southeast Regional and Armed to Farm Program Director Margo Hale. </span><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"inherit",serif;color:#001589;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">“Armed to Farm has served more than 800 veterans in all
corners of the country as they start or grow their own sustainable farm business.” </span></strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:10.2pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.2pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;background:#F8F8F8;vertical-align:baseline;box-sizing: border-box;overflow-wrap: break-word">
<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">Armed to Farm is a sustainable agriculture training program for military veterans. NCAT, a national nonprofit organization based in Butte, Montana, developed Armed to Farm in 2013 through a cooperative
agreement with USDA-Rural Development. Farmer veterans learn how to make a business plan and market their products, how to access USDA programs, set business goals, and develop mentorships with seasoned farmers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:10.2pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.2pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;background:#F8F8F8;vertical-align:baseline;box-sizing: border-box;overflow-wrap: break-word">
<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">This training is for military veterans in the West. The number of participants will be limited. Spouses or farm partners are welcome to attend with a veteran as well but must submit a separate
application.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;background:#F8F8F8;vertical-align:baseline;box-sizing: border-box;overflow-wrap: break-word">
<strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"inherit",serif;color:#001589;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Click </span></strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><a href="https://www.armedtofarm.org/armed-to-farm-california/"><strong><span style="font-family:"inherit",serif;color:#001589;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;text-decoration:none">HERE</span></strong></a></span><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"inherit",serif;color:#001589;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"> to
apply by March 4. </span></strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">NCAT will notify selected participants by March 11.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:10.2pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.2pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;background:#F8F8F8;vertical-align:baseline;box-sizing: border-box;overflow-wrap: break-word">
<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">Armed to Farm California is supported by funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture AgVets
program. Successful applications may also receive a travel stipend thanks to our partnership with California-based Ranchin’ Vets.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;background:#F8F8F8;vertical-align:baseline;box-sizing: border-box;overflow-wrap: break-word">
<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">Learn more about NCAT’s Armed to Farm and additional training series at <a href="https://armedtofarm.org/"><span style="color:#001589;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">ARMEDTOFARM.ORG</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#001489;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#001489;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Robyn Metzger</span><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#201F1E">Program Specialist/Armed to Farm Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#666666;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">National Center for Appropriate Technology</span><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#666666;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fncat.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Crobynm%40ncat.org%7C3b76ada5f767487f677608d9927e9789%7C833912b329304964ab4dec38e988d2c4%7C0%7C0%7C637701894711677863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=lU7EX36jlKxJohC%2FyNS1c45IgTk%2Fmy5G6KTU0nqf%2BCI%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" title="Original URL: https://ncat.org/. Click or tap if you trust this link."><span style="color:#0563C1">NCAT.ORG<br>
</span></a><a href="https://www.armedtofarm.org/"><span style="color:#0070C0">ARMEDTOFARM.ORG</span></a></span><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#666666;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">O: 479-442-9824</span><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>