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<p align="center" style="text-align:center"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">WATCH: How NCAT’s Armed to Farm Helped One Veteran Find Her Purpose</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>Ten years ago, Air Force veteran Sara Creech almost didn’t attend NCAT’s first week-long Armed to Farm, a sustainable agriculture education program for military veterans. After driving from Indiana to Arkansas for the training, anxiety told her to turn around
and go home. Instead, she found the strength to stay. <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">“I went in there and had the most powerful week of my life,”
</span></strong>Sara Creech said.<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> “I really look at this life that I’ve built right now, and it all started with that Armed to Farm.” </span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>The National Center for Appropriate Technology today released its short film “Armed to Farm Stories: Sara Creech,” in which Creech, a former surgery and trauma nurse who served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, shares her story of overcoming loss
through organic farming. Attending NCAT’s Armed to Farm program in 2013 empowered Sara not only to pursue farming, but also to help other farmer veterans. <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdsOjbc-GYY&t=2s" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="625" height="310" style="width:6.5104in;height:3.2291in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://meltwater-apps-production.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/images/5bea25f481efa8648f69d801/blobid0_1699547493582.png"></span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>In the film, we see the diversified vegetable, fruit, and livestock farm Sara has built over the past ten years and hear from members of the farmer veteran community who have benefited from Sara’s mentorship. <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>Many service members feel disconnected from their communities and former lives when they come home, Sara said. Organic and sustainable farming can help them feel connected and whole again. <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">“Armed to Farm offers practical information to help veterans get their farms started, or expand their operations,”</span></strong> said Margo Hale, Armed to Farm Program Director.
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">“The classroom sessions, along with farm tours and hands-on activities, give them a strong foundation in sustainable agriculture. And the relationships they develop during the week of training—which often
continue long after the week is over—are invaluable.” </span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>Armed to Farm participants learn from seasoned farmers and gain direct experience on livestock, vegetable, fruit, and agritourism operations. Since the week-long program began ten years ago, more than 1,000 veterans from 47 states have participated in the
training. When surveyed one year after attending an Armed to Farm, 73 percent of participants indicated they continued farming, had started farming, or were in the process of starting a farm. <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>Sara credits farming with bringing peace to her life, as well as giving her purpose—caring for the land, feeding her community, and supporting other veterans who want to farm. And Sara is just one example of Armed to Farm alumni helping their fellow farmer
veterans. <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">“Sara exemplifies what we hope to achieve through the Armed to Farm program,”
</span></strong>said Hale.<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> “Not only is she operating a successful diversified farm, but she has taken what she learned from us and amplified it so that many other veterans have access to that knowledge
and support.” </span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>Watch the film, here: <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=I-2FtC-2B98WW76-2FdW5-2FGgXzN2ay3QEF1KKasdp477MAdJcV6KB2BP7OSJOESMqSFllsg9qXYzcs-2BGWfUH4dXhJTZQ-3D-3DiQeF_Ys7abgslh5SjTe3GR0rf3rwP3Xw-2F9xbyfgNyc-2BHQqGckx3mQ8cF-2BH4BGPcHUQn-2FWX5HfcpUU4K7Bq25jSabnDRvzP-2FQRgxgMTf1twuw1EDripcrinREwqGb7BCiJxpiQUF05JCFT2lcWfpXtyIA6p6-2FemNVT6K5kN9MMsaI-2BNrNWYRfcN-2FHNIpDIMUf-2BTSzMQHu7TTAAb9po-2B9DYv1xx2NsTrrObNCkurS5XjPuIroOSCOKQOrScazHsx-2B2CwXmM1y0eu9mYsPo31n2vP-2F3JoShPWFkbQrC9g2hrR04-2B9UNkCAP9g65BzZ6gVGe8xejb5FB8aFOEAxXy9EsNxBqz7LsTh3gLRxHpdSzsGlfUqcrpdO4hdcgXwVz0ZfH0kjTL">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdsOjbc-GYY</a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>To learn more about NCAT’s Armed to Farm program, visit <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=I-2FtC-2B98WW76-2FdW5-2FGgXzNyjVN0-2Fwqjs2PdMUaxf56GATdac8wTzN8TOq0xemx0AaHL7w_Ys7abgslh5SjTe3GR0rf3rwP3Xw-2F9xbyfgNyc-2BHQqGckx3mQ8cF-2BH4BGPcHUQn-2FWX5HfcpUU4K7Bq25jSabnDRvzP-2FQRgxgMTf1twuw1EDripcrinREwqGb7BCiJxpiQUF05JCFT2lcWfpXtyIA6p6-2FemNVT6K5kN9MMsaI-2BNrNWYRfcN-2FHNIpDIMUf-2BTSzMQHu7TTAAb9po-2B9DYv1xx2Ho58d2YcTcsIr5eJ10ig1TUdoI76v6o1vNAJQAQ6G4KrVfRKi-2BLL1vdZK-2F2-2F-2BcvX6HCjGGsxsyNJ4FAM-2B87yeafT66jP89ecbTxp1IAo1XN2Qij3NtW0O3HAkqZXmSaF0SXUy-2BE24seqgF84g062gIPqlAaYzLqi7h1-2Bw9wk8JB">
ARMEDTOFARM.ORG</a>. <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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