Veterans to Farmers

Name

Veterans to Farmers

Legal name

Veterans to Farmers Inc.

Website

https://veteranstofarmers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Education and Veteran Training Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Irrigation, Water & Energy Efficiency Operations Advisory (AFACAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

Keywords

• Agricultural training
• Veteran education
• Hydroponics training
• Controlled environment agriculture
• Nonprofit farming programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Yampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Veterans to Farmers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 45-4499443). All cash donations are eligible for full tax exemption. Donations go towards education, equipment, farming supplies and administration.
2. Grants: Veterans to Farmers receives grant funding from partners like American AgCredit. In one instance, $30,000 was distributed as grants to veteran program participants ($10,000 each to three recipients).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Veterans to Farmers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free agricultural training programs to U.S. military veterans. The portfolio includes a 10-week Hydroponics/CEA program at Altius Farms, a 20-week Market Farming program at Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farm, an Urban Farming Series of 4-hour classes, and an 8-week Business Planning Course. Training is offered at no cost, with paid stipends provided during hands-on programs.

Product overview

Veterans to Farmers is a nonprofit training organization offering a portfolio of agricultural education programs for U.S. veterans. The core offering consists of four distinct training programs: the Controlled Environment Agriculture – Hydroponics (CEA) program (10 weeks, 140 hours) at Altius Farms; the Market Farming Training program (20 weeks, 300 hours) at Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farm; the Urban Farming Series of shorter 4-hour classes covering raised beds, seed saving, botany, and hydroponics; and the Business Planning Course (8 weeks, 32 hours) for graduates. Programs are free for veterans and include paid stipends for CEA and Market Farming courses. The organization leverages sustainable farming techniques that use 10% of land and water while producing 10x the yield.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Controlled Environment Agriculture – Hydroponics (CEA) A 10-week, 140-hour training program hosted at Altius Farms in Denver, teaching veterans hydroponic and controlled environment agriculture techniques for greenhouse or indoor food production. Includes paid stipend.
• Market Farming Training A 20-week, 300-hour program at Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farm focused on small-scale organic vegetable production, covering topics from soil health to agri-tourism. Includes paid stipend.
• Urban Farming Series A series of 4-hour classes for veterans and their families covering raised bed gardening, seed saving, garden botany, and introduction to hydroponics. Refundable $5 fee to hold a seat.
• Business Planning Course An 8-week, 32-hour course offered to graduates of Market Farming and CEA courses, teaching comprehensive business plan writing for agriculture enterprises including SWOT analysis, budgeting, and funding opportunities. Offered both in-person and online.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 veterans have applied to the program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Altius FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Altius Farms hosts the CEA-Intro to Hydroponics program. Founded in 2017 and run by fellow veteran Sally Herbert, Altius is an urban rooftop greenhouse growing specialty greens for Denver's finest restaurants. VTF classes held at their facility.
• Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnership focuses on connecting veterans to a farming career via a 20-week, 300-hour training program at the 700-acre native plant refuge and working farm. The Freyer-Newman Center at York Street Campus hosts the Business Planning Course. VTF has been partnered since 2013.
• Colorado State University ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013CSU's Extension Office provides recognition for VTF program certificates. The Building Farmers Course by CSU provides managerial tools and ideas for starting an agriculture company. VTF graduates receive certificates recognized through CSU's Extension Office.
• Mental Health Center Denver – Dahlia Campus FarmsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVTF offers 8-week courses in 'Controlled Agriculture-Aquaponics' at the Dahlia Campus Farms and Gardens, which includes a one-acre urban farm, 5,400 square foot aquaponics greenhouse, and horticultural therapy gardens.
• Rebel FarmsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRebel Farm is a local hydroponic greenhouse farm producing fresh greens and herbs year-round for the Denver restaurant industry. VTF offers 8-week courses in 'Controlled Agriculture-Hydroponics' taught by VTF graduate Joe Burner.
• Upstart UniversityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUpstart University offers VTF veterans a 10% discount on all courses. Upstart provides online education for aspiring farmers with over 30 courses and 850+ active members from 55 countries.
• Butcher's BistrominorGTM or Marketing PartnerButcher's Bistro provides food donations for VTF fundraising events and hosts events. Owner Scott Bauer serves on the VTF Board as Events Manager.
• Colorado Hemp Honey (Frangosa Farms)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner focused on responsible beekeeping education. Founder Nick French is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran committed to organic beekeeping practices.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heroes to Hives: Michigan State University Extension program that trains veterans in beekeeping as a therapeutic and vocational pathway. Comparable in leveraging a land-grant extension partnership to deliver free, structured agricultural training to U.S. veterans.
• BattleGround to Breaking Ground: Texas-based veteran agricultural training program (originated with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension) that provides multi-phase training in farming/ranching for veterans and beginning farmers. Comparable cohort-based training and partnership model with a land-grant extension system.
• Growing Veterans: Washington-state nonprofit that uses peer-support farming to help veterans transition, operating a working farm and training program. Comparable mission combining mental-health/community reintegration with hands-on agricultural training.
• Farmer Veteran Coalition: The largest U.S. nonprofit supporting veteran farmers, providing training, grants, and a national fellowship program. Directly comparable in mission (transitioning veterans into agriculture) and target audience, though it operates a broader resource/grant model rather than VTF's cohort-based training.
• Archi's Acres: Veteran-owned organic farm in California that runs the 'Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training' (VSAT) program. Direct peer in delivering intensive agricultural training to transitioning service members in controlled-environment and organic methods.
• Veterans Farm: Florida-based nonprofit that trains and employs veterans in sustainable agriculture, including hydroponics and organic farming. Closely aligned with VTF in target population and training model, with a similar small-team operating footprint.

Others

• Upstart University: Online education platform for aspiring CEA/hydroponics farmers. Already a VTF partner offering 10% discounts to VTF veterans; comparable curriculum content (hydroponics, controlled-environment agriculture) serving an overlapping but broader learner base.
• Denver Botanic Gardens (Chatfield Farms): Horticultural training and farm education facility that hosts VTF's Market Farming program. Not a direct competitor but a peer institution offering comparable horticultural/agricultural education to a broader general-public audience.

Emerging players

• The Veteran Farmers Project: A program of the Center for Rural Affairs that supports veteran farmers in the Midwest with training and resources. Comparable veteran-targeted agricultural support, though broader in scope and embedded in a larger rural-advocacy organization.

Broad incumbents

• USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program: Federal grant program that funds training, education, and technical assistance for new farmers, including veterans as a designated priority group. A broad incumbent that competes for the same pool of beginning-veteran-farmer grants and shapes the regulatory/funding environment VTF operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/veterans-to-farmers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Veterans to Farmers