Vets on the Farm

01/16/2026

Local COLOSS North America 2026
Nutrition, Landscape Change and Honey Bee Health: A Transatlantic Dialogue

The event is the first COLOSS North America meeting connecting participants from scientific to beekeeping to veterinarian and agriculture fields across the United States, Canada and Europe. The purpose of this conference is to leverage and exchange knowledge in different fields within the beekeeping sector. The meeting will also help the different groups develop long-term relationships and partnerships. Within the COLOSS, the Bee Nutrition Task Force and BeeScholars Task Force will actively support the conference. Beyond the COLOSS network members, the conference will be supported with leading scientists from Working Group 3 and Working Group 6 of the BeSafeBeeHoney – COST Action CA22105, a European research network dedicated to safeguarding bee health and sustainable beekeeping across member states.

Friday, June 6 – Friday, June 12, WSU Ensminger Pavillion
More information & Registration: https://tinyurl.com/59tn7nr3

Washington State Beekeepers Association - WASBA

01/16/2026

Small Business Association (SBA) Rural Advocacy Roundtable

Thursday, Jan 22 from 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Washington SBA, 4420 E 8th Avenue, Spokane Valley (live meeting with no video attendance available).

Small business owners are invited to join a roundtable to voice their concerns with federal regulations. This in-person event is an opportunity to:
• Meet the SBA Regional Administrator for Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)
• Meet the Natural Rural Affairs Advocate from the SBA Office of Advocacy
• Learn how the SBA and the SBA Office of Advocacy are working to reduce barriers for small business
• Discuss regulatory issues, share your feedback, and voice your concerns with proposed regulations that will impact your business

Learn more about SBA: https://advocacy.sba.gov
Register: https://tinyurl.com/3tzce352

U.S. Small Business Administration

01/15/2026

Your Veterans. Your Impact.

Washington Farmland Trust recently sat down with the Vets on the Farm management team to tell the story of the lives and land being shaped on three acres just off the Palouse Hwy.
Veterans come to Vets on the Farm to heal, train, and build futures in agriculture. This is not a hobby farm. This is a cradle-to-career pipeline for Veterans entering farming, forestry, ranching, and land stewardship.
Watch the interview here: https://tinyurl.com/44evzz2h

As Grant said in the interview, “It is not what we do, it is who we are”.
And this is exactly why this work resonates so deeply with Veterans.

But one thing limits how many Veterans we can serve, manpower.

Most of our interns can only come to the farm two or three days a week because they must work other jobs to pay their bills; it slows their training, limits their confidence, and delays their transition into agriculture.

This is why Veteran Intern Sponsors matter.

A sponsor helps cover a Veteran’s stipend so they can show up consistently, train deeply, and build a future in farming instead of trying to do it on nights and weekends.

One sponsored intern = One Veteran given the time, stability, and dignity to build a new life.

We are heading into our busiest season, and we are actively short on sponsored intern positions right now.
The Veterans are ready.
The land is ready.
The training is ready.

We need support to make it possible.
If you have ever thanked a Veteran for their service, this is how you turn those words into action.

Please consider sponsoring a Veteran and helping us to grow the next generation of farmers. Vets on the Farm is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and all Veteran Intern sponsorships are tax-deductible.

Email us at [email protected] if you would like to discuss sponsoring a Veteran in more detail or consider making a donation (https://tinyurl.com/mt655d2n).

Thank you for your continued support.
Spokane Conservation District Washington Farmland Trust

Farmers: Ginny & Grant WeberOrganization: Vets on the FarmLocation: Spokane, WA Grant My name is Grant Weber. I’m the Farm Manager here at Vets on the Farm. This will be my ninth…

01/14/2026

January is not slow season. It is planning season.
While most people are still shaking off the holidays, the producers who get ahead are already setting up their financial game plan for the year ahead.

AgWest Farm Credit offers free, practical tools to help you:
🌱 Cash Flow Budget tools (https://tinyurl.com/ytf4d3hb)
🌱 AgPlan.org (https://tinyurl.com/4d38tzh6) For step-by-step farm and business planning, register for free.

These are not just spreadsheets. They help you answer the hard questions, understand your numbers, and make confident decisions for your operation.

AgWest’s AgVision Relationship Managers also know agriculture from the inside. They work with producers at every stage, from just getting started to scaling up, and they understand the realities of farming and ranching.

If you are thinking about your 2026 goals, now is the time to start the conversation. Shoot them an email ([email protected]).
AgWest Farm Credit

01/13/2026

Cultivating Success
Entrepreneurship and Business Planning for Small Farms, Ranches, and Specialty Food Businesses.
Ready to Grow Your Farm or Food Business?
This course will help you create a practical business plan to help support financing and guide growth, whether you are launching a new enterprise or expanding an existing farm or specialty foods business. You will gain essential business management skills and connect with local networks and resources to strengthen your operation. Designed for small, sustainable farm and food enterprises selling directly to customers or through intermediate markets such as retailers, restaurants, and small food processors.

Tuesdays, January 27 - March 10, 2026 | 9-11 am PT / 10 am -12 pm MT

In-person intensives February 10 and 24 | 9 am - 1 pm PT / 10 am - 2 pm MT

Early Bird Registration: $50 per farm/ranch until January 16
After January 16th: $100 per farm/ranch
Veterans can register for free using the promo code: Veteran

Learn more & Register: https://tinyurl.com/39bykzxy

01/12/2026

Cultivating Success
Building a Marketing Strategy for Your Farm, Ranch, or Specialty Food Business.

A four-part marketing workshop series to amplify your message, connect with customers, and grow your business.
In this four-week workshop, you will create a personalized marketing strategy to grow your business.
You will assess your current marketing, examine new strategies, and adapt those strategies to fit your business. Once you put them into action, you will have the tools to measure the results then analyze and recalibrate your marketing strategy to continue growing your business.

4 Friday class sessions
February 6, 13, 20, & 27: 12 - 1:30 pm PST
4 Wednesday group coaching sessions
February 11, 18, 25, & March 4: 12 - 1:30 pm PST

Early Bird Registration: $35 per person, household, or farm until January 30.
Regular Registration after January 30: $75 per person, household, or farm.

Learn more & Register: https://tinyurl.com/a5vf9wr4

01/12/2026

Online Ordering is Now Open!
The Spokane Conservation District is now accepting Tree Sale orders through March 6, 2026!

To place your order via our online store, https://tinyurl.com/e7mb5fxn.
To place your order by phone, call (509) 535-7274 (If you are sent to voicemail, your call will be returned in the order received).

How To Order Online (Fastest Method)
• Browse our available tree & shrub species on the SCD website
• Select your desired species and choose your bundle quantity
• Add to cart and proceed to checkout
Note: Most species are sold in bundles of 5 seedlings for $15

Using The Wishlist
If you have previously browsed our store selection, you may have saved items to a wish list for faster checkout. To view your saved items:
• Click the heart icon in the bottom-right corner of any page to view your saved items.
• Select your items from the wish list, choose quantities, and click “Add to Cart”.
• No account is required. Your wish list saves automatically on your device.

Spokane Conservation District

01/08/2026

If you think winter is the slow season on a farm, allow us to gently correct the assumption.
This is the time of the year when farmers are busy funding searches, navigating applications, closing out 2025, hotwashes, reviews, preparing and planning for next season's success.

Below are some current opportunities with upcoming deadlines:
Tilth Alliance – Closes Monday, February 9, 2026
Learn more & apply: https://tinyurl.com/3rfp9fkr

NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (Equip):
The first step is to contact your local NRCS office, https://tinyurl.com/yc7axf36. An NRCS conservation planner will schedule a visit to your property.
Applications for most programs are accepted on a continuous basis; however, be sure to ask when you call your local NRCS office.

USDA Value Added Producer Grant – Opens Thursday, January 15, 2026. Closes Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 10am PST
Self-Assessment to determine eligibility: https://vapg.rd.usda.gov/s/self-assessment
Learn more & apply: https://tinyurl.com/3h9a8rex
*Matching requirement*

Farmer Veteran Coalition Fellowship Fund – Closes Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Learn more & apply: https://farmvetco.org/fvfellowship/

Funding is one of the hardest barriers to farming alone. Share this with someone in your community who may not know these opportunities exist.
We recommend you subscribe to newsletter to ensure you stay up to date on information.

Funding is one of the hardest barriers to farming alone. Share this with someone in your community who may not know these opportunities exist.
We recommend you subscribe to newsletter to ensure you stay up to date on information.
Farmer Veteran Coalition Tilth Alliance U.S. Department of Agriculture

01/07/2026

Job Opening: University of Idaho - Area Extension Educator, Forestry

Applications received by January 21, 2026, will receive first consideration.

Information, Resources, Special Instructions & Required Documents:
https://tinyurl.com/235s5f27
University of Idaho

01/05/2026

The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund application is NOW OPEN!

The Fellowship Fund program is a small grant program which provides direct assistance to Veterans who are in their beginning years of farming or ranching. Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000.

The application will be open from January 5, 2026 until February 17, 2026.

FVC will be hosting a webinar on January 15th at 12pm CST to go over the program, the application process, how to apply, eligibility requirements, etc. Center for Farm Financial Management will be joining us to talk about how AgPlan can help with the business plan portion of the application.
To register for the webinar, copy & paste the link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tnBkJHyxQjq1HHC1duEUEA

For more information and to apply, visit the FVC website here: https://farmvetco.org/fvfellowship/
For any questions, please email [email protected]

01/02/2026

Macroeconomic Outlook
Tuesday, 1/20/26, 10am, Online.

You do not want to miss AgWest’s upcoming webinar with Dr. Christopher Thornberg, one of the nation’s most respected economic forecasters. Explore current macroeconomic trends, learn how global events shape your business and gain actionable insights to help you make informed decisions.

Register: https://tinyurl.com/2kxb59b7




AgWest Farm Credit