UH GoFarm Receives $750,000 to Train Veteran Farmers
A three-year USDA-funded program will provide farming and business education to 600 aspiring veteran farmers in Hawaiʻi.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Military Jobs
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The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's GoFarm Hawaiʻi received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to train veterans in farming. The three-year project aims to help start, maintain or improve 25 veteran-operated farms.
Why it matters
The grant supports a partnership among GoFarm Hawaiʻi, Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific, Seeds of Wellbeing and Cooperative Extension. Bringing the outreach center into the college is part of a strategy to provide business skills to Hawaiʻi farmers and increase local food production.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $750,000 over three years to train 600 aspiring veteran farmers. The program targets 25 veteran-operated farms to be started, maintained or improved, with in-person activities focused on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island.
The players
GoFarm Hawaiʻi
GoFarm Hawaiʻi is the beginning farmer training program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa that received the grant.
Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific
Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific is a Small Business Administration-funded center providing free business training and counseling to veterans across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific territories.
The details
Training will combine agricultural and farm business education with well-being support, delivered through a partnership of GoFarm Hawaiʻi, Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific, Seeds of Wellbeing and Cooperative Extension. The outreach center, funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, offers free business training and counseling, including Boots to Business and Reboot workshops.
Timeline
August 2026: Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific moved from University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo to the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience.
Over a three-year period: the training project will provide education to 600 aspiring veteran farmers.
Roadmap
The award follows the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture's federal support for beginning farmers, extending it to a veteran-focused training model in Hawaiʻi. It also reflects the university's effort to pair farm training with business counseling in a state seeking to expand local food production.
Veterans interested in starting or improving a farm can access free training and counseling through the program on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island. The Veterans Business Outreach Center's Boots to Business and Reboot workshops offer practical business guidance for veterans pursuing agricultural careers.
The takeaway
Veterans exploring farming as a second career can pair agricultural training with free business counseling to build a viable operation. Programs like this one show that federal grants can combine hands-on farm education with the business skills needed to sustain it.
Further reading
Explore more military job opportunities in Hawaii for veterans considering a career transition.
Source note: This article includes information reported by | UPDATE: Kaua'i Police Department reports previously missing 27-year-old woman found.
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