From 2019 through August 2023, the Compatible Lands Foundation operated the Veterans’ Farming Education and Training (FEAT) Farm—a hands-on agricultural learning program that brought together conservation, education, and community on one unique piece of Texas’s working lands.

Located in Coryell County, Texas and near Fort Hood, the FEAT Farm served as a working model of sustainable agriculture. Over the course of the program, CLF worked with Veterans, aspiring Veteran farmers, and conservation partners to provide real-world training in pursuit of agriculture as a sustainable business practice. The goal of the program was to cultivate not just crops and raise livestock, but to motivate the next generation of farmers and ranchers. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s BattleGround to Breaking Ground program provided agriculture business planning and agriculture production training for new and beginning farmers and ranchers. The FEAT served as one of two facilities that hosted hands-on workshops for this program from 2019-2022.

The FEAT farm also played a valuable role in promoting compatible land use near military installations—a key part of CLF’s mission. By preserving the land’s agricultural value and maintaining open space, the FEAT Farm supported both local food systems and national defense readiness.

This innovative partnership between CLF and Texas A&M AgriLife was supported with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) and the U.S. Department of Defense, with additional support from the Farmer Veteran Coalition.

Although the FEAT Farm project concluded in 2023, its impact continues to grow. Graduates of the program have gone on to apply what they learned in their own communities. Additionally, the FEAT remains protected for future conservation purposes.

Want to follow projects like this? Click “Subscribe,” to sign up for the CLF newsletter to get updates on our ongoing efforts to conserve land, strengthen communities, and support military readiness.