Bridging Gaps for U.S. Military Veteran Farmers
In September 2025, Autumn Stoll, a former master’s student in the Food Safety Human Factor Lab supervised by Dr. Feng, published a paper titled "Bridging the Gap by Listening to the Needs: A Multi-State Survey and Interview Study for Military Veteran Farmers in the United States.” The Study combined both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the on-farm food safety practices and resource needs of U.S. military veterans who are farmers. An online survey was distributed through the Farmer Veteran Coalition in March 2023, and in-person interviews were conducted with veteran farmers at regional and national agricultural conferences across multiple states.
Through these efforts, the research identified key barriers to accessing food safety training, including limited time, lack of information, and restricted access to technology. The findings also highlighted preferred learning formats for this niche group, including email, in-person workshops, and online videos. These insights will help guide the development of tailored food safety educational materials for military veteran farmers.
Interested in learning more about this study? Visit this link to read more about bridging the gap with veteran farmers.
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