We are declaring May 15th as the National Day of Action to demand immediate creation of the Veterans & Young Farmers Alliance (VYFA) Pilot Farm & Certification System—a real-world agricultural workforce solution connecting veterans and young farmers to hands-on training, certification, and direct career pathways in agriculture.

To: USDA, FSA, State Agricultural Agencies, Workforce Development Leaders, and Elected Officials
We, the undersigned, are declaring May 15th as the National Day of Action to demand immediate reform and the launch of the Veterans & Young Farmers Alliance (VYFA) Pilot Farm & Certification System.

This is not a future proposal. This is a demand for action now.

 
THE CRISIS WE CAN NO LONGER IGNORE
The United States is facing a growing agricultural workforce emergency.

Farms across the country are struggling to find trained, reliable workers while at the same time, veterans and young farmers are actively seeking pathways into agriculture—but are blocked by fragmented systems that do not connect training to real employment.

This gap is not theoretical. It is happening now in rural communities, on working farms, and across the agricultural economy.

 
THE SOLUTION: THE VYFA PILOT FARM SYSTEM
We are calling for the immediate creation of a structured, scalable national system built on real-world agricultural training.

1. Certified Pilot Training Farms
Working farms where veterans and young farmers receive hands-on training in:

Crop and livestock operations
Equipment safety, maintenance, and operation
Soil, water, and land management
Farm logistics and business operations
Safe startup, operation, and shutdown procedures
 
2. Competency-Based Certification Pathways
A national certification system based on real performance, including:

Field-based skill evaluations
Supervisor and third-party assessments
Documented competency progression
Safety and compliance verification
 
3. Direct Workforce Integration
Clear pathways from training into:

Agricultural employment
Apprenticeships and cooperatives
Independent farming operations
Rural workforce development programs
 
4. Authorized Evaluator Network
A trained network of agricultural professionals, educators, and compliance-qualified supervisors to evaluate real-world skill performance in field conditions.

 
5. Land Access & Partnership Development
Support pilot farms through partnerships with:

Private landowners
Agricultural universities
Workforce development programs
State and federal agricultural agencies
 
MAY 15TH: NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
We are officially designating May 15th as the National Day of Action for VYFA.

On this day, we will:

Raise national awareness of the agricultural workforce crisis
Demand immediate implementation of pilot farm systems
Push for certification reform tied to real-world competency
Mobilize veterans, young farmers, and rural communities nationwide
This is a coordinated national call for action—not awareness alone.

 
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
Without immediate change, the United States will continue to face:

Expanding agricultural labor shortages
Lost economic opportunity in rural communities
Limited career pathways for veterans and young farmers
Increasing strain on food and farm production systems
But this outcome is not inevitable.

A structured, hands-on agricultural workforce system can solve this—if it is implemented now.

 
OUR DEMAND
We call on federal and state agricultural leadership to:

Recognize the VYFA Pilot Farm model as a national workforce solution
Fund and support pilot implementation immediately
Align certification systems with real-world agricultural competency
Build a direct pipeline from training to employment in agriculture
 
SIGN THIS PETITION IF YOU BELIEVE:
Action is needed now, not later
Veterans and young farmers deserve real agricultural career pathways
Training must be hands-on, practical, and competency-based
The U.S. needs a modern agricultural workforce system built on real skill