Military veterans in agricultural studies

Post-WWII

After World War II, 1.5 million military veterans returned home. Due to labor shortages, they were encouraged to work on, or start, farms upon their re-entry into the American workforce. Many of these young men and women had originally either grown up on farms or were farm laborers before embarking on their military service, which left substantial gaps in our agricultural workforce. It was clear that these young veterans would need assistance in pursuing agricultural ventures, which led to President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the G.I. Bill. The 1944 G.I. Bill offered low-interest mortgages for homes and farmland and education assistance benefits. Veterans in particular were encouraged to pursue education in agriculture, especially through land grant institutions.

The push toward higher education in agriculture was further incentivized with free tuition and living stipends for veterans—spiking college admission rates and leading to an 18-fold increase in students enrolled in agricultural courses from the 1930s to the 1940s. The surge of veterans enrolling in agriculture programs throughout the U.S. has fizzled since then, which begs the question, why are fewer of today’s veterans pursing agricultural-related degrees compared with the post-WWII era?

Post-9/11

These days, the U.S. government still encourages veterans to pursue agriculture after serving their country. Veterans in agriculture is still a current initiative and focus of USDA, which offers substantial support programs that help veterans gain employment, get an education, and start businesses. Even with these resources and incentives, non-veteran students are pursuing education in agriculture at nearly double the rate of veterans. Although it’s likely very complicated, some reasons for this could include a combination of increased farming technology and crop yield, fewer family owned farms, and the reduction of labor shortages. Present-day military service members are highly diverse, coming from a wide range of backgrounds and regions that are not necessarily connected to agriculture.

The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, originally signed in 2008, has since been expanded upon to the current Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, known as the Forever G.I. Bill (https://bit.ly/34BcC86), signed by President Trump in 2017. The new G.I. Bill offers education benefits in nearly all fields of study, degrees, and certification or training programs. The numerous education possibilities covered by the G.I. Bill means veterans and their families can pursue degrees of their choosing—likely contributing to more than 50% of veterans choosing to obtain degrees in non-science-and-engineering-relatedfields, such as business and management. With this in mind, the Forever G.I. Bill has purposefully incentivized veterans to pursue plant, soil, and crop sciences through the expansion of benefits for veteran students in STEM fields by offering an additional year of financial support and scholarships (https://bit.ly/2SHlFic). It is too early to determine if these new incentives will reverse the decline of veterans obtaining agricultural degrees on a national scale, but it is clear that there are abundant opportunities and appeals for veterans to pursue agricultural education.

Benefits, Ways to Offer Support

The discussion surrounding the benefits of outdoor physical activity on veteran mental health is expansive, suggesting there are obvious benefits for veterans who study or conduct research in agriculture. Enhanced well-being of veterans in agriculture likely stems from a tangible sense of accomplishment and positive impact on one’s environment. However, another less obvious benefit for veterans entering agricultural academic programs may be that these programs often have higher percentages of non-traditional and first-generation students. There are clear overlaps between non-traditional and veteran students’ experiences on college campuses, such as a reduced sense of belonging. Bringing these groups of students together may alleviate the stressors encountered by both groups and improve their academic experiences, and agricultural colleges are uniquely poised to do so.

Beyond unifying groups of students to help student veterans transition to academic life, universities should recognize that veteran students often need further support to navigate their institution. University support systems ideally include a veteran-specific resource office that employs properly trained staff and administrative personnel who are familiar with the challenges faced by veteran students. Furthermore, supporting veteran student family members, such as spouses and children, is essential but commonly overlooked at academic institutions.

With or without these resources on campus, student veterans and their dependents should know where to tap into support systems to ease their transition from military to academic life. I have compiled a list of suggestions for veteran students based on my own experience as a Marine Corps veteran in both undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the field of soil science.

Tapping into Support Resources

In summary, I want to end with an appeal for veterans to consider pursuing both undergraduate and graduate degrees in agriculture. A recent survey asked ASA, CSSA, and SSSA military veteran members what steered them to agricultural sciences. One veteran noted being intrigued with the “mystery of soils” and another mentioned enjoying the “problem-solving aspect” required for farming—both of these perspectives ring true for me as well. So, if you love being outdoors, solving problems, and enjoy being mystified, consider pursuing agricultural science!