USDA Risk Management Agency has granted the Farmer-Veteran Coalition (FVC), with help from Annie's Project of Iowa, the funds to host the "Empowering Women Veterans: Success in Agriculture Business and Well-Being" conference in Davis, Calif., in July of 2012.
This conference, the first of its kind, aims to bring women veterans together in an environment that is specifically designed to address their unique experiences and needs in agriculture.
Women veterans are an underserved and underrepresented growing population, according to FVC. The 2006 American Community Survey states, "As a proportion of the veteran population, women went from nearly 4 percent in 1980 to.6 percent in 2003.and projected to increase steadily: 8 percent in 2010.and 10 percent by 2020." Upon entry into the civilian population, women veterans face high unemployment rates as do their male veteran peers. This conference will bring women leaders in business and agriculture to speak to the veterans about the challenges faced by women in these sectors and the programs that are available to specifically help women succeed.