Save was established with a mission to provide a path for servicemen and women, particularly those with traumatic injuries to move into careers in agriculture

We have students enrolled in a local college and a local technical college, and have a hands-on program. Local farmers/ranchers are working in our hands-on program. The flint hills medical clinic provides support to our students and employees. This program will provide the service members and veterans with certificates within one year. The program will provide instruction in crops, livestock, farm maintenance (welding, auto repair and construction), and provide internships/apprenticeships and mentor relationships with those currently in agribusiness. Our service network includes the VA, fort riley, and organizations from both geary and riley counties. We work hand-in-hand with the VA to insure proper care of all of our service members and veterans. The save mission aligns with vistas vision to help military/veterans and their families. This will be of particular value to those faced with low income and those veterans and departing service members with physical and emotional wounds. The save program will help them to have productive and fulfilling lives with reduced stress. We can immediately use 7 vista volunteers (as described below). The save project is designed to continue in perpetuity. Once the model with KSU is proven IT will be exported to other land-grant institutions across the nation. IT is likely that no vista volunteers will be needed past 2021. The number of single family farms is in a significant decline. The average age of our farmers is 59. Approximately 60% of single family farms are in the last generation of ownership. Save is designed to provide departing service members and veterans, particularly those with injuries a bridge to agriculture and a more productive and for-filling life. Many recently separated service members and veterans have had difficulty finding a path forward and have languished; with many in relative poverty. Not only will a career in agriculture bring them a sustainable career, IT will provide a life style that will bring them relative solace. This program will help to sustain the single family farm model and will provide a sustainable supply of affordable food for local communities and markets. Save is formed as a kansas not-for-profit charitable educational corporation operating under section 501C3 of the IRS code. The organization has a board of directors comprised of KSU professors, VA officials, major agricultural agency principals and retired service members. IT has committees formed around land and buildings, programs, clinics and strategic and business plans. Save currently has teaming agreements with kansas state university, cloud county community college, manhattan area technical college and DES moines area community college. We have endorsements from (among others) fort riley, cities of manhattan and junction city, riley and gary county, the governor of kansas, kansas farm bureau, kansas farmers union, kansas rural center and the kansas department of veterans affairs. This effort is being championed by senator moran of kansas. Save has met with USDA and has testified before the senate appropriation committee with USDA. The save program in kansas is seen as a model that can be replicated across the 78 U.S. Land-grant universities. We are in receipt of a grant for a maximum of $1M for 3 years ($333K per year). For the past five years we have been working with local soldiers and veterans to familiarize them with agribusiness. We have sponsored farm tours each friday during the growing season where we take about 30 soldiers and veterans to visit local crop or animal farms and local agribusiness. The service members receive iterative tours to 25 different farms and receive briefings from local and regional governmental and non-governmental agricultural organizations. We have worked with KS