PROVIDING VETERANS THE
Skill to Farm By Rachael Smith, Communications Manager
MEET CHRISTOPHER LUJAN. He does not back down from a challenge. He has a thirst for knowledge, is rooted by family and has a deep passion for agriculture. So it’s not surprising that this former Marine sought out one of the only programs in the country to offer military veterans a paid internship to study and gain hands-on agricultural knowledge from world-renown researchers at Florida’s flagship land grant university. He took advantage of an opportunity in the Veterans Florida Agriculture Program (VFAP). The nine-month paid internship program provides veterans with a learning experience and the opportunity to compete in top agricultural careers. “This program has the right mindset,” said Lujan. “It mixes 8
FLORIDAGRICULTURE | APRIL/MAY 2019
applied learning with a real handson approach that gives you the skillset to succeed in agriculture.” VFAP is currently offered at seven University of Florida/ Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Research and Education Centers across the state and is expanding. VFAP is available at no cost to veterans. Jack Payne, UF’s senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources says that as an institution of public higher education, UF/IFAS is all about second chances and creating opportunities. “We see in veterans a motivated, service-oriented
Christopher Lujan, left, credits Simon Bollin’s personal drive and passion for making VFAP a success.
group with one thing between them and success in agriculture – opportunity,” said Payne. Six months of the internship is at the designated research center where students spend the first four-six weeks on rotation with a farm crew and various research faculty learning about plant production, food safety,
