Veterans agriculture initiative launched

The "Homegrown by Heroes" label, unveiled on Thursday, July 2, 2015, will be placed on products produced by veteran-owned businesses.
The "Homegrown by Heroes" label, unveiled on Thursday, July 2, 2015, will be placed on products produced by veteran-owned businesses.

The Arkansas Agriculture Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs launched a new initiative Thursday that aims to help veteran-owned businesses thrive, and draw Arkansas veterans to careers in agriculture.

The Arkansas Homegrown by Heroes program provides veterans producing agriculture products with a marketing tool — a “Homegrown by Heroes” label. The label lets consumers know the product was produced by a veteran, which Gov. Asa Hutchinson said will hopefully bolster profits for veterans in the agriculture industry. The initiative also aims to draw job-seeking military members finishing active duty to the state to pursue a career in agriculture.

The program combines two things that are important to the state — veterans and agriculture, Hutchinson said. The label is an opportunity for “people of Arkansas to look a veteran in the eye and say ‘thank you for your service,’” Hutchinson said.

Veterans are “well-trained and well-positioned” to fill jobs in agriculture, the state’s top industry that offers an abundance of jobs, Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward said.

“Agriculture is an industry that’s not going away,” Ward said. “Everyone has to eat.”

Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more details.

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Gov. Asa Hutchinson unveils the "Homegrown by Heroes" label on Thursday, July 2, 2015.

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