Congratulations AgVet scholarship graduate Maricar Souza and her business TLC Tasty Local Creations on receiving a Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund grant from the Farmer Veteran Coalition! Funding for this program is made possible by USDA/NIFA Sec. 760 pf H.R. 244, Sec. 760 of Consolidated Approp. Act of 2017, Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans (AGVETS).

In early 2020, Maricar participated in the first Growing Veterans AgVets cohort with our partners GoFarm Hawaii. As the pandemic shut the world down, Maricar and a few fellow Veterans and their awesome farm coach focused on sustainable agriculture production practices, growing food for our community, and planting seeds for the future.

Three years later, Maricar is now an agribusiness owner of TLC Tasty Local Creations and an active volunteer in our market garden and at Hawaii Farm-to-Car. You can find her goods for sale on Hawaii Farm to Car online market as well.

The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund is a grant program that supports veterans who are in the beginning years of farming and ranching. Veterans of any branch of the U.S. Military from all service eras–including those currently serving can apply! Veterans can only apply once per year and are given 4 weeks to submit their application. After the applications are submitted, an advisory panel of agricultural industry professionals reviews submissions. The application review process can take up to two months.

Learn more about the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund and Farmer Veteran Coalition here.