#42 – Margo Hale – NCAT – Armed to Farm

Margo Hale is the SE regional Director at the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). Since 1976, NCAT has been helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources. From 2011 to today, Margo has led NCAT’s efforts to train military veterans interested in agriculture through Armed to Farm, NCAT’s sustainable agriculture training program for military veterans. She has worked in the fields of sustainable livestock production, beginning farmer training, and regional sustainable agriculture outreach.

In this episode, Margo and I get into:

• Margo’s upbringing on a dairy in northern Arkansas
• The realities of starter farms as sources of family income
• The linkage between NCAT and the Farmer Veteran Coalition
• The origins of NCAT’s Armed to Farm program and all its details
• Common missteps veterans make starting a farm for the first time
• How to image your way through taking the next step to scaling your farming business