Montana Senators Jon Tester and Steve D in support of transitioning veterans from field to field

Senator Tester pushes to increase opportunities for veterans by combining his continued efforts to help them with one of Montana’s leading industries. His plan is to take veterans from the battlefield to the wheat fields.

By Jenna Heberden

Full Story: http://www.abcfoxmontana.com/story/31656574/tester-in-support-of-transitioning-veterans-from-field-to-field

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Steve Daines | U.S. Senator for Montana

Dear ,

This week I secured commitment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand a key program that will assist our veterans in gaining job opportunities in agriculture.

Expanding this program to Montana is great news for both our state’s veterans and our agriculture community!

Bridges to Opportunity, a USDA program that connects veterans with employment opportunities in agriculture, recently joined forces with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce "Hiring Our Heroes" program to bolster their reach to more veterans across the country. While Montana is not currently one of the 20 states where Bridges to Opportunity is available, I’m working to make our state number 21.

In February, I sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack calling on him to urgently expand the program to Montana. You can read that letter here. http://ct.symplicity.com/t/daines/6b911dad252f2b940ed6dce029ae57c4/3344735900/realurl=https://www.daines.senate.gov/news/press-releases/daines-calls-on-usda-to-expand-veterans-employment-opportunities-to-montana

During a hearing this week, USDA assured me that Montana should expect nationwide expansion of the program by the end of this year. Rest assured, I will continue fighting to make sure that happens.

It was also great to have fourth generation Montana farmer Paul Kanning, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel from Daniels County, testify before the Appropriations Committee about the importance of employment opportunities in agriculture.

Paul spoke about his firsthand experiences as a veteran starting a career in the agriculture industry and how programs like those offered through the USDA helped provide the training and education he needed on the farm.

He also spoke about the similarities between what it takes to be a farmer and to serve in the military:

"Both are comprised of honest, reliable and trustworthy people who place a high value on integrity. Both professions entail service to a higher calling, either through defending our nation or providing food for the same."

You can watch the hearing here: http://ct.symplicity.com/t/daines/6b911dad252f2b940ed6dce029ae57c4/3344735900/realurl=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Y55NsSR3E

Agriculture is Montana’s number one industry and our farmers and ranchers, whether they produce wheat, cattle, sugar beets, pulse crops or other products play a critical role in not only feeding the U.S., but also the world.

Montana is also home to close to 100,000 veterans, giving Montana one of the highest veteran populations per capita in the nation. It is a top priority of mine to ensure that those who have served our country are able to effectively transition to civilian life and continue to apply the skills and traits that they learned in military service to their communities.

I strongly believe that agriculture can provide significant opportunities for veterans who bring invaluable leadership and knowledge to the workforce.

I’m pleased that the USDA has committed to expanding their Bridges to Opportunity program into more states and I will continue to urge them to make Montana and our veteran community their first priority.

As always, I encourage you to contact my office to express your concerns or opinions on policy issues important to you. And if we’re not already connected on social media, I invite you to follow my daily updates on Facebook and Twitter.

It’s my number one priority in Congress to represent the values and interests of the people of Montana, and your input is very helpful as I do. I also invite you to visit my website, http://www.daines.senate.gov, so we can stay in close touch.

Warmest Regards,