Most military veteran farmers engage in small-scale farming. They struggle to balance making a profit and handling food safety regulatory requirements. This study evaluated veteran farmers' food safety attitudes, knowledge, and practices and identified future food safety educational programming needs for this niche audience group. A total of 78 Indiana military veteran farmers completed the Web-based survey. Most veteran farmers who grew fruits and vegetables self-reported that they did not follow recommended on-farm food safety practices such as water testing, wildlife management, and farm food safety plan development because they lacked the knowledge to adopt these practices. Two major barriers to food safety education were identified: a lack of time to learn and an overwhelming amount of information. Veteran farmers preferred to receive food safety information through electronic newsletters and in-person workshops, and they preferred to attend educational events in person with small groups of veteran farmers or attend one-on-one mentoring sessions. This research represents a pilotstudy to assess the needs and barriers of military veteran farmers in food safety education. These findings provide preliminary guidance for educators and government agencies in the development of food safety education programs for military veteran farmers.
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