Field to Farm

Dauntless launches grant program

By OWP Staff

Dauntless Wine Cømpany, founded in 2014 by Iraq War combat veterans Ben Martin, Ryan Mills and Paul Warmbier, continues its mission to build an interdependent network of successful farmer-veterans interested in agricultural and winemaking industries.

Just 10 months ago, the Dauntless Veteran Foundation, a nonprofit community-based organization enabling veterans to translate their talents from battlefield to farm, was incorporated. And now the DVF is launching its first-ever Veteran Agriculture Grant Program, providing financial support to veterans aspiring to become full-time farmers, value-added producers or students in agriculture.

“Whether it is in the form of tuition for an academic program, the purchase of materials or general operating costs for veterans already working in the industry, our goal is to help veterans kickstart their endeavors,” says Martin, now sole owner of the winery as well as the foundation’s board chair. “The flexibility allowed through this grant will hopefully alleviate some of the financial burdens students and interns often face while getting their bearings in the industry.”

The DVF exists, in great part, because of continuing support from generous donors. “These contributions allow us to uplift and support a broader network of veterans invested in agriculture,” Martin says.

According the Dauntless website: “Soldiering and farming have been intertwined for millennia because both require hard work and attention to detail; while tending the land is perhaps one of the oldest methods of post-war therapy...”

Applications for the grant will remain open until March 8. Awards will be announced by March 31. Find more details at www.dauntlessvf.org.