Vets In Ag Podcast

Today's episode is the second and final part of our conversation with Allan Savory, founder of the Savory Institute and one of the most influential voices in holistic management. In Part 1, we covered Allan's military background, his early ecological work in Africa, and the institutional resistance he faced when challenging deeply held beliefs in both science and policy. Today, we pick up with the practical side of his life's work—how livestock, when properly managed, can regenerate land, restore biodiversity, and stabilize food systems. As Allan said in our conversation: “If your toolbox is empty, what are you going to do? There is nothing else in the human toolbox to reverse desertification other than properly managed livestock.” We'll talk about what holistic management really means, why rewilding isn't enough, and how large-scale land restoration is not only possible—it's happening. You'll also hear Allan's thoughts on how military veterans can play a pivotal role in this movement, and why institutions—military, academic, and environmental—need to be radically restructured to meet today's ecological challenges. Let's get back into it—Part 2 with Allan Savory starts now.

Today's episode is the first in a special two-part series with a guest whose work has shaped the way millions think about land, livestock, and leadership. Allan Savory is a legend in the regenerative agriculture world—founder of the Savory Institute, developer of the holistic management framework, and a lifelong challenger of convention. From growing up in war-torn Rhodesia to commanding combat tracking units, and later reshaping global agricultural theory, Allan's story is as unconventional as it is urgent. As Allan says in today's episode: "Without agriculture, you cannot have a choir. You cannot have a church. You cannot have a university. You cannot have an economy. You cannot have a government. You cannot have an army. You cannot have anything. It is the very foundation of civilization." In Part 1, we cover his early military service, his time as a young wildlife ecologist tasked with protecting massive swaths of African rangeland, and the origin of holistic management—how it was born not from theory, but from a lifetime of ecological and military observation under fire. We also dive deep into how institutional ego, flawed beliefs, and academic dogma continue to stand in the way of solving global desertification and food insecurity. This isn't your typical ag conversation—and it's not meant to be. It's bold, unfiltered, and driven by a mission that started decades before most of us ever heard the word “regenerative.” Enjoy Part 1 with Allan Savory.

“Holy cow, there's this big gap. There's this big gap of not having that data at the ground level of farms. The big ag companies only can get so far. They don't know exactly what's happening on the ground with soil and crops and pests and disease and so forth.” In this episode, I sat down with Tom Gauthier, a former nuclear, biological and chemical specialist with the US Army and the CEO of AgTechLogic. Tom doesn't just talk about precision spraying trends or sugar coated aspects of entrepreneurship —he pulls back the curtain on what it's really like to build a mission-driven agtech company from the ground up, while staying grounded in both his military roots and a practical, field-based understanding of farming. In this episode, we break down how Tom and his team are combining chlorophyll fluorescence sensors with real-time data capture and AI-enhanced analytics — not just to spot-spray weeds, but to identify things like standing water, detect disease early, and even feed actionable intel back into the supply chain. We get into questions like: How did Tom's prior work as a chemical engineer with Proctor and Gamble influence his path into agtech? Why won't cameras alone be sufficient for addressing a growing host of weed and disease related problems? Can chlorophyll fluorescence sensors do more than just detect green weeds against a brown, dirt background? You'll hear how AgTechLogic's precision spraying systems are helping producers save hundreds of gallons of crop protection products per application. This is a candid conversation about earning trust, staying adaptable, and leading with humility. Let's get into it.

“We understood that when you start looking at food miles—how far your food has traveled and who's producing it—and when you realize that there are four companies that control 85% of the animal protein sold in the United States, that's really concerning to me from a national security standpoint, especially when those companies are not all American-owned” Today's episode is Part 2 of our conversation with retired Army Sergeant Major Kara Rutter. In Part 1, Kara shared her unexpected journey through military service—from insisting on becoming a cook, to cooking for Secretary Rumsfeld, to representing the U.S. military overseas in some of the most strategically important regions of the world. We left off as Kara and her husband Matt had just found their 20-acre farm in Aiken, South Carolina and were beginning to turn their post-military life into something new. In Part 2, we pick up with a powerful discussion on food systems, national security, and what it could take to localize protein sourcing for military bases. Kara shares her thoughts on decentralizing food supply chains, the vulnerabilities exposed during COVID, and why she sees food as a matter of strategic defense. We also dive into the creation of Project Victory Gardens, their nonprofit focused on helping veterans become farmers, the success of their “farmer boot camp,” and a deeper look at their new agritourism incubator program. If you're interested in how veterans are reshaping agriculture—not just for themselves but for their communities—this episode is for you. Enjoy!

“I've worked in a lot of countries around the world, in the defense attaché system, and then in later positions. There is a cost of doing business in certain parts of the world” Today's conversation is a special two-part series featuring retired Army Sergeant Major Kara Rutter. From her beginnings as an Army cook—despite everyone telling her not to take the job—to working in the Secretary of Defense's mess, and later serving as part of the Defense Attaché system in Ukraine, Kenya, and Namibia, Kara brings a unique and strategic perspective to both military service and food systems. In Part 1 of our conversation, Kara walks us through her journey from enlisting in the Army to traveling the world in high-level diplomatic roles. We talk about what it was like to cook for Secretary Rumsfeld, sit as a fly on the wall as strategic decisions played out in the early days of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and see firsthand how global policy is shaped. Kara also shares her transition out of the military and how she and her husband landed on a 20-acre property in Aiken, South Carolina—fencing pastures, collecting “practice animals,” and building a new chapter on their farm. This episode sets the stage for a larger conversation about national food security, agritourism, and veteran-led farming. In Part 2, we'll pick up with Kara's take on using cattle and local food systems to support military bases, and how that led to the founding of Project Victory Gardens and the creation of veteran-focused boot camps and agritourism incubators. For now, settle in for Part 1 with Kara Rutter—it's a story of service and the earliest seeds of something much bigger. Lets get into it.

“One of the biggest things I've learned in both the military and agriculture is that success isn't just about what you know—it's about who you surround yourself with. If you build the right team and focus on the mission, you can accomplish just about anything.” In this episode, I'm joined by Charley Jordan, a retired US Army aviator and Special Operations veteran who has channeled his military experience into a thriving career in floriculture and veteran mentorship. Charley shares his journey from flying MH-47 Chinooks with the 160th Special Operations Aviation unit to building Jordan Farms in Tennessee, where he grows specialty flowers for his community. We talk about the challenges of transitioning out of the military, the importance of mentorship, and how programs like TN AgVols are helping veterans step into agriculture with confidence. If you're a veteran looking to carve out your place in agriculture or just want to hear an inspiring story of resilience and reinvention, this episode is for you. Let's get into it

"It allows you to operate on your cattle instead of in them." In this quote, our guest is referring to their livestock collars as tools that allow producers to zoom out from the day-to-day operations and understand their herd in a more intimate way. Justin Wells, a former US Marine, is the US Country Manager for Halter – a New Zealand based animal tech company specializing in virtual fencing and pasture management solutions. In his role, Justin leads Halter's expansion into the US market, focusing on establishing market presence, building partners, and leading their sales efforts. Halter's system utilizes solar-powered collars to enable producers to virtually fence their pastures and monitor their livestock through audio cues and data analytics. Our conversation picks up with Justin describing his early upbringing in a small town in Michigan and what originally drew him towards the Marine Corps.

“The stress, the resources, the environment, that's all going to come and go, but you have the capability to be successful.” In this quote, our guest is describing his life-changing experiences with the US Army in Syria and how that gave him the confidence he needed to jump into agriculture full time. Brice Myers is a soon-to-retire US Army 5th Group Special Forces solider turn rancher. He was recently appointed the Veteran Outreach Coordinator for an AgVets grant awarded to the state of Tennessee - Ag VOLs. In this capacity, he's responsible for assisting veterans with educational opportunities, multi-day workshops, and helping them find resources to start their own farms or agribusinesses. On their own family farm outside Nashville, Foggy Meadows Farm, they primarily bale hay and raise feeder pigs, goats, and a variety of poultry species. Our conversation picks up with Brice talking about a program he participated in turning his military transition called the Honor Foundation and why the venture capital space wasn't where he wanted to be long term. If you're interested in learning more about Tennessee AgVOLs, please reach out to Brice on LinkedIn, by email (info@agvols.org) or connect with them on their Facebook page.

“Consistency is a huge problem with biologicals. It works one year, it doesn't work another year. It works over here, it doesn't work over there.” This quote from our guest this week is referring to the early struggles of biologicals where it was extremely difficult to consistently produce a product with a living organism as the primary benefit. Our guest this week is Eddy Mejia – CEO for Earnest Ag – an ag biotech startup developing a variety of organic microbial products that help farmers provide plant nutrients and protect against disease. Eddy is a US Army telecommunications veteran with a background in computer engineering who managed to find his way into the niche world of microbials after meeting his co-founder at a university startup program. This type of business partnership is not uncommon in the world I frequent, where veterans find the right sources and partners and build something with a bigger purpose in mind. Have a listen as this young man from the suburbs of Chicago with parents from the agricultural epicenter of Colombia makes his way into the world of microbial production, how their product is attempting to standout in a saturated market, the logistics of keeping a living organism alive on a seed as a coating, and how COVID turned out to be good timing for Eddy and his team.

During the interview, our guest on the podcast this week said, “farmers and ranchers are the ones that are going to have to do the change, but the ones that are going to push for change are outside agriculture.” Our guest this week is Eric Fuchs. Eric is a US Air Force veteran and consultant with Understand Ag. In this capacity, he works specifically with all aspects of the drinking water industry with an emphasis on source water protection and the agricultural community. Eric and his wife also own a livestock operation in Missouri where they use regenerative techniques with holistic grazing and soil health practices. Eric's earlier quote gives us some insight into how he thinks about change and where it can originate from. Eric was one of the few who was able to purchase his own farm, while still in the Air Force, and make it work as a business over the next 20 years. Eric is a great storyteller and this episode takes listeners through how he did this, how practices and conversations have changed drastically in the last 5 years around regenerative ag, and what the future could looks like between Understanding Ag and the military veteran community.

“The only person who's surprised is the guy who's been here 31 years.” This quote from our guest this week was just one of the many times during the interview he mentioned an instance where things that just seemed normal to him in his everyday job of managing cattle using adaptive grazing methods was producing results that were shocking to his colleagues and producers who have seen cattle graze this same land for decades before. That guest is Eric Czaja. Eric is an active-duty US Army Special Forces Major serving as a full-time faculty member with the Naval Post Graduate School. Based in Camp San Louis Obispo, California, Eric is leading a ground-breaking proof of concept program with the US Army specializing in the implementation of regenerative agricultural and grazing practices aboard a military installation. The program is called Regenerative Grazing Open Air Lab, or R-GOAL for short. This proof of concept is designed to enhance soil health, improve land management, restore ecosystem functions, and increase DoD installation resiliency. In this episode, we dive immediately into the details of this proof-of-concept program, how they've trained the animals, why the DoD is interested in these practices, the near-immediate benefits they've seen in the cattle's grazing and behavior habits, and Eric's plan for this program to expand and outlive him. Enjoy!

"This is an unregulated market and you know military guys right, they like not having this overarching theme. Regulation will add value to this space, but right now, it's an unregulated and non-voluntary market, which is different from other countries being mandated to participate." The quote from our guest this week, James Clement, is referring to the carbon credit market. He's honest about the wild west nature of the space right now, but also realistic about the benefits certain regulation could bring. James is a seasoned rancher and innovative leader in agtech, currently serving as Senior Vice President of Grass and Rangeland at EarthOptics. James's family have nearly 400 years of combined family ranging experience, including operations like Beggs Cattle Co and King Ranch. He also founded his own cattle company in Kingsville, TX called Bloody Buckles Cattle Co, a hat tip to the 28th Army Division. James is currently still in the Marine Corps reserves with more than 17 years of service. Like most competitive brothers, James still wanted to join the Marines to follow his brother, but he enlisted in the reserves while his brother pursued the officer route through the Naval Academy. Fortunately or unfortunately, James ultimately ended up as a Marine officer, which set off one of the more interesting military careers I've heard of: - Afghan deployment from 2012 - 2013 - Military Transition Team (MTT) in South America training seven different Latin American countries forces' infantry tactics -Another MTT to train Mexican Marines in reconnaissance and amphibious operations - Afghan refugee camp outside Fort Pickett, Virginia for 3,000 refugees. Have a listen as James and I weave our way through this fascinating military career and end up at his current position with EarthOptics. The work they're doing with soil health monitoring and their use of a variety of different technologies to gather this data is quite differentiated in this space. Enjoy!

I started looking into grant writing, and realized that this is kind of like being the garbage man of the industry. There's just not a lot of people that want to do it. This quote from our guest this week, Juan Whiting, may be true in that there are not many professionals who want to take on this task, but it can be a necessary and prudent decision for an early-stage company or growers/ranchers to access capital without giving away equity. Juan Whiting is the owner of a consultancy called Stray Acres - a grant writing consulting company that develops tailored funding strategies and grant proposals for high-impact agricultural projects around the world. Juan also serves as an agricultural specialist with the US Army Civil Affairs department as a subject matter expert. He recently authored a book titled The Holistic Funding Approach: Powerful Techniques and Strategies to Put Millions of Agricultural Grant Funding in the Right hands”. Right after high school, Juan's path led him into missionary work with the LDS church in Kenya. He was immediately exposed to a civil war and food insecurity. This began to cement in his mind the importance of agriculture. Following some training with the US Marine Corps and graduate schooling, Juan found his way back into Africa, this time into Rwanda, for the next 6 years working on ag impact investment projects for a foundation before returning to the states to start Stray Acres. This episode is all about Juan's fascinating journey into agricultural farm management in a developing country, the US Army's modern day Monument's Man program, the nuances of grant writing, and much more. Enjoy!

Our guest on this episode, Jeff Jeffers, could pinpoint the exact moment he knew farming was the career for him following military service. It came after a retreat with the Farmer Veteran Coalition and in the car ride home, Jeff looked over at this soon-to-be co-founder, Steve, and said, “We're gonna be freakin' farmers”. James “Jeff” Jeffers is the co-founder of a non-profit based in Dallas, TX called F.A.R.M. – Farmers Assisting Returning Military. Jeff and the team at FARM are dedicated to providing military veterans with internships, educational opportunities, and hands-in-the-dirt experience through a variety of agricultural settings. Jeff grew up outside Indianapolis playing in the woods and eventually falling in love with the outdoors through hunting and fishing. After high school and a brief stint working in Florida, he fell victim to one of the Army's 1990s “Be All You Can Be” television advertisements and literally signed up the next day. This began a multi-year, multi-deployment experience in the US Army infantry starting before 9/11 and encompassing several deployments to Iraqi during the height of the fighting. After several close calls with enemy grenades and a car bomb, Jeff was medically retired with a traumatic brain injury and began the uncertain journey of building a life outside the Army. This episode is all about that journey and Jeff's passion today for helping veterans in agriculture. He provides some of the most practical and down-to-earth advice for military veterans looking to get involved in ag I've ever heard. If you're interested in getting started in farming after the miliary, then this episode is a must listen!

"Every one of these roles throughout my career on the civilian side gave me a certain experience I needed to pursue my journey to run a business.” Growing up in the suburbs outside St. Paul, Elmar knew early on he wanted to serve in the military. The events of 9/11 at the beginning of his college years nearly shook him off his path, but he stayed the course and finished his undergraduate degree in international business. During his Army career, he deployed twice – once to Bagdad in 2007 during the height of the surge and a second time, 11 years later, to Central Europe in a civil affairs capacity. Elmar continues to serve in the Army today, transitioning to the Reserves in 2009 where he's coming up on 19 years of service. Today, Elmar is on a very intentional path towards gathering the skills necessary to manage a business at the corporate level. From an early yogurt plant manager at General Mills to his current role at Cargill in acidulent production, Elmar's experiences across agriculture can serve as a road map for those interested in pursuing a similar career. Have a listen as his military time continues to serve him well in his current role and some fascinating details about citric acid production!

"To me, the question of a changing climate is not a political question. But I became very aware that the people in my generation who right now have both the political and economic authority, don't have the political or economic will to make those changes. So I thought, ok, think globally, but act locally. Is there actually something that I can do?” Our guest this week is Ken Smith - a Navy veteran and now a Savory Institute Accredited Professional Associate Educator based in Fort Worth, TX. Ken teaches holistic management practices to military veterans and civilians alike all over the country. From humble beginning on a small sustainable farm in Arkansas, then to the Navy Academy and Vietnam followed by a long career in manufacturing. Towards the end of this chapter, Ken began to wonder if there was something he could do to change the way businesses thought about sustainability. This passion began with for-profit businesses, but Ken quickly realized he could make a more meaningful contribution to sustainability if he focused his efforts on agricultural land management. Allan Savoy's 2013 TED Talk was the turning point for him. Enjoy this episode as Ken and I get into our shared military experiences afloat in the vast oceans, a shockingly similar early childhood for him and my kids, and why Ken, throughout the episode, kept coming back to the phrase, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

“The wine starts the conversation. It brings people in and sets them up for what we're really trying to do, which is support our community through agriculture.” This was a beautifully simple explanation by one of our guests describing how a for-profit entity can not only enable a non-profit effort but can also serve as a funnel to drive like-minded individuals towards a common goal. We have two guests on the podcast this week - Ben Martin and Leanne Babcock – both with the Dauntless Veterans Foundation. Ben was an early guest on the podcast (episode 8) and is the founder and winemaker at Dauntless Wine Co – a veteran-owned and operated winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon whose ultimate mission is to give back to warriors in need by offering them a place to learn about agriculture. Leanne Babcock grew up in Oregon's Willamette Valley picking blueberries and plums on her grandfather's orchard. She enlisted in the US Air Force in 2003 working on emergency vehicles before being commissioned as an officer several years later and began that chapter of her career as a logistician.  She is currently supporting logistics and engineering efforts as an individual mobilized augmentee assigned to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado.   Our conversation picks up with Ben describing what it was like having Leanne first show up to Dauntless Wine Company and making her intentions clear that she wanted to support their efforts help veterans in the Willamette Valley through a non-profit foundation. Have a listen to this episode to find out this team's early struggles with starting a non-profit in a post-pandemic world, the interplay between a for-profit entity and the foundation, and the story behind how how Dauntless's largest donor last year was 9-year old boy! Enjoy!

“Only 7% of all technical information is transmitted through the verbal word. Everything else is done through body language, rhythm speed, volume, intonation, etc.” But what do verbal and non-verbal communication have to do with veterans in agriculture? Our guest this week on the #VetsIn Ag podcast referenced this quote while describing his own transition into the private sector. William Foster, an agricultural equipment technician at Ben Burgess and Co., a John Deere dealer in the UK, began his career in the British Army leading and teaching tracked vehicle reconnaissance and equipment. There he developed a set of tangible and intangible skills that should have been directly transferrable to the agricultural machinery sector. However, due to an early career rejection and a typo in a presentation request, a passion was ignited in Will to close this skill gap and prove to his current employer that he had what it took to be successful in this industry. Have a listen to this episode to find out how Will ended up here, his passion for helping veterans transfer their skills to a new career, and his views on the future of mechanized machinery in ag and the nuances of a farmer's right to repair.

It sucks to suck Our guest for this week is Greg Putnam, President and Co-Founder at Little Belt Cattle Co, a Montana-based cattle ranch which provides sustainably-raised, 100% Montana beef to the local markets in Bozeman and Big Sky. After spending some time working in the outdoor industry after college, Greg decided it was now or never to join the military. After a successful 10-year career as a Navy SEAL, Greg and his family left the military and settled back into Montana so his three young daughters could have the life they always wanted . As Greg tells it, there was no master plan that shaped this new direction in his life, but like many military veterans, he had a passion for ranching and cattle production and was willing to put in the work to learn something from the ground. Have a listen to find out from Greg why it “sucks to suck.” Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/littlebeltcattleco/

If you can identify the most worthy goal for you personally, why would you do anything else? This is the fourth episode in our multi-part series sponsored by Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC), a national non-profit organization mobilizing veterans to feed America and transition from military service to careers in agriculture. This series will showcase unique partnerships between FVC and several organizations offering programs and support for military veterans in agriculture. Our guest today is Joshua Morris, owner/operator at Cold Spring Farm in the Missouri Ozarks. He's also a Farmer Veteran Coalition member, Fellowship Fund recipient and Kubota's Geared to Give recipient. Joshua has worn many hats throughout his military career and into the agriculture: Parachutist, Engineer, Real Estate Investor, Bison Rancher, Show Goat Expert, Cattlemen, Published Author, and YouTuber. We get into all of this during today's episode and Joshua shares some fantastic information about how to create niche agricultural opportunities wherever you settle. And the Farmer Veteran Coalition has been along for the entire ride the entire time!

"I try to live everyday to the fullest" Our guest this week is Liz Riffle, owner/operator at Riffle Farms, the first commercial bison operation in the state of West Virginia authorized to field harvest animals for sale as individual cuts. Liz's journey from growing up in a small-town in New Hampshire after the fast-paced life of moving around the country with her Navy pilot father and nursing mother is so relatable for many veterans! After being assigned to the Wounded Warrior unit at Walter Reed as a 22-year old nurse in the middle of two wars, Liz managed to reach back to her time growing up with horses as a way to cope with the difficulties of this assignment. She also met her husband, Jimmie, here and after 8 years in the Navy, set off as a trail blazer into the field of commercial bison production. This episode is all about that journey – what it's like to raise bison, the regulatory and logistical challenges of starting something so nuanced, and real conversations about holistic management and farm profitability. Liz is such a great orator that I hope you find this conversation as interesting and engaging as I did. Enjoy!

This is the third episode in our multi-part series sponsored by Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC), a national non-profit organization mobilizing veterans to feed America and transition from military service to careers in agriculture. This series will showcase unique partnerships between FVC and several organizations offering programs and support for military veterans in agriculture. Our guest for this episode with Malissa Burgess, an Assistant Manager with Analytic Acquisitions. Malissa is working as a small business vendor contracted by the USDA to implement the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. Based in Katy, Malissa is working throughout the great state of Texas conducting outreach and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers applying for the program. If you're interested in the applying for the program or have already started applying, but are stuck at certain parts of the application, Malissa does a great job of condensing this application process into digestible parts with practical ways to navigate each step. Enjoy!

This is the second installment in our two-part episode with Sawyer Clark from Gold Leaf Farming. In the previous episode, Sawyer and I talked about his early farming experiences in Oregon, his activity duty Army time, and his transition from military service into business school before landing at Gold Leaf.  In this episode, Sawyer and I dive into the details about Gold Leaf Farming: Who they are What they do Why they do it the way they do, and How they approach both farmland investment and management. It's a unique position they sit in – both investor and manager – but it creates a sort of “vertical integration” within the farmland management space that sets them aside from their peers. Their long-term vision, ability to invest in that vision, and skill to make that vision a reality are things Gold Leaf does quite well. Enjoy!

"Every job is a people job" Our guest this week is Sawyer Clark. Sawyer is a former Army intelligence officer and the Director of Asset Management at Gold Leaf Farming. In this capacity, Sawyer leads a team that farms ~5,800 acres of pistachios, almonds, and dates all the way from northern California to Yuma, Arizona. Since its inception six years ago, Gold Leaf has grown to 85 full-time employees, 27 farms, and more than 12,000 acres.   From his time growing up in Oregon farming blueberries and hazelnuts to a short but meaningful career in the Army, Sawyer never really struggled with a lack of purpose like many veterans. Sure, he had several “what's next” moments, but that uncertainty, at least to me, never seemed to linger much for him. Before leaving the Army, a small side hustle selling ammunition from his apartment seemed like a great way to explore business. Next was a stint at Stanford for his MBA where he spent less than three months wondering what might be next before landing a job at Gold Leaf even before graduating. Through all of those experiences and into Gold Leaf, Sawyer never lost track of the fact that every job in a people job, but especially in agriculture. There were so many great lessons learned from Sawyer's early career and unique aspects to Gold Leaf's business that we decided to make this interview into two episodes! Enjoy this first installment that dives deeper into Sawyer's background before Gold Leaf.

"Remember that you will become like the five people you spend the most time with." Our guest this week is AJ Richards. AJ is a combat veteran, entrepreneur, and CEO of Sustenance Earth, an early-stage SAAS marketplace that plans to connect consumers directly to local food producers, starting with beef. His passion for ag stems from his family ranching background in Southern Utah, followed by an enlistment in the Army National Guard and a deployment to Iraqi from 2005-2006. Like many veterans, AJ struggled to find his purpose following military service, spending time selling pest control products, working in the oil field, self-development coaching, managing a USDA beef processing plant, and starting a CrossFit style fitness competition. The quote above comes from a realization during this search that he was not surrounded by the type of people who would have a positive impact on this life. So he made a change. In this episode, AJ and I discuss the myriad of business opportunities he's been a part of, some of them unsuccessful, and the lessons learned from those experiences. It was enjoyable following this story during our conversation where he never lost sight of his desire to be back in agriculture. Sustenance Earth was born out of those experiences as well as the struggles we all saw with the food supply chain during COVID. Listen in as AJ describes his path to be the “Airbnb” for the food supply chain. You can follow AJ on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. He's also started a discord group geared towards helping producers find interested buyers. The group can be found here - www.feedthepeoplebythepeople.com

This is the second episode in the multi-part series sponsored by Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC), a national non-profit organization mobilizing veterans to feed America and transition from military service to careers in agriculture. Our guest this week is Stephen Carpenter. Stephen a graduate of Stanford Law School and the Deputy Director and Senior Staff Attorney for Farmers' Legal Action Group (FLAG). At FLAG, Stephen focuses on disaster assistance, federal farm programs, sustainable agriculture, and of course, discrimination in agricultural lending. In this episode, Stephen and I get into his upbringing on a dairy farm western Missouri and like many kids who grew up on a dairy, his fond memories of that time are mostly in retrospect. We talk about his father's time as a Korean war veteran and how as a young adult during the farming crisis, Stephen recalls the difficulty of that part of his family's farm. It was this experience that began to lay the groundwork for what is clearly a passion of Stephen's – helping those in need. We take a deeper dive into the USDA's Discrimination Financial Assistance Program – what classifies as discrimination, who are these 3rd party groups who will make the final determination on applications, how the applications should be written, what type of evidence you should present, how awardees will be taxed, and much much more. Enjoy! Farmers' Legal Action Group (FLAG) - www.flaginc.org FVC Email Support - support@farmvetco.org FVC Website w/ UDSA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program Additional information - https://farmvetco.org/dfap-22007/

This is the first episode in another multi-part series sponsored by Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC), a national non-profit organization mobilizing veterans to feed America and transition from military service to a career in agriculture. This series will showcase unique partnerships between FVC and several organizations offering programs and support for military veterans in agriculture. Our guests this week are Monica Rainge and Jeanette Lombardo. Monica is serving on the leadership team for the USDA's Section 22007 efforts of the Inflation Reduction Act to implement programs at the USDA, specifically the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. Jeanette is the Executive Director of FVC, leading their Waco Texas based team in support of their 40,000-member organization across the United States. This episode is chock-full of information about a forthcoming financial assistance program offered by the USDA focused on farmers who have been discriminated against by the USDA's loan programs in the past. A unexpected turn of events, I know, but it showed me that even an organization as large as the USDA can admit when it needs make right some of the wrongs of the past. While the application window and standards are still being finalized, you'll want to have a listen before you apply to better understand the origins of this program and who the USDA considers an ideal candidate. Jeanette and Moncia do an excellent job talking about what this program means to them and why the partnership was formed between the USDA and FVC. Stay tuned to the end where they describe recent scams out there perpetrated by law firms and others looking to take advantage of future applicants.

"I help people that have a dream to get into farming that could not get this opportunity elsewhere." Our guest this week is Nicole Cleggs-Burns, a Farm Loan Chief at USDA Farm Service Agency. At the USDA, Nicole directs and advises on farm loan programs administered through Service Centers throughout Alabama and works directly with farmers to help them navigate the loan programs offered through the USDA. She was fortunate enough to follow two dreams at the same time – a career in the medical field through the military and agriculture. That good fortunate has followed her forward where she still serves as a reservist and a full-time farm loan chief today. There is so much information in this episode about the types of loans available through the USDA Farm Service Agency, applicant criteria, flexible repayment options, etc…all seasoned with Nicole's personal advice and experience. If you're a beginning farmer or in the midst of family succession planning and transition, you won't want to miss this episode. Stay tuned to the end where she describes another element of her career and family life that makes her accomplishments that much more impressive.

Our guest this week is Reece Lodder, Head of Sales & Marketing at Friesla, a Washington-based company providing onsite, USDA- approved, fully customizable meat processing systems. With consumer demands for locally raised meat products rising, Friesla's customizable and modular systems allow farmers and ranchers to have complete control over onsite meat processing – from slaughter to sale. Between serving in public relations with the Marine Corps, the loss of a friend in combat, and navigating his family through his wife's battle with brain cancer, Reece has gained a clarity in his calling: caring for others. This drive to help cattle producers define opportunities and craft solutions best for their businesses is evident throughout our conversation. Truly one of the finest people I've had the privilege of meeting in a long time.

"You just gotta do it. Do the research, do the best you can, then just go." A sentiment shared by many entrepreneurs as they manage multiple careers and the uncertainty of starting a new business. This is the third and final episode in our three-part series in partnership with Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC). This series showcases partnerships between FVC and organizations offering programs in agriculture tailored for military veterans. We interview stakeholders within the organization as well as a military veteran who participated in its programs. This week our guests are Keith King, Founder and CEO at the National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) and Tyler Evans, US Marine Corps veteran Founder of Brookside Plant Farm. The NVBDC is a national non-profit focused on certifying veteran-owned businesses for the purposes of connecting them with their corporate members to pursue commercial opportunities. Tyler is currently working in cyber security but plans to leverage his certification from the NVBDC to grow his nursery business in the coming years. You'll hear a lot about the entrepreneurial spirit in this episode, which is of course important when starting a business, but the humility through which Keith and Tyler communicate their own personal uncertainties around starting businesses is as equally important. Stay tuned for more on the NVBDC, how much it costs, how to quality, etc and learn from Tyler as he lays out his path into the nursery business in real-time. For more information about NVBDC, visit www.nvbdc.org.  You can reach Keith on his LinkedIn profile here (https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkingassociates/) or by email at kking@nvbdc.org Tyler's nursery business, Brookside Plant Farms, can be found at www.brooksideplantfarm.com. Product and details are forthcoming! This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Agreement No. 2022-70416-37277.

This is the second episode in our three-part series in partnership with Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC). This series showcases partnerships between FVC and organizations offering programs in agriculture tailored for military veterans. We interview stakeholders within the organization as well as a military veteran who participated in its programs. This week our guests are Dave Carter, Director of Regional Technical Assistance Coordination for the Flower Hill Institute and Marvin Frink, US Army veteran and Founder of Briarwood Cattle Farm and Briarwood Customs Meats. Both from humble beginnings in rural America, Dave found his passion for agriculture through journalism and an intentional choice to pursue non-commoditized meat production. He later found commonalities between the tight knit group of families he grew up with and the military veterans he's fortunate to work with today through a partnership with FVC. After a nearly 30 year career of service, Marvin's life was almost cut short by his own hand before his father and a Vietnam veteran and cattle farmer turned him onto the healing properties and lifestyle of cattle rearing. The Farmer Veteran Coalition gave him his start and continues to provide the framework, support and branding required to take the Briarwood brand to the next level. You don't want to miss this episode where we talk about Briarwood's unique strategy for making their beef stand-out and Dave's lifetime of insights packed into a single episode! For more information about the Flower Hill Institute and how to apply for technical assistance, visit www.flowerhill.institute or apply directly to the USDA's Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity Technical Assistance (MPPTA) Program here. Marvin Frink and Briarwood Cattle Farms and Custom Meats can be found at www.briarwoodcattlefarm.com This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Agreement No. 2022-70416-37277.

We are thrilled to announce a partnership with Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) and the Vets In Ag Podcast! This is the first episode in a three-part series which showcases partnerships between FVC and organizations offering programs in agriculture tailored for military veterans. We will interview stakeholders within the organization as well as military veterans who participated in its programs. Our first episode features Curtis Mahnken, an Extension Economist with the Center for Farm Financial Management (CFFM) at the University of Minnesota and Eric Zirbes, a Marine Corps veteran, 5th generation farmer, and owner/operator at Zirbes Family Farms in Melrose, Minnesota. In this episode, we cover everything from transitioning farm records from pen and paper to digital to how to find niche markets for products based on market trends and your own personal passions. For more information about the Center for Farm Financial Management's Virtual Business Management Program, contact Curtis Mahnken at cmahnken@umn.edu or visit https://z.umn.edu/VFBM-Interest. The pilot program is available virtually to qualified veterans and members of Farmer Veteran Coalition for only $100. Eric Zirbes and the Zirbes Family Farms beef can be found on Facebook or online at www.ez5angusbeef.com. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Agreement No. 2022-70416-37277.

Our guests this week are Chip Perrin and David Billings, Owner and Executive Board member with Coastal Plains Meat Company based in Eunice, Louisiana. As the largest harvest facility in Louisiana with a growing direct-to-consumer ecommerce platform and customer processing capability, Chip and David are working to solve a processing bottleneck in the state of Louisiana for Louisiana producers. Their joint backgrounds in military service and cattle production provide them a level of leadership and practical experience not typically found in the localized meat processing/packaging sector. In this episode, the three of us get into: Their military backgrounds and serendipitous meeting at a young entrepreneurs' conference in Houston Consumer preferences pushing against the traditional business models of middlemen choosing what they can buy from the grocery story and more towards direct from the farm with specialized preferences like “grass finished” or “all natural” The feedback loop from a facility like Coastal Plains to the producer regarding things like yield and quality data, which will help them make better decisions about their genetics and breeding programs The educational role Coastal Plains is providing in helping their producers better understand consumer preferences, which will ultimately determine their process. The origin of their ecommerce platform from a small pilot program in a targeted market segment to a reliable revenue stream shipping across the state. Enjoy!

Our guest this week took us to a place we don't usually go on the podcast. Yes, he's a veteran and yes he's involved in agriculture, but his mission focuses on using agriculture as a means to heal men in crisis. Kris Wilson is the Logistics Manager for Rockside Ranch, a working ranch in a rural community aimed at helping young men overcome crisis and live the life they were created to live. Kris served 23 years with the US Army National Guard where he led and supervised hundreds of soldiers over his career, including multiple combat theaters. Upon retirement, he and his family moved to Scott Valley after hearing a calling to ministry. At Rockside, Kris uses his background and training to develop leadership, organization, and effective teamwork . In addition, Kris is actively pursuing a Theological Seminary degree. In this episode, Kris and I get into: His military career spanning four deployments to two theaters of war and a near-death experienceThe Hand of God at work in his life setting the conditions for his retirement from the Army and move back to California and into a mission at Rockside RanchRockside's mission of “talking life into a group of rough men” using agriculture as their medium for changeThe principles of stewardship and the values that can impart on young men who have taken that for granted most of their life Enjoy!

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 ArkansasThe realities of starter farms as sources of family incomeThe linkage between NCAT and the Farmer Veteran CoalitionThe origins of NCAT's Armed to Farm program and all its detailsCommon missteps veterans make starting a farm for the first timeHow to image your way through taking the next step to scaling your farming business

Our guest this week is Jake Dailey – Founder of Rake Force, a veteran-owned, non-profit focused on regenerative agroforestry practices like fuel fire reduction and biochar creation as well as providing a therapeutic environment for veterans to experience ag. Growing up on public land in Idaho, Jake spent his early years outdoors- hunting, fishing, and working in environmental conservation. His father and step-father both serviced in the military and he was born on July 4th in Pearl Harbor, so it was almost pre-ordained that Jake would also serve his country. He enlisted in the Army in 2007 where he later deployed to Iraq before leaving the Army several years later. During this deployment, Jake was faced with an event that dramatically changed the direction of his life after service and moved him into agriculture as a way to cope.  In this episode, we get into: The tragedy during deployment and how it affected his life followingHis difficult transition out of the ArmyHis trial and error with a variety of different jobs and interestsHis foray into homesteading and eventually Rake ForceRegenerative agroforestry, biochar creation, hügelkultur, and fuel reduction activities Enjoy!

This is the final episode in our series with military veterans at Seaboard Foods. Our guest this week is Kevin Sanders – Environmental Compliance and Maintenance Manager for Seaboard Foods in Iowa. In this capacity, Kevin is responsible for providing environmental compliance support for Seaboards' operations in Iowa as well as Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and Colorado. Kevin grew up on a farm in West Central, Missouri. One of five with three brothers, his Mom often dispatched the three of them across the county as cheap labor baling hay all summer long. It's not the first time either we've had a guest talk about bumping into the Marine recruiter first and then making a decision right then and there to join up. This is exactly what happened to Kevin and he spent the next six years in the Corps in places like Japan as a mechanic. In this episode, we talk about: - What it was like for him to stand in front of 100 Marines for the first time at 20 years old - The idea of giving his employees the ability to own their decisions - Taping college notes to the steering wheel of the tractor while he was working at the farm to put himself through school - 20+ year career in environment management in the pork industry - The roll technology is playing today with fertilizer management - Why the younger generation is ideally suited to take up this new mantle

Work is not a problem. Focus on doing things right the first time. More information allows you to do it better the first time. Three succinct phrases of wisdom from our guest this week - Dr. Robert 'Bob' Wample - Director of Science and Technology for LandScan - a company developing intelligence site characterization and analysis technology for applications in the agricultural sector. Dr. Wample is a plant physiologist by trade with 20+ years of experience in plant-related science and soil variability. In this episode, we talked about: - Lessons learned early in Bob's life on the farm focused on doing things right the first time - A Marine Corps career in places like Ethiopia and Nepal - Navigating a military transition during the Vietnam War - An impressive 20+ year career studying the relationship between soil variability and crop performance - Aggregating data layers at LandScan to deliver a product capable of improving decisionmaking - Balancing speed to market through sensor interoperability with proprietary sensor and software development I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

You have to understand your situational awareness. If something isn't working right, you need to make a quicker call. This the second interview in our series with military veterans at Seaboard Foods. This week's guest is Brock Puffett - Multi-Site Supervisor at Seaboard, a top US pork producer/processor and leading global exporter. At Seaboard, Brock is responsible for everything that happens at multiple swine barns under his direct supervision – health and quality of life of the animals, facility maintenance, personnel issues…everything. In this episode, we get into: Brock's childhood summers working on a farm in Iowa baling hay and picking rockHis decision to join the Navy which took him all over the worldA hard lesson he learned late one night on the flight deck in the middle of the oceanHow pigs are the easy part; it's the people who need the most attentionCapturing mistakes from the military and bringing them forward into the ag profession

This is the first in a series of interviews we plan to do with a variety of military veterans at Seaboard Foods in an effort to showcase the diversity of careers possible within the animal protein space. "You never know what someone's influences are on the type of decisions they make until you really get to know them" Our first guest is Will Clark – International Sales Representative for Seaboard Foods – a top US pork producer/processor and leading exporter to 30+ countries. Will is one Seaboard's more than 5,000 employees across five states and specializes in exporting their products to the Japanese market. In addition to maintaining Seaboard's relationship with their Japanese clients, Will is responsible for price tracking, inventory management, and new product development. In this episode, we talk about: Will's early career in the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan with a Police Transition TeamHow he used these experiences to better understand how individual circumstances make a huge impact on personal decisionmakingThe nuances of the Japanese pork market and their focus on traceabilityLabor shortages and the pros/cons of technology to solve these problems

"We're probably at the most pivotal point in agriculture, since we went from horse and plows to tractors" Our guest this week is Andy Syrcle - Strategic Initiatives Manager with Raven Industries - a leader in precision ag, aerospace, and defense technologies. Andy's role with Raven is to help guide them into new and promising markets through analysis, intelligence, and customer relationships. Since 1956, Raven has designed, produced, and delivered solutions to the agricultural market, earning a reputation as an industry leader in autonomous technology. In this episode, we get into: His family's struggles growing up on a farm in the late 1980sTen years and a lifetime's worth of experience as a linguist in the USAFThe current state of automation in agriculture and his thoughts on what the future holdsHow Andy has translated his skills from the military to a place like Raven

"The most valuable thing that founders have, in the beginning, is there time." Our guest this week is Evan Cohen – Accelerator Manager for SVG Ventures | THRIVE – a leading agtech accelerator and venture investor based in Los Angeles, California. After barely making it to his infantry unit before deploying to Iraq in 2008, Evan returned safely and was accepted as an intern with the Obama Administration, working in the Office of Legislative Affairs in the White House. He was eventually offered a full-time position in the department where he spent the next 2.5 years working on all manner of military and legislative affairs, including the use of force authorization plans for Syria. He then spent another two years at the Department of Energy working on clean tech and renewable energy, where he moved back to California and was picked up by a Canadian Accelerator, also heavily focused on capital raising for clean tech. It was a culmination of these experiences that landed a job as the Accelerator Manager at THRIVE earlier this year. Have listen as Evan pieces together this story and shares some of his perspectives in ag from a multidate of vantage points – corporate innovation, start-up accelerator, and venture investor. He shares an announcement about next year's accelerator program you won't want to miss.

"Let the plant science guide policy" This encapsulates Steve Philpott's motivation for pursuing a career in cannabis research and opportunity creation within his community. Steve is a former US Marine, graduate student and cannabis researcher at Chicago State University and Co-Founder for the Illinois Minority Growers Association. Here, their mission is to close the disparity gap by addressing socio-economic related barriers for minorities. They're educating growers by providing information services and partnerships that afford them increased access to Illinois' agricultural industry. Steve's story is filled with: - His experiences growing up in Chicago in the aftermath of the war on drugs - Stories of camaraderie and loss in uniformed service - His own struggles with opioids and cannabis alternatives - Intentional opportunity-creation within his community - Technical knowledge about cannabis breeding and cultivation - Examples of the disconnect between cannabis plant science and public policy Find out how Steven left Chicago a scared 19-year old kid and returned with a renewed sense of purpose and drive within agriculture.

Not one of us were trained or prepared for this... John Berlejung is a former US Army Tank Crewman and currently the R&D Supervisor at New West Genetics – a Colorado-based company developing industrial hemp genetics for adaption to various regions of the US. They combine traditional breeding with modern genetics to create stable, optimized traits, and varieties adapted for large-scale production. John grew up in an austere household in the suburbs of Louisville, Kentucky in the 80s when kids could disappear for hours at a time, without a cell phone, and explore the boundaries of their environment, create adventures, and be exposed to risk without a safety net. His brother joined the Army when he was young and John lived vicariously through him, including his experiences during the first Gulf War. This and 9/11 were all the influence John needed to join the Army after high school, where he also served as a tank crew member. Like his brother, John was involved in an invasion of Iraq, this one in 2003. In this episode, he describes those experiences over a 15-month period and how there was a constant need to adapt to the changing mission, enemy, and environment. This ability to adapt is something concrete John continues to bring forward through his professional career. Enjoy this episode as John talks about how he's applied these skills to the private sector, from his being a Mud Logger on an oil rig, earning his Masters in Soil Science, and supporting hemp genetic development with New West Genetics.