Connecting Veterans to Agriculture

Connecting Veterans to Agriculture

Tim Hammerich
Tim Hammerich
News Reporter
I’m Tim Hammerich with your Southeast Regional Ag Report.

Can agriculture help struggling military veterans? Jon Jackson thinks so. He’s a retired Army Airborne Ranger who served six combat tours. He now helps other veterans suffering from acute crisis by inviting them to spend time at Comfort Farms in Milledgeville, Georgia.

Jackson… “We grow amazing pork. We have rabbits, we have chickens and ducks, and I partner with dairy farms out in Eatonton to provide our beef. And we specialize in all heirloom and heritage products. And so we engage with our communities to buy wholesome food and our veterans come in and help with that process while they're here. And it's a really beautiful thing: both a symbiotic relationship between vets helping the community, and the community helping the vet.”

That symbiotic relationship provides high quality local food and a place for veterans to go when they need it most.

Jackson… “Most programs are designed for chronic situations that are at total failure. But how do you stop your veterans from committing suicide? How do you stop your veterans from being homeless and being displaced? And that's what comfort farms offers as well. So we have a lot of veterans who come here and become part of the Comfort Farms community, as an active place to work their issues out without falling into deep despair.”

Support Comfort Farms at www.stagvetsinc.org.

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