FARGO, N.D. -- Ag and military thinking runs parallel, says Michael O'Gorman, founder and director of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, in Davis, Calif., a group that works to help veterans find a new mission in farming.
O'Gorman is a veteran and former production manager for a large vegetable company that operated in California, Arizona and Mexico. His group has about 3,000 veterans, from all 50 states, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana.
O'Gorman says statistics indicate a disproportionate share of the post-911 military comes from rural areas -- towns of 25,000 or less and even greater participation from towns of less than 5,000.
"It's for a number of reasons, some of it culture and family tradition," O'Gorman says. Statistics indicate 40 percent of the casualties in recent wars are from rural areas of the country, which hold 15 percent of the population.
"It's the American dream of who we are as a nation, in terms of a sense of community, of connectedness to our land, to our food production," O'Gorman says of the connection between rural people and military.
ADVERTISEMENT
Conversely, veterans who come home often can look to agriculture for "meaningful employment and, for some, a little healing," O'Gorman says. The fit is natural because agriculture needs skilled workers more than ever.
The FVC has provided some grants in the Upper Great Plains. It has funneled some money through the South Dakota Rural Action group, and paid half the tuition for veterans who participate in the group's 10-month Farm Beginnings Course. An estimated 40 percent of the SDRAC enrollees have military backgrounds, he says. The FVC organization works with The Station Foundation in Bozeman, Mont., which helps warriors and families from U.S. Special Operations Command fully recover from the impacts of combat.
Purpose-driven lives
O'Gorman says the military often offers hands-on work, as well as a sense of independence and physicality.
"The military is a mission-driven, purpose-driven pursuit. Agriculture has that same sense of purpose but it's to feed the country, to provide food security. There's a crucial demand for farmers and a sense of service."
Veterans who become members of the organization are eligible for "Homegrown by Heroes" logo labeling of products they sell to consumers. The logo was started by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture in 2013 and adopted by the national group. To qualify, an individual must have served honorably or still must be serving in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and must be at least a 50 percent owner and operator in a farm business.
Capt. Jeff Hoffer, North Dakota National Guard Command historian at the joint force headquarters in Bismarck, N.D., says North Dakota has always been heavily agriculture-oriented, so it's natural the Guard membership would form along those lines. As early as the 1800s, the Guard figured out it would be more successful in scheduling encampments if it avoided planting and harvesting seasons.
Young people from farms are accustomed to working with heavy equipment, and that experience lends itself to a variety of work, including the repair of tanks and other equipment. Farmers also spend a lot of time outdoors.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I would say a very high population of the Guard either worked on a farm, grew up on one, or still farms today," says Lonnie Wangen, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs.
