Veterans, From the Frontlines to the Farm

From the Frontlines to the Farm
New York Times

“In the military, grunts are the guys who get dirty, do the work and are generally underappreciated,” said Colin Archipley, a decorated Marine Corps infantry sergeant turned organic farmer. “I think farmers are the same.”

Sgt. Matt Holzmann and Stephanie De Alba laying irrigation piping at Mr. Archipley's farm, Archi’s Acres, the site of a program that trains veterans and active-duty service members in organic farming.


Sergeant Holzmann, 33, a Marine, spent seven months in Afghanistan, where he did counterinsurgency work and tried to introduce aquaponics — a self-replenishing agricultural system to rural villages. Along with Combat Boots to Cowboy Boots, a new program for veterans at the University of Nebraska’s College of Technical Agriculture, and farming fellowships for wounded soldiers, the six-week course offered at Archi’s Acres is part of a nascent “veteran-centric” farming movement.

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From the Frontlines to the Farm