Air Force colonel transitions to organic farming

By Ken Roseboro
Published: September 1, 2011

Category: Non-GMO Farmer Profiles

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Farmer Veteran Coalition helps retired Colonel Peter Davidson launch an organic farm

Organic farmers have sometimes—and unfairly—been stereotyped as back-to-the-land, hippie types. Thankfully, that stereotype is disappearing, and Peter Davidson shatters that stereotype completely.

Davidson recently returned to his family farm following a distinguished 25-year career as a colonel in the US Air Force. He flew F-16 fighter jets and later served as Commander of the US Air & Space Operations Center in Europe.

Today, he has traded the proverbial sword for plowshares and is growing organic grains and vegetables on Quilted Acres Farm that he operates with his wife Lisa.

Davidson is part of a new trend in agriculture of military veterans returning home to take up organic farming supported by a new organization, the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC).

After retiring, Davidson says: “I planned to come back to the family farm and try my hand at farming. I wanted to put roots down and enjoy my heritage.”

His grandfather and great grandfather both farmed on their family land in Armona, a farming community in California’s San Joachin Valley.

Davidson purchased his uncle’s part of the land after he passed away. The farm is small at 20 acres. “My wife calls it a hobby farm,” Davidson jokes.

He decided to grow vegetables and row crops, such as corn, wheat, and barley as his grandfather had grown. And he decided to grow them organically. “Organic fits my lifestyle and way of thinking,” Davidson says.

Farmer Veteran Coalition

Davidson heard about the Farmer Veteran Coalition through a local community supported agriculture program. “I went on the internet and looked to see what they are about. It seemed like a good fit for me. I was looking for advice on how to get started and what crops to grow.”

FVC was launched in 2009 by Michael O’Gorman, a long-time organic farmer and farm manager in California. “We want to help introduce veterans to farming as a way to help them heal injuries from war,” he says.

FVC connects military veterans with opportunities for employment, training, and places to heal on America’s farms.

O’Gorman sees FVC as a solution to two problems. “We have unemployed vets and a shortage of farmers in this country,” he says. “We take these two problems and put them together. Agriculture has replaced human capital with chemicals, risky GMOs, foreign labor and imported food, and we need to invest in human capital.”

“People love the idea”

While FVC favors organic methods, O’Gorman says: “We don’t exclude anybody. A lot of vets are looking for a mission, and local sustainable farming seems to be what’s appealing.”

Maury Johnson, president of Blue River Hybrids, says it is easier for veterans to enter organic farming. “With conventional farming, they are looking at a big investment. With organic, you can ease into it on smaller plots of land and sell direct to farmers markets.”

FVC has received enthusiastic support. “People love the idea,” O’Gorman says. “We are getting increased support from the farming community and the USDA.”

Several organic agriculture businesses are supporting the program. Blue River Hybrids sponsored a retreat for the farmer-veterans in Iowa in July. Mighty Mustard is donating its non-GMO cover crop seed to FVC participants.

FVC works with about 250 veterans. Current activities include awarding grants from the Bob Woodruff Foundation to help disabled veterans in their farming ventures and organizing retreats where veterans can learn, connect with farmers, and tour farms to see what type of farming interests them.

Thirteen veterans attended the Iowa retreat according to Chris Ritthaler, FVC’s national veteran outreach coordinator and a veteran himself. “They toured different farming operations and said it helped them see different possibilities for what they want to do.”

“Having a blast”

Peter Davidson attended the Iowa retreat with FVC paying his expenses. “The greatest value for me was the opportunity to see how each farm ran their operation and discuss the challenges they face,” he says. “It was a wonderful venue to develop and visualize new ideas and farming options.”

Overall, Davidson says FVC has been “dynamite to work with.” They also helped cover the costs for his organic certification from CCOF. “I can’t say enough about what they’re doing for veterans,” he says.

Davidson connected with Blue River Hybrids and says Maury Johnson was also very helpful sharing information. In fact, Davidson is now growing corn seed for Blue River. “I’m happy with the way it’s performing. It’s very uniform and competing well with weeds,” he says.

Future crop plans include growing tomatoes and raising chickens, turkeys, and maybe cattle. The farm will be “a whole patchwork of things,” he says. Hence the name Quilted Acres Farm, which is also in honor of his wife Lisa who quilts.

Davidson is enjoying his new profession as an organic farmer. “I’m having a blast,” he says.