For veterans transitioning out of military service, building a new career can be challenging.
The Farmer Veteran Coalition works to ease some of the burden by giving veterans entering the agriculture industry a way to become visible.
It’s called the Homegrown by Heroes program. One farm owner near Otisco Lake in Central New York is hoping consumers recognize their label next time you're shopping for farm fresh foods.
“I kind of always liked the idea of agriculture growing up being that my grandparents had farms around, then we we’d visit them,” said Phil Cooper, who served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps and more than five years in the Army National Guard.
His wife, Kaylee Cooper, works at a construction company and is a sergeant in the New York Army National Guard.
As the family transitions out of the military, they’ve settled into agriculture, helping Kaylee’s mother, Sherry Taylor, run the farm at Gene Acres on the eastern edge of the Finger Lakes.
“We decided to try to make it go of raising, growing our own food, and that turned into a little side business," said Taylor, farm owner. "The farm is on land that was purchased by my parents. My dad is named Gene, so the Gene Acres is a little bit of a spin on green acres.”
Not much happens in the dead of winter, but they’re busy preparing for the next season. They hope it will be successful, in part, because of an expanding array of products, but also because of a label called the Homegrown by Heroes program.
“They give you labels if you’re a veteran-owned or operated farm that help you stand out from everyone else in your area,” Phil Cooper said.
It helps give veterans entering the industry a leg up.
“They can see the difference, OK, these people served in the military,” Phil Cooper said.
Taylor said she’s proud to be rolling out the labels this year.
“People know that there are other people besides me, people who served the country and deserve maybe a little more than I do,” Taylor said.
Phil Cooper is proud to still be serving his community, just in a different way.
“Instead of serving them overseas or in natural disasters like my wife and I have so many times, we’re serving them with a home grown meal essentially,” Phil Cooper said.
Learn more by visiting the Farmer Veteran Coalition website.
