When he left the U.S. Army, Gabriel Powell was ready for a calmer, slower-paced life. But he still wanted a career that provided a sense of purpose.
Powell had spent much of his nine years in the military conducting route clearance and removing improvised explosive devices from roads — a job that left him injured and in search of a new path that could bring him peace of mind when transitioning back to civilian life. Agriculture, he found, was the perfect fit.
While attending Texas A&M University, Powell found BattleGround to Breaking Ground (BGBG), a program that helps veterans establish a foothold in the agriculture industry and ease the farmer shortage across the U.S. The United States Department of Agriculture-funded program administered by Texas AgrAbility — part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service — was founded in 2011 to provide transitioning military members with the required skills and education to become successful farmers and ranchers.
We were seeing a whole bunch of veterans transitioning back into the world, and there was a big need for beginner farmer/rancher training programs like ours. I think it’s a skill that we’ve lost as a nation over time, so we’re helping rebuild that skill.
“We were seeing a whole bunch of veterans transitioning back into the world, and there was a big need for beginner farmer/rancher training programs like ours,” said Erin Kimbrough, BGBG program coordinator. “I think it’s a skill that we’ve lost as a nation over time, so we’re helping rebuild that skill.”
The U.S. had 1.9 million farms and ranches in 2022, down 7% from 2017, according to the Department of Agriculture. Those numbers could decline further as the workforce ages. The average age of a farmer is 58, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The program helps rebuild that workforce by providing training and resources for active-duty military members, veterans and beginning farmers and ranchers to start their own agricultural operations.
Participants can learn about agriculture production through a variety of online and in-person courses and hands-on training programs that cover everything from business planning and land management to basic livestock, vegetable and row crop production.
Kimbrough says about half of the participants come to the program with little to no experience in agriculture. Not only has the program helped veterans become successfully self-employed in farming and ranching, but it’s also a healing experience that can provide them with a new sense of purpose.
“A lot of veterans struggle with that loss of mission. We struggle with the things that we’ve seen,” said Kimbrough’s husband, John, who is a Marine veteran and BGBG graduate. “We deal with depression, with anger, anxiety — a number of issues that make it difficult for that transition period to civilian life.”
Farming and ranching helps with that mental transition, he said. It provides an almost immediate mental health benefit, whether they’re in the middle of a 300-acre pasture or working in a small garden. It also gives military veterans a restored sense of mission and hope by serving their country through agriculture.
A lot of military veterans, they have a sense of duty. It’s not hard for us to get up at the crack of dawn, and it’s easy for us to make plans, set goals and try to move forward. And agriculture is kind of no different.”
The program also supports veterans by providing access to VetAdvisor, a counseling tool that provides mental health support and helps with the day-to-day struggles they may encounter when adjusting to civilian life. Participants also receive one-on-one mentoring from peers who have also completed the program.
“Most of our mentors are veterans themselves, and they really can connect with them on that level and be able to share those experiences,” Erin Kimbrough said. “There’s a lot of healing that happens when we’re working hard alongside each other and developing those relationships that last forever.”
For Powell, agriculture has brought him the fulfillment and peace he’s been searching for after leaving the military.
“A lot of military veterans, they have a sense of duty,” Powell said. “It’s not hard for us to get up at the crack of dawn, and it’s easy for us to make plans, set goals and try to move forward. And agriculture is kind of no different.”
Learn more about how BattleGround to Breaking Ground is empowering active-duty military and veterans to start or enhance production agriculture businesses through education, hands-on training and mentorship.
