Archives: Episode

#75-Allan Savory (Rhodesian Army) – Savory Institute – Part 2

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#75-Allan Savory (Rhodesian Army) – Savory Institute – Part 2
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Today’s episode is the second and final part of our conversation with Allan Savory, founder of the Savory Institute and one of the most influential voices in holistic management.

In Part 1, we covered Allan’s military background, his early ecological work in Africa, and the institutional resistance he faced when challenging deeply held beliefs in both science and policy. Today, we pick up with the practical side of his life’s work—how livestock, when properly managed, can regenerate land, restore biodiversity, and stabilize food systems.

As Allan said in our conversation:

“If your toolbox is empty, what are you going to do? There is nothing else in the human toolbox to reverse desertification other than properly managed livestock.”

We’ll talk about what holistic management really means, why rewilding isn’t enough, and how large-scale land restoration is not only possible—it’s happening.

You’ll also hear Allan’s thoughts on how military veterans can play a pivotal role in this movement, and why institutions—military, academic, and environmental—need to be radically restructured to meet today’s ecological challenges.

Let’s get back into it—Part 2 with Allan Savory starts now.

#75-Allan Savory (Rhodesian Army) – Savory Institute – Part 1

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#75-Allan Savory (Rhodesian Army) – Savory Institute – Part 1
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Today’s episode is the first in a special two-part series with a guest whose work has shaped the way millions think about land, livestock, and leadership.

Allan Savory is a legend in the regenerative agriculture world—founder of the Savory Institute, developer of the holistic management framework, and a lifelong challenger of convention.

From growing up in war-torn Rhodesia to commanding combat tracking units, and later reshaping global agricultural theory, Allan’s story is as unconventional as it is urgent.

As Allan says in today’s episode:

“Without agriculture, you cannot have a choir. You cannot have a church. You cannot have a university. You cannot have an economy. You cannot have a government. You cannot have an army. You cannot have anything. It is the very foundation of civilization.”

In Part 1, we cover his early military service, his time as a young wildlife ecologist tasked with protecting massive swaths of African rangeland, and the origin of holistic management—how it was born not from theory, but from a lifetime of ecological and military observation under fire. We also dive deep into how institutional ego, flawed beliefs, and academic dogma continue to stand in the way of solving global desertification and food insecurity.

This isn’t your typical ag conversation—and it’s not meant to be. It’s bold, unfiltered, and driven by a mission that started decades before most of us ever heard the word “regenerative.”

Enjoy Part 1 with Allan Savory.

#74-Tom Gauthier (US Army) – AgTechLogic

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#74-Tom Gauthier (US Army) – AgTechLogic
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“Holy cow, there’s this big gap. There’s this big gap of not having that data at the ground level of farms. The big ag companies only can get so far. They don’t know exactly what’s happening on the ground with soil and crops and pests and disease and so forth.”

In this episode, I sat down with Tom Gauthier, a former nuclear, biological and chemical specialist with the US Army and the CEO of AgTechLogic.

Tom doesn’t just talk about precision spraying trends or sugar coated aspects of entrepreneurship —he pulls back the curtain on what it’s really like to build a mission-driven agtech company from the ground up, while staying grounded in both his military roots and a practical, field-based understanding of farming.

In this episode, we break down how Tom and his team are combining chlorophyll fluorescence sensors with real-time data capture and AI-enhanced analytics — not just to spot-spray weeds, but to identify things like standing water, detect disease early, and even feed actionable intel back into the supply chain.

We get into questions like:

  1. How did Tom’s prior work as a chemical engineer with Proctor and Gamble influence his path into agtech?
  2. Why won’t cameras alone be sufficient for addressing a growing host of weed and disease related problems?
  3. Can chlorophyll fluorescence sensors do more than just detect green weeds against a brown, dirt background?

You’ll hear how AgTechLogic’s precision spraying systems are helping producers save hundreds of gallons of crop protection products per application.

This is a candid conversation about earning trust, staying adaptable, and leading with humility.

Let’s get into it.

#73-Kara Rutter (US Army) – Project Victory Gardens – Part 2

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#73-Kara Rutter (US Army) – Project Victory Gardens – Part 2
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“We understood that when you start looking at food miles—how far your food has traveled and who’s producing it—and when you realize that there are four companies that control 85% of the animal protein sold in the United States, that’s really concerning to me from a national security standpoint, especially when those companies are not all American-owned”

Today’s episode is Part 2 of our conversation with retired Army Sergeant Major Kara Rutter.

In Part 1, Kara shared her unexpected journey through military service—from insisting on becoming a cook, to cooking for Secretary Rumsfeld, to representing the U.S. military overseas in some of the most strategically important regions of the world. We left off as Kara and her husband Matt had just found their 20-acre farm in Aiken, South Carolina and were beginning to turn their post-military life into something new.

In Part 2, we pick up with a powerful discussion on food systems, national security, and what it could take to localize protein sourcing for military bases. Kara shares her thoughts on decentralizing food supply chains, the vulnerabilities exposed during COVID, and why she sees food as a matter of strategic defense.

We also dive into the creation of Project Victory Gardens, their nonprofit focused on helping veterans become farmers, the success of their “farmer boot camp,” and a deeper look at their new agritourism incubator program.

If you’re interested in how veterans are reshaping agriculture—not just for themselves but for their communities—this episode is for you.

Enjoy!

#72-Kara Rutter (US Army) – Project Victory Gardens – Part 1

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#72-Kara Rutter (US Army) – Project Victory Gardens - Part 1
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“I’ve worked in a lot of countries around the world, in the defense attaché system, and then in later positions. There is a cost of doing business in certain parts of the world”

Today’s conversation is a special two-part series featuring retired Army Sergeant Major Kara Rutter. From her beginnings as an Army cook—despite everyone telling her not to take the job—to working in the Secretary of Defense’s mess, and later serving as part of the Defense Attaché system in Ukraine, Kenya, and Namibia, Kara brings a unique and strategic perspective to both military service and food systems.

In Part 1 of our conversation, Kara walks us through her journey from enlisting in the Army to traveling the world in high-level diplomatic roles. We talk about what it was like to cook for Secretary Rumsfeld, sit as a fly on the wall as strategic decisions played out in the early days of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and see firsthand how global policy is shaped. Kara also shares her transition out of the military and how she and her husband landed on a 20-acre property in Aiken, South Carolina—fencing pastures, collecting “practice animals,” and building a new chapter on their farm.

This episode sets the stage for a larger conversation about national food security, agritourism, and veteran-led farming. In Part 2, we’ll pick up with Kara’s take on using cattle and local food systems to support military bases, and how that led to the founding of Project Victory Gardens and the creation of veteran-focused boot camps and agritourism incubators.

For now, settle in for Part 1 with Kara Rutter—it’s a story of service and the earliest seeds of something much bigger.

Lets get into it.

#71-Charley Jordan (US Army) – Tennessee AgVOLs

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#71-Charley Jordan (US Army) – Tennessee AgVOLs
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“One of the biggest things I’ve learned in both the military and agriculture is that success isn’t just about what you know—it’s about who you surround yourself with. If you build the right team and focus on the mission, you can accomplish just about anything.”

In this episode, I’m joined by Charley Jordan, a retired US Army aviator and Special Operations veteran who has channeled his military experience into a thriving career in floriculture and veteran mentorship.

Charley shares his journey from flying MH-47 Chinooks with the 160th Special Operations Aviation unit to building Jordan Farms in Tennessee, where he grows specialty flowers for his community. We talk about the challenges of transitioning out of the military, the importance of mentorship, and how programs like TN AgVols are helping veterans step into agriculture with confidence.

If you’re a veteran looking to carve out your place in agriculture or just want to hear an inspiring story of resilience and reinvention, this episode is for you. Let’s get into it

#70-Justin Wells (US Marine Corps) – Halter

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#70-Justin Wells (US Marine Corps) – Halter
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“It allows you to operate on your cattle instead of in them.”

In this quote, our guest is referring to their livestock collars as tools that allow producers to zoom out from the day-to-day operations and understand their herd in a more intimate way.

Justin Wells, a former US Marine, is the US Country Manager for Halter – a New Zealand based animal tech company specializing in virtual fencing and pasture management solutions.

In his role, Justin leads Halter’s expansion into the US market, focusing on establishing market presence, building partners, and leading their sales efforts. Halter’s system utilizes solar-powered collars to enable producers to virtually fence their pastures and monitor their livestock through audio cues and data analytics.

Our conversation picks up with Justin describing his early upbringing in a small town in Michigan and what originally drew him towards the Marine Corps.

#69-Brice Myers (US Army) – Tennessee AgVOLs

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#69-Brice Myers (US Army) – Tennessee AgVOLs
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“The stress, the resources, the environment, that’s all going to come and go, but you have the capability to be successful.”

In this quote, our guest is describing his life-changing experiences with the US Army in Syria and how that gave him the confidence he needed to jump into agriculture full time.

Brice Myers is a soon-to-retire US Army 5th Group Special Forces solider turn rancher. He was recently appointed the Veteran Outreach Coordinator for an AgVets grant awarded to the state of Tennessee – Ag VOLs. In this capacity, he’s responsible for assisting veterans with educational opportunities, multi-day workshops, and helping them find resources to start their own farms or agribusinesses. On their own family farm outside Nashville, Foggy Meadows Farm, they primarily bale hay and raise feeder pigs, goats, and a variety of poultry species.

Our conversation picks up with Brice talking about a program he participated in turning his military transition called the Honor Foundation and why the venture capital space wasn’t where he wanted to be long term.

If you’re interested in learning more about Tennessee AgVOLs, please reach out to Brice on LinkedIn, by email (info@agvols.org) or connect with them on their Facebook page.

#68-Eddy Mejia (US Army) – Earnest Agriculture

Eddy Mejia - Earnest Ag
Eddy Mejia - Earnest Ag
Vets In Ag Podcast
#68-Eddy Mejia (US Army) – Earnest Agriculture
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“Consistency is a huge problem with biologicals. It works one year, it doesn’t work another year. It works over here, it doesn’t work over there.”

This quote from our guest this week is referring to the early struggles of biologicals where it was extremely difficult to consistently produce a product with a living organism as the primary benefit.

Our guest this week is Eddy Mejia – CEO for Earnest Ag – an ag biotech startup developing a variety of organic microbial products that help farmers provide plant nutrients and protect against disease. Eddy is a US Army telecommunications veteran with a background in computer engineering who managed to find his way into the niche world of microbials after meeting his co-founder at a university startup program. This type of business partnership is not uncommon in the world I frequent, where veterans find the right sources and partners and build something with a bigger purpose in mind.

Have a listen as this young man from the suburbs of Chicago with parents from the agricultural epicenter of Colombia makes his way into the world of microbial production, how their product is attempting to standout in a saturated market, the logistics of keeping a living organism alive on a seed as a coating, and how COVID turned out to be good timing for Eddy and his team.

#67-Eric Fuchs (US Air Force) – Understanding Ag

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#67-Eric Fuchs (US Air Force) - Understanding Ag
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During the interview, our guest on the podcast this week said, “farmers and ranchers are the ones that are going to have to do the change, but the ones that are going to push for change are outside agriculture.”

Our guest this week is Eric Fuchs. Eric is a US Air Force veteran and consultant with Understand Ag. In this capacity, he works specifically with all aspects of the drinking water industry with an emphasis on source water protection and the agricultural community. Eric and his wife also own a livestock operation in Missouri where they use regenerative techniques with holistic grazing and soil health practices. Eric’s earlier quote gives us some insight into how he thinks about change and where it can originate from.

Eric was one of the few who was able to purchase his own farm, while still in the Air Force, and make it work as a business over the next 20 years. Eric is a great storyteller and this episode takes listeners through how he did this, how practices and conversations have changed drastically in the last 5 years around regenerative ag, and what the future could looks like between Understanding Ag and the military veteran community.