Archives: Episode

#50 – Monica Rainge & Jeanette Lombardo – USDA and Farmer Veteran Coalition

Vets In Ag Podcast
#50 - Monica Rainge & Jeanette Lombardo - USDA and Farmer Veteran Coalition
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This is the first episode in another multi-part series sponsored by Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC), a national non-profit organization mobilizing veterans to feed America and transition from military service to a career in agriculture. This series will showcase unique partnerships between FVC and several organizations offering programs and support for military veterans in agriculture.

Our guests this week are Monica Rainge and Jeanette Lombardo. Monica is serving on the leadership team for the USDA’s Section 22007 efforts of the Inflation Reduction Act to implement programs at the USDA, specifically the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. Jeanette is the Executive Director of FVC, leading their Waco Texas based team in support of their 40,000-member organization across the United States.

This episode is chock-full of information about a forthcoming financial assistance program offered by the USDA focused on farmers who have been discriminated against by the USDA’s loan programs in the past. A unexpected turn of events, I know, but it showed me that even an organization as large as the USDA can admit when it needs make right some of the wrongs of the past.

While the application window and standards are still being finalized, you’ll want to have a listen before you apply to better understand the origins of this program and who the USDA considers an ideal candidate. Jeanette and Moncia do an excellent job talking about what this program means to them and why the partnership was formed between the USDA and FVC.

Stay tuned to the end where they describe recent scams out there perpetrated by law firms and others looking to take advantage of future applicants.

#49 – Nicole Cleggs-Burns (USAR) – USDA

Vets In Ag Podcast
#49 - Nicole Cleggs-Burns (USAR) - USDA
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“I help people that have a dream to get into farming that could not get this opportunity elsewhere.”

Our guest this week is Nicole Cleggs-Burns, a Farm Loan Chief at USDA Farm Service Agency. At the USDA, Nicole directs and advises on farm loan programs administered through Service Centers throughout Alabama and works directly with farmers to help them navigate the loan programs offered through the USDA.

She was fortunate enough to follow two dreams at the same time – a career in the medical field through the military and agriculture. That good fortunate has followed her forward where she still serves as a reservist and a full-time farm loan chief today.

There is so much information in this episode about the types of loans available through the USDA Farm Service Agency, applicant criteria, flexible repayment options, etc…all seasoned with Nicole’s personal advice and experience.

If you’re a beginning farmer or in the midst of family succession planning and transition, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Stay tuned to the end where she describes another element of her career and family life that makes her accomplishments that much more impressive.

#48 – Reece Lodder (USMC) – Friesla

Vets In Ag Podcast
#48 - Reece Lodder (USMC) - Friesla
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Our guest this week is Reece Lodder, Head of Sales & Marketing at Friesla, a Washington-based company providing onsite, USDA- approved, fully customizable meat processing systems.

With consumer demands for locally raised meat products rising, Friesla’s customizable and modular systems allow farmers and ranchers to have complete control over onsite meat processing – from slaughter to sale.

Between serving in public relations with the Marine Corps, the loss of a friend in combat, and navigating his family through his wife’s battle with brain cancer, Reece has gained a clarity in his calling: caring for others. This drive to help cattle producers define opportunities and craft solutions best for their businesses is evident throughout our conversation.

Truly one of the finest people I’ve had the privilege of meeting in a long time.

#47 – Keith King and Tyler Evans (US Marine Corps)

Vets In Ag Podcast
#47 - Keith King and Tyler Evans (US Marine Corps)
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“You just gotta do it. Do the research, do the best you can, then just go.”

A sentiment shared by many entrepreneurs as they manage multiple careers and the uncertainty of starting a new business.

This is the third and final episode in our three-part series in partnership with Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC). This series showcases partnerships between FVC and organizations offering programs in agriculture tailored for military veterans. We interview stakeholders within the organization as well as a military veteran who participated in its programs.

This week our guests are Keith King, Founder and CEO at the National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) and Tyler Evans, US Marine Corps veteran Founder of Brookside Plant Farm. The NVBDC is a national non-profit focused on certifying veteran-owned businesses for the purposes of connecting them with their corporate members to pursue commercial opportunities. Tyler is currently working in cyber security but plans to leverage his certification from the NVBDC to grow his nursery business in the coming years.

You’ll hear a lot about the entrepreneurial spirit in this episode, which is of course important when starting a business, but the humility through which Keith and Tyler communicate their own personal uncertainties around starting businesses is as equally important.

Stay tuned for more on the NVBDC, how much it costs, how to quality, etc and learn from Tyler as he lays out his path into the nursery business in real-time.

For more information about NVBDC, visit www.nvbdc.org.  You can reach Keith on his LinkedIn profile here (https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkingassociates/) or by email at kking@nvbdc.org

Tyler’s nursery business, Brookside Plant Farms, can be found at www.brooksideplantfarm.com. Product and details are forthcoming!

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Agreement No. 2022-70416-37277.

#46 – Dave Carter and Marvin Frink (US Army)

Vets In Ag Podcast
#46 - Dave Carter and Marvin Frink (US Army)
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This is the second episode in our three-part series in partnership with Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC). This series showcases partnerships between FVC and organizations offering programs in agriculture tailored for military veterans. We interview stakeholders within the organization as well as a military veteran who participated in its programs.

This week our guests are Dave Carter, Director of Regional Technical Assistance Coordination for the Flower Hill Institute and Marvin Frink, US Army veteran and Founder of Briarwood Cattle Farm and Briarwood Customs Meats. Both from humble beginnings in rural America, Dave found his passion for agriculture through journalism and an intentional choice to pursue non-commoditized meat production. He later found commonalities between the tight knit group of families he grew up with and the military veterans he’s fortunate to work with today through a partnership with FVC.

After a nearly 30 year career of service, Marvin’s life was almost cut short by his own hand before his father and a Vietnam veteran and cattle farmer turned him onto the healing properties and lifestyle of cattle rearing. The Farmer Veteran Coalition gave him his start and continues to provide the framework, support and branding required to take the Briarwood brand to the next level.

You don’t want to miss this episode where we talk about Briarwood’s unique strategy for making their beef stand-out and Dave’s lifetime of insights packed into a single episode!

For more information about the Flower Hill Institute and how to apply for technical assistance, visit www.flowerhill.institute or apply directly to the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity Technical Assistance (MPPTA) Program here.  

Marvin Frink and Briarwood Cattle Farms and Custom Meats can be found at www.briarwoodcattlefarm.com

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Agreement No. 2022-70416-37277.

#45 – Curtis Mahnken and Eric Zirbes (USMC)

Vets In Ag Podcast
#45 - Curtis Mahnken and Eric Zirbes (USMC)
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We are thrilled to announce a partnership with Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) and the Vets In Ag Podcast! This is the first episode in a three-part series which showcases partnerships between FVC and organizations offering programs in agriculture tailored for military veterans. We will interview stakeholders within the organization as well as military veterans who participated in its programs.

Our first episode features Curtis Mahnken, an Extension Economist with the Center for Farm Financial Management (CFFM) at the University of Minnesota and Eric Zirbes, a Marine Corps veteran, 5th generation farmer, and owner/operator at Zirbes Family Farms in Melrose, Minnesota.

In this episode, we cover everything from transitioning farm records from pen and paper to digital to how to find niche markets for products based on market trends and your own personal passions.

For more information about the Center for Farm Financial Management’s Virtual Business Management Program, contact Curtis Mahnken at cmahnken@umn.edu or visit https://z.umn.edu/VFBM-Interest. The pilot program is available virtually to qualified veterans and members of Farmer Veteran Coalition for only $100.

Eric Zirbes and the Zirbes Family Farms beef can be found on Facebook or online at www.ez5angusbeef.com.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Agreement No. 2022-70416-37277.

#44 – Chip Perrin (USMC) & David Billings (US Army) – Coastal Plains Meat Company

Vets In Ag Podcast
#44 - Chip Perrin (USMC) & David Billings (US Army) - Coastal Plains Meat Company
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Our guests this week are Chip Perrin and David Billings, Owner and Executive Board member with Coastal Plains Meat Company based in Eunice, Louisiana. As the largest harvest facility in Louisiana with a growing direct-to-consumer ecommerce platform and customer processing capability, Chip and David are working to solve a processing bottleneck in the state of Louisiana for Louisiana producers. Their joint backgrounds in military service and cattle production provide them a level of leadership and practical experience not typically found in the localized meat processing/packaging sector.

In this episode, the three of us get into:

  • Their military backgrounds and serendipitous meeting at a young entrepreneurs’ conference in Houston
  • Consumer preferences pushing against the traditional business models of middlemen choosing what they can buy from the grocery story and more towards direct from the farm with specialized preferences like “grass finished” or “all natural”
  • The feedback loop from a facility like Coastal Plains to the producer regarding things like yield and quality data, which will help them make better decisions about their genetics and breeding programs
  • The educational role Coastal Plains is providing in helping their producers better understand consumer preferences, which will ultimately determine their process.
  • The origin of their ecommerce platform from a small pilot program in a targeted market segment to a reliable revenue stream shipping across the state.

Enjoy!

#43 – Kris Wilson (ARNG/US Army) – Rockside Ranch

Vets In Ag Podcast
#43 - Kris Wilson (ARNG/US Army) - Rockside Ranch
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Our guest this week took us to a place we don’t usually go on the podcast. Yes, he’s a veteran and yes he’s involved in agriculture, but his mission focuses on using agriculture as a means to heal men in crisis.

Kris Wilson is the Logistics Manager for Rockside Ranch, a working ranch in a rural community aimed at helping young men overcome crisis and live the life they were created to live. Kris served 23 years with the US Army National Guard where he led and supervised hundreds of soldiers over his career, including multiple combat theaters. Upon retirement, he and his family moved to Scott Valley after hearing a calling to ministry. At Rockside, Kris uses his background and training to develop leadership, organization, and effective teamwork . In addition, Kris is actively pursuing a Theological Seminary degree.

In this episode, Kris and I get into:

  • His military career spanning four deployments to two theaters of war and a near-death experience
  • The Hand of God at work in his life setting the conditions for his retirement from the Army and move back to California and into a mission at Rockside Ranch
  • Rockside’s mission of “talking life into a group of rough men” using agriculture as their medium for change
  • The principles of stewardship and the values that can impart on young men who have taken that for granted most of their life

Enjoy!

#42 – Margo Hale – NCAT – Armed to Farm

Vets In Ag Podcast
#42 - Margo Hale - NCAT - Armed to Farm
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Margo Hale is the SE regional Director at the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). Since 1976, NCAT has been helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources. From 2011 to today, Margo has led NCAT’s efforts to train military veterans interested in agriculture through Armed to Farm, NCAT’s sustainable agriculture training program for military veterans. She has worked in the fields of sustainable livestock production, beginning farmer training, and regional sustainable agriculture outreach.

In this episode, Margo and I get into:

  • Margo’s upbringing on a dairy in northern Arkansas
  • The realities of starter farms as sources of family income
  • The linkage between NCAT and the Farmer Veteran Coalition
  • The origins of NCAT’s Armed to Farm program and all its details
  • Common missteps veterans make starting a farm for the first time
  • How to image your way through taking the next step to scaling your farming business

#41 – Jake Dailey (US Army) – Rake Force

Vets In Ag Podcast
#41 - Jake Dailey (US Army) - Rake Force
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Our guest this week is Jake Dailey – Founder of Rake Force, a veteran-owned, non-profit focused on regenerative agroforestry practices like fuel fire reduction and biochar creation as well as providing a therapeutic environment for veterans to experience ag.

Growing up on public land in Idaho, Jake spent his early years outdoors- hunting, fishing, and working in environmental conservation.

His father and step-father both serviced in the military and he was born on July 4th in Pearl Harbor, so it was almost pre-ordained that Jake would also serve his country. He enlisted in the Army in 2007 where he later deployed to Iraq before leaving the Army several years later.

During this deployment, Jake was faced with an event that dramatically changed the direction of his life after service and moved him into agriculture as a way to cope. 

In this episode, we get into:

  • The tragedy during deployment and how it affected his life following
  • His difficult transition out of the Army
  • His trial and error with a variety of different jobs and interests
  • His foray into homesteading and eventually Rake Force
  • Regenerative agroforestry, biochar creation, hügelkultur, and fuel reduction activities

Enjoy!