Tag: health

#92 – Carnation Farms – Brian Pugh – US Marine Corps

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#92 – Carnation Farms – Brian Pugh - US Marine Corps
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From Marine Corps logistician to champion of regenerative agriculture — Brian Pugh’s journey is one you don’t want to miss.🌱

In this conversation, Brian shares how family gardens, his time in Okinawa’s Blue Zone, and a growing concern for food as medicine led him to leave the service and dive headfirst into healing our food system from the soil up.

He’s now leading the Service to Soil program at Carnation Farms, a SkillBridge initiative helping transitioning veterans gain hands-on experience in regenerative farming, crops, livestock, and building community in ag.

If you’re a veteran curious about farming, interested in soil health, or just love stories of purpose-driven transitions — this one’s for you.

Listen now to hear:

  • Why regenerative ag is critical for national security & veteran transitions
  • How one farm is creating real pathways for the next generation of veteran farmers
  • Breadcrumbs that led Brian from logistics to leading Soil Stewards

Enjoy!

#carnationfarms #ServiceToSoil #VetsInAg #RegenerativeAgriculture #VeteranFarmers #SkillBridge #FoodAsMedicine #MilitaryToFarm #SoilHealth

#81 – Robin Gentry McGee – Essential Provisions

Vets In Ag Podcast
Vets In Ag Podcast
#81 – Robin Gentry McGee – Essential Provisions
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Today’s guest is Robin Gentry McGee, founder of Essential Provisions.

Robin’s story is part kitchen, part battlefield – not one of dirt and distant lands, but a battle for her father’s health. Her early years were spent in the family’s garden, followed by a career in food and restaurants, and then a seismic moment when her father’s hospital experience forced her to rethink what we call “hospital food.”

That led her from the kitchen to product development and ultimately to building shelf-stable meals designed with service members and high performers in mind.

As Robin says:

“These guys, especially when they were deployed, they need a taste of home. They need to feel like this just came off their loved one’s stove.”

This episode isn’t about miracle cures or grand claims. It’s about how a daughter’s experience with her father—about family meals, advocacy, and seeing what people are actually fed when they’re at their most vulnerable—became the engine for a company trying to reconnect service members to real food.

We dig into product development, sourcing from regenerative farms, the procurement challenges with the military, and the practical reasons why a “taste of home” matters for health, performance, and morale.

Enjoy!