TOLEDO, Ohio – In 2006, the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey Institute published a report that showed rural families paid a disproportionately high price for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That report caught the attention of California organic farmer Michael O’Gorman, who founded the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) two years later. 

Gorman, who worked in production agriculture for 40 years, thought it would be a good retirement project. He got more than he bargained for.

“FVC was formed because no one was focusing on the disproportionate number of veterans returning to rural communities,” O’Gorman said. “The demand and interest for it on the veteran side was incredible, and that’s when the organization took off. When veterans call us, they don’t just call casually. In some cases, they are almost begging for help, because there is such a desire to work in agriculture.”

Today, the FVC is comprised of a 10-member panel, one from each of the 10 USDA production regions. On this panel and overseeing the Corn Belt region (Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri) is Lou Driever of northwest Ohio. Among Driever’s many duties is to voice critical issues facing FVC members and to engage and network regionally with farmer veterans.

Driever is an Ohio military veteran who served four years in the 2nd Ranger Battalion. He, along with Navy veteran Isabel Montez of the Center for Innovative Food Technology, are on a three-year mission to help Ohio veterans become more successful farmers by organizing an official chapter of the FVC in Ohio. Driever is the current Ohio FVC president, Montez is the acting vice president.

“When I got out of the service I was looking for different ways to grow my corn and I learned that the FVC offered free advice,” Driever said. “FVC helped me and I was looking for ways to pay them back and sing their praise.”

An opening on the FVC Advisory Board opened up and Driever jumped at the chance.

Unlike many veterans, Driever is no stranger to farming. Driever’s fourth-generation family farm is located in Champaign County, Ohio. Following four years in the U.S. Army, Driever continued to engage in farming. He used his U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits to obtain a degree in agriculture from the University of Northwest Ohio. FVC offered him help upon his return to civilian (and farming) life.

“The FVC stated mission is to cultivate a new generation of farmers and food leaders, developing viable employment, and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities,” Driever said. “Today, there are a lot of veterans who want to transition to the farm. Our goal is to help veterans become successful farmers.”

 Ohio has an estimated 60,000 veterans. Driever says there are 30,000 FVC members nationwide and 1,000 FVC members in Ohio alone.

 “For those veterans who come from a farming community they might already have access to farmland and equipment, while those veterans from the suburbs that transition can be quite challenging,” he said. “It’s very easy to transition to becoming an unsuccessful farmer, so we try to avoid that. A veteran may be a great tank driver, but that doesn’t mean that they know how to drive a tractor. So they’ve got some skill sets, but they may not have the exact skill sets that they need.”

 Once Ohio becomes an official chapter of the FVC, Ohio veterans who are members have access to FVC’s Fellowship Fund, a Kickstarter grant program that provides direct assistance to veterans who are in their beginning years of farming or ranching. They will also be able to use the Homegrown by Heroes label which informs consumers that their agricultural products were produced by U.S. Military Veterans. The FVC also gives away five Kubota tractors each year. FVC members also receive discounts with participating agricultural suppliers and services providers.

For information on the Farmer Veteran Coalition call 530-756-1395 or go to www.farmvetco.org.