By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
When God made Adam and Eve the tenders of the Greatest Garden of All Time, there was no such thing as PTSD; that is, until the Great Deceiver appeared and put the original couple…and the rest of us…in a place where we would need a savior as well as the therapy of getting our hands dirty in literal soil.
Now, if you don’t consider the above account to be actual or factual, you cannot deny that growing stuff from the ground is a good thing; so good, in fact, that several states have ingenious programs designed just for veterans that involve farming, beekeeping and more. They have names such as Armed to Farm, From Farm to Fork, and AgrAbility. In the state of Alabama, the name of the program is simply called Operation Grow.
From their website:
Operation Grow, in partnership with the Alabama Department of AG and Industries, provides special emphasis on the training needs of military veterans interested in agriculture for health and employment benefits. Alabama Beginning Farmer is led by the Alabama Extension commercial horticulture team. Overall, Operation Grow supports grassroots educational and networking efforts that are inclusive of all veterans and their families with universal access to information and resources.
There are a number of benefits for the veterans, their families, and the communities that participate. Not in order of importance, but near and dear to my heart is the therapeutic aspect of farming. There is a substance found in soil that has found to be a natural anti-depressant and helps to release serotonin. It is called mycobacterium vaccae, and even the State of Nebraska’s Extension Service will tell you “playing in the dirt” is good for you. Then there is good ol’ fashioned sweat. Perspiration helps your body de-tox, which is why people pay for saunas. Sunlight, of course, has also been proven to help with depression and a number of maladies. All of these can be of benefit to veterans whether or not they are struggling with PTSD, re-entry, or transitioning back into civilian life. There is a community of veterans-turned-farmers that bond not only over their former military service, but in the various “boot camps” and training programs where they are grunts together once again. In the program that is sponsored by the State of North Carolina, to date seven veteran suicides have been prevented.
The economic benefits to both veterans as well as consumers are substantial. Training is free, there are loans and grants of all kinds for everything from land to equipment. If you are interested in becoming an organic farmer, there is a specific training program for making that transition. If you are interested in beekeeping, you can learn how to “grow” honey. It also needs to be remembered that many farmers are reaching retirement age, and even with all of our technological advances, we still need folks out in the field, literally.
All in all, this is a good thing for veterans, their families, and us. If you are interested in more information, go to https://www.operationgrowinc.org, or on Facebook to Alabama Operation Grow.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
January 3, 2025
