CORVALLIS, Ore. — Jacob Mogler grew up in Iowa farm country and worked on farms as a kid, but after high school he wrote off farming to join the U.S. Marine Corps.
Mogler served four years, graduated from Oregon State University and returned to agriculture after moving to the Willamette Valley in 2016. He fell in love with sheep and, in 2019, started Willamette Community Lamb on 14 acres near Corvallis with his wife, Carli.
He soon connected with the Military Veterans Farmer Network, a program of the Oregon State University Extension Service that links veterans who farm — or want to. Members share funding leads, trade ideas, ask questions, tour farms and, most of all, build community.
“Veterans for a long time have been touted as ideal candidates to enter farming. They have compatible skills, and we recognize that working with their hands has therapeutic benefits. It’s win-win.”
“If you go on a farm tour or go to other events, there’s commonality that you know you share,” Mogler said. “It’s a bridge to kindred spirits. The veterans farmer network is an easier starting point for connecting with others.”
Teagan Moran, OSU Extension Small Farms coordinator in the Willamette Valley, launched the network after a veterans meet-up at the 2019 OSU Extension Small Farms Conference made the need clear.
“We were always aware that there are veterans engaging with our Small Farms program, but we didn’t know if we were meeting their needs,” Moran said. “It became obvious there was a desire to connect with one another.”
Moran set up an email list to share grants, programs and events, and to encourage direct peer-to-peer contact. Farm tours at veteran-owned farms quickly became a favorite.
“Veterans for a long time have been touted as ideal candidates to enter farming,” Moran said. “They have compatible skills, and we recognize that working with their hands has therapeutic benefits. It’s win-win.”
Work that keeps hands busy
In Southern Oregon, Maud Powell, Extension Small Farms faculty in Jackson County, adapted Extension’s long-running beginning farmer training for veterans. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Growing Veteran Agripreneurs has served veterans in the Rogue Valley for four years.
Now managed by Extension Small Farms education program assistant Diane Choplin, the program blends farm tours with season-long training.
Veterans meet weekly for four hours at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point. Working alongside mentors, they practice seeding, transplanting, irrigation, crop planning and rotation, integrated pest management, cover cropping and drought-mitigation techniques.
“I was amazed last summer when it was 104°F and we still had seven people show up,” Choplin said. “There’s a feeling of reunion when folks get back together. There’s joy and excitement.”
A veteran’s path to a farm
James Miller served four years in the Marines as an aircraft rescue firefighter and emergency medical technician. After a year selling insurance in Oregon, he returned to school to become a paramedic, but the fast-paced work kept him from his children. In 2019, he and his wife, Kate, bought five acres in Elmira outside Eugene, named it Sunwave Farms and decided to grow ingredients for salsa for a small café they owned.
The first two seasons failed, but he persisted.
“More and more I’m enjoying the lifestyle,” Miller said. “This is my life now and how I want to live. I make my own schedule and that’s what I want.”
Last year the organic farm produced gallons of tomatoes for salsa. This year he planted more tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and sunflowers for local restaurants.
“The program reaches veterans that normally like solitude,” Miller said. “For whatever reason they feel excluded, but growing things is worthy of their time. Getting them involved in the dirt and the hope of another season — there’s something in that.”
Why farming resonates
Mogler, who now raises 35 sheep, says the work keeps him moving and grounded. Moran hears the same from many participants. Shared traits — discipline, hard work, a sense of service — translate well to agriculture. Support from other veterans builds confidence and provides a built-in learning network.
“Overall, the veterans seem to benefit from being in a cohort comprised primarily of other vets,” Powell said. “The shared experience strengthens camaraderie and community. We see greater engagement and lower attrition over the season — and better-trained beginning farmers with peer support.”
