From service to soil: veterans find new purpose in agriculture through AgrAbility

In 2022, after serving in the Army for 30 years, Colonel Joe Ricker began exploring his next chapter in civilian life. Ricker joined the Department of Defense's SkillBridge Program, allowing service members to explore opportunities that might fit them as they transition out of their military careers. There, Ricker encountered the AgrAbility program headquartered at Purdue University and found his "next mission."

Not only did Ricker discover his new path in agriculture, but he also developed a desire to help other veterans. "I am passionate about supporting anything, whether it helps veterans get into the ag community or will help them as they transition into civilian life or keep them from hurting themselves," Ricker said.

AgrAbility's vision is to enhance the quality of life for farmers, ranchers and other agricultural workers with disabilities. National Manager Paul Jones has been with the organization for 26 of the organizations’ 33 years and notes that while AgrAbility always served veterans, it was not until 2012 that they officially noticed a need to expand those services.

"While we have served veterans from the beginning, it wasn't necessarily a real focus until we held a veteran-related conference in 2012. After that conference, we realized this was an area where we needed continued effort," Jones said.

He recalls that through popular press and the work being done by the USDA it became clear there was a growing desire for veterans returning from active duty to do something different than they had done before, and many had seen or unseen disabilities which fit AgrAbility’s mission.

As the veteran outreach coordinator, Ricker supports the veterans, such as John Antill, a former Corporal in the US Marine Corps and retired captain in the  National Guard US Army, through the AgrAbility project. Antill owns and operates Little Critters Nursery in Edinburgh, Indiana.

"I contacted AgrAbility to discuss some issues I had about problems with my back and what they could do to assist me with my specific problems,” Antill said. “They assisted with many ideas to accommodate me in my work. AgrAbility helped me with everything from seed planters to help in designing a specialized rabbit cage system that would help collect the waste so I wouldn't have to empty trays and possibly injure myself further."

Not only does Ricker assist veterans with accessibility issues, but he also helps veterans experience agriculture to see if it might be a fit for them as they transition to civilian life. According to the USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture, there are 6,621 producers with military service in Indiana. While some of these veterans have asked for help, there are other veterans with no exposure to agriculture who are looking for something new. Ricker is driven to help them discover if agriculture might be a fit for them.

"I'll be honest with you, I don't think every veteran is going to be right for agriculture, but all veterans deserve an opportunity to be a farmer if they want," Ricker said.

This need is being met through partnerships with groups such as the United States Department of Agriculture, which provides grants and other local partners like Hoosier Uplands with the Indiana AgVets Ag Program. The Indiana AgVets Certification and Internship Program is an agricultural career training opportunity specifically for U.S. military veterans in Indiana or surrounding states. Their program provides veterans with the opportunity to spend 400 hours on a farm, and receive a stipend of $15 an hour. Veterans are matched with different farms and participate in various agriculture opportunities, from cattle ranching to beekeeping.

Purdue has also been a partner to AgrAbility from its genesis, providing a home and a partnership through Purdue Extension efforts and more.

"Being part of the Extension network has been very valuable in our work in terms of having access to the educators and the events that Extension is involved in," said Jones.

While exposure to agricultural careers is one focus of AgrAbility, Ricker says the program also remains committed to supporting veterans with disabilities through their work. "I don't know if I've ever come across a client who says they don't have some physical impairment, in one way or another, from their time in service. Sometimes you don't see it. It's PTSD or TBI. Sometimes, it's like me, with arthritis that I fight through. Our goal is always to make everything in agriculture more accessible for those we serve."  

Ricker believes agriculture can also be an excellent fit for many veterans because of its therapeutic nature. "I think veterans come out of service and are trying to find what they’re best suited for in this new chapter. There are a lot of opportunities out there. You will see art and music programs that provide therapeutics. Digging in the dirt next to another veteran can provide an opportunity to open up. There is a whole plethora of goodness to agriculture.”

Like any good mission, it succeeds when both sides benefit, and Ricker acknowledges that this work is benefiting the agriculture industry as well as the veterans. "Veterans are a gift to the ag industry as well. These are individuals who are success-driven. They are trained that every mission has to be successful. Veterans are also community and service-minded. Many of our them are searching for ways to give back in what they are doing in agriculture, whether that is donating back some of what they grow to feed their community at large or other veterans. They are looking for ways to return to their community and reconnect and being a part of the agricultural community is one way to make that happen."

By facilitating access to resources, education and hands-on experiences, AgrAbility not only supports veterans in their transition to civilian life but also works to help enhance their quality of life. As Ricker and his team continue to empower veterans like Antill, they demonstrate that with the right support, every veteran can embrace new opportunities and thrive in their next mission.