Why Farming?
Farming gives you purpose, and Hero Agriculture is all about helping veterans find new purpose.
Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.
—Thomas Jefferson, third U.S. president
The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.
—Masanobu Fukuoka, Japanese farmer and philosopher
No race can prosper until it learns there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.
—Booker T. Washington, American educator and reformer
I would rather be on my farm than emperor of the world.
—George Washington, first U.S. president
Farming Works for Veterans
There’s something about farming that’s hard to describe to someone who’s never farmed—what it does for your mood, brain, and body. Farming always makes you feel something, even if it’s just plain tired. You get to know the animals. The cow who sticks her head inside the truck to greet you. The goat who escapes to visit the alpaca. The daily rhythms are calming. But they’re also punctuated by surprise, like the adrenaline jolt of finding the livestock gate a crumpled mess and the bull nowhere in sight. Farming reminds you of the value of teamwork and community. You see the results. You feel the rewards of perseverance. Whether or not you want to become a farmer, farming offers purposeful work. Hero Agriculture helps veterans find new purpose. Purpose gives you hope. Hope gives you tomorrow.
Farming Takes Your Mind to Better Places
Farming demands attentiveness that can free you from negative thoughts. If you’ve never baled hay, when you climb on the tractor you have to watch the fuel, the RPMs, the hydraulic pressure and temperature, listen to the engine and the baler, drive straight, and avoid the fence. You are so focused that 28 of the 30 thoughts-per-minute your brain can process are all about baling hay.
If I ever get my hands on ...
What if I hadn't ...
Why did she say that?
I regret ...
Why bother?
Who cares?
BEER
Forget it!
*%#@&%!!!
Why didn't I ...
Leave me alone!
Does the engine sound right?
Engine temperature
Is that rain?
Look out! Watering station
RPMs
What's that noise?
Fuel's low
Keep straight!
Hydraulic pressure
How do the bales look?
Watch the fence!
The ability to grow and nurture something—you don't know how much good that can do for your soul until you try it.