A LITTLE BACKGROUND
Our founding members served in the Army together during various deployments to Iraq and beyond from 1999-2009. James Jeffers and Steve Smith were initially stationed together at Fort Hood, where they first met. James served in combat as part of OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) from 2004-2008 alongside Orlando Garcia, Charlie Erwin, and Jeff Morris.
After returning from two tours in the Middle East, James and Steve struggled with health issues, and they encountered difficulties adjusting to civilian life. During this time, they began growing fresh organic food for themselves and their families in North Texas. Ultimately, their health began to improve and their need for some of their prescription medications began to decrease.
As strong advocates for growing and consuming fresh organic food, they both became heavily involved in the local, organic food movement. Not only did James and Steve realize the improvement in their physical health, they found farming to be rigorous, regimented and rewarding work with some extra special benefits. They discovered the act of farming to be very therapeutic and grounding for them. They discovered "dirt therapy".
With the help of the Farmers Veteran Coalition, James and Steve began Eat the Yard in 2012. Eat The Yard is a closed-loop vegetable production, composting and edible landscape farming business in Dallas, TX. James and Steve are urban farmers that use any space available in their community to grow food for local restaurants, grocers and community members. Gradually and organically, Steve and James realized how healing, rewarding, and important farming is in their lives.
Tragically, the last few years have brought excessive loss. Several brothers-and-sisters-in-arms took their own lives after leaving the military, and the "22 a day" campaign attracted James' and Steve's attention. Like them, Charlie, Orlando and Jeff, leaders in the their unit, wanted to prevent these untimely, devastating events from continuing.
From personal experience, James and Steve know first-hand what dirt therapy did for them. They set upon a mission to share farming for the well-being of other veterans who may face some of the same issues. With a heart for farming and a passion to help other veterans regain their health, and to help make their integration back into civilian life less challenging, James and Steve founded Farmers Assisting Returning Military (F.A.R.M.) as a 501(c)3 non-profit veteran's organization in 2015.
After returning from two tours in the Middle East, James and Steve struggled with health issues, and they encountered difficulties adjusting to civilian life. During this time, they began growing fresh organic food for themselves and their families in North Texas. Ultimately, their health began to improve and their need for some of their prescription medications began to decrease.
As strong advocates for growing and consuming fresh organic food, they both became heavily involved in the local, organic food movement. Not only did James and Steve realize the improvement in their physical health, they found farming to be rigorous, regimented and rewarding work with some extra special benefits. They discovered the act of farming to be very therapeutic and grounding for them. They discovered "dirt therapy".
With the help of the Farmers Veteran Coalition, James and Steve began Eat the Yard in 2012. Eat The Yard is a closed-loop vegetable production, composting and edible landscape farming business in Dallas, TX. James and Steve are urban farmers that use any space available in their community to grow food for local restaurants, grocers and community members. Gradually and organically, Steve and James realized how healing, rewarding, and important farming is in their lives.
Tragically, the last few years have brought excessive loss. Several brothers-and-sisters-in-arms took their own lives after leaving the military, and the "22 a day" campaign attracted James' and Steve's attention. Like them, Charlie, Orlando and Jeff, leaders in the their unit, wanted to prevent these untimely, devastating events from continuing.
From personal experience, James and Steve know first-hand what dirt therapy did for them. They set upon a mission to share farming for the well-being of other veterans who may face some of the same issues. With a heart for farming and a passion to help other veterans regain their health, and to help make their integration back into civilian life less challenging, James and Steve founded Farmers Assisting Returning Military (F.A.R.M.) as a 501(c)3 non-profit veteran's organization in 2015.
After leaving the Marine Corps, I felt lost. Getting my hands in the dirt and learning what each plant needs to grow has not only sharpened my brain, but I feel I have a purpose now.