AgrAbility helps veterans seeking careers in ag

ASHLEY, Ind. — Marine Corps veteran Mike Mosier completed three tours of service before retiring in 2005.

Mosier bounced between jobs until he found a career that lessened his PTSD symptoms — farming.

Now he runs Fourth Mission Farm.

“A lot of veterans I’ve talked to have similar experiences to mine, similar reasons for turning to farming,” said Mosier in an article by Purdue University. “They have the same feelings I do about it and they’ve found similar healing.”

AgrAbility, a U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored program supporting farmers with a range of disabilities, helped Mosier get started.

The National AgrAbility Project and the Indiana AgrAbility Project Breaking New Ground are based at Purdue University.

Clients’ disabilities range from arthritis to spinal cord damage to traumatic brain injury.

The project offers a range of services, including worksite assessments, assistance referrals and case management.

“A lot of veterans are new beginning farmers,” said Chuck Baldwin, special populations outreach coordinator for the National AgrAbility Project. “They are turning to agriculture as part of their process of healing.”

Disabled veterans who might once have been excluded from manual labor careers are now able to consider farming as an option.

“We want to help them manage their disability in whatever way we can,” said Cindy Chastain, veteran outreach coordinator for AgrAbility.

“We can encourage them to farm by providing the support they need, whatever that may look like. That might not even include gear or tools. I consider a large part of my job connecting veterans with other veterans, which for many can be a great source of support.”