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OFI 119: Returning Veteran And New Farmer, Damon Helton (Episode 3 of 3) | American Farm Bureau Federation Patriot Project 

SHOW NOTES

KEY IDEAS:

Welcome to our third installment of our profile of the American Farm Bureau Federation Patriot Project.  In this episode we interview Damon Helton, a returning veteran and new farmer.  Damon has some fantastic things going on.  He is raising his own poultry, beef and pork, forest pork to be specific.  What is compelling about his business ideas is that he has purchased the Olde Crow General Store in Saline County, Arkansas.  At this store he is selling the meat of the animals he is raising on his own farm.  What a great business model and totally vertically integrated!

Damon’s story is much more compelling than that.  Damon enlisted in the Army in 2001.  He did tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq.  When he returned he decided that he wanted to farm for a living.  It was around this time that he discovered the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Patriot Project.  He ended up being paired with Jeremy Allen, who served as his mentor.  This episode is the third installment in a  3 episode series about the Patriot Project.  I had a great time making this series.

“Farming and Ranching are incredible lifestyle businesses.  The peace and solitude offered the farmer at the end of a hard day’s work as they watch the sun go down are benefits that go well beyond dollars and cents.  Our goal on the Off-Farm Income Podcast is to be a resource that allows people to reach and maintain this lifestyle.

In my searches around the internet I came across a program offered by the American Farm Bureau Federation called the “Patriot Project.”  This program matches veterans who want to farm with mentors who can help them avoid many of the “landmines” of business.

I spoke with Lisa Benson, the Director of Rural Development at the American Farm Bureau Federation about this program.  The concept here is powerful: give the people who deserve the “peace and solitude” the most, veterans, the best chance of achieving this lifestyle.

I was so taken by this program, that I wanted to profile it here on the podcast.  This turned into a three part series.  My first interview, episode 115, is with Lisa herself.  She explains the origins of the program, its intentions and the vision of how it will grow.  The second interview, episode 117, is with Jeremy Allen, a farmer who volunteered to mentor a veteran who wanted to farm.  The final interview, episode 119, is with Damon Helton, a returning veteran who did multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

All three interviews are fantastic, and this a great program.  I hope you will share this interview anywhere that you think veterans might be assisted!”

LINKS:

Patriot Project: LINK

Damon’s Facebook Page: LINK

Damons’s Telephone Number: 501-251-7436

OFI Email: matt@offincome.com

OFI Website: www.offincome.com

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