Fridays on the Farm: Easing the Way for Fellow Veterans

This Friday meet Colonel Joe Ricker, U.S. Army Veteran and founder of the At Ease Orchard and Veterans IN Farming non-profit organizations in Indiana. Joe retired from his 30-year military career in 2022, and through a love for agriculture, he’s set out to help veterans transition home after returning from service. His organizations are helping nearly 1,500 veterans find their passion in the world of agriculture.

At Ease Orchard and Veterans IN Farming give veterans a place to connect and heal. Through these organizations, Joe has a stronger ability to teach veterans valuable information about agriculture, including how to get started, how to maintain a farm and how to successfully build a business. 

Joe and organization staff hold classes and conferences at three veteran-run demonstration farms in Wilkinson, Anderson, and Danville.

In partnership with At Ease Orchard and Veterans IN Farming, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Hancock County Soil and Water District offer courses on NRCS programs, the benefits of soil health, and other conservation practices.

The Next Mission

It started with At Ease Orchard in 2018, which was designed to introduce veterans to all aspects of agriculture. “At ease” means to take a moment of rest, and the farms offer a space for veterans to rest and find purpose in their next mission in life, something Joe is proud to provide for his fellow service members.

Veterans also gain hands-on experience with livestock, including chickens, goats, and bees. Afterwards, At Ease Orchard and Veterans IN Farming provide enough livestock for veterans to get their hands dirty on their own operations.

“We get the chickens from Purdue Extension, they are 4H chickens,” said Joe. “So [4H] kids that can’t take them home, we’ll take them in and give them to veterans.”

In addition to helping a veteran get their start in agriculture, livestock can also provide mental health benefits. “Sometimes, they end up being a kind of companion animal for stress relief,” said Joe.

Conservation and Business Plans

Beyond training, the demonstration farms are also homesteads and a working orchard. Resident veterans can live and work on the property while writing a business plan for their own farm.

“We have a residential veteran who comes in and manages [a] farm for two years, builds a business plan for his own place, and then they can decide if they want to continue farming or not,” said Joe.

Part of that management includes overseeing conservation practices on the farm. In 2018, Joe installed a pollinator habitat area at the orchard with help from the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), hoping to draw monarch butterflies, honeybees and other vital pollinators into his property. 

The honeybees have reaped the benefits and produce copious amounts of honey. The honey is sold for donations, with all the proceeds going directly to help veterans through Veterans IN Farming and At Ease Orchard. 

After his initial EQIP contract at the orchard, Joe decided to expand his involvement with NRCS by adding a high tunnel to one farm location through a second EQIP contract. 

Among its many benefits, the high tunnel provided the opportunity to give veterans hands-on experience with a high tunnel and demonstrated how financial and technical assistance works with NRCS. Joe installed an additional high tunnel in 2024. The produce grown in the high tunnel is donated to local organizations that fight hunger in central Indiana.

“I tell everybody to go to NRCS first and see what they can offer you for whatever you want to do,” said Joe. From conservation planning to financial assistance for conservation efforts, NRCS can provide new veteran farmers with the resources they need to be successful.

In addition to education and hands-on experience, At Ease Orchard and Veterans IN Farming give veterans community. 

“I think sometimes it’s nice just getting veterans together to talk,” Joe said. “We have a licensed clinical social worker that I can either consult with, or she will come to events and she can get somebody connected with the VA [Veterans Affairs] or other resources. We also have a veteran’s services officer to get them benefits.” 

More Information

Visit local farms, ranches, forests, and resource areas through our Fridays on the Farm stories. Meet farmers, producers, and landowners who are working to improve their operations with USDA programs. 

USDA offers a variety of risk management, disaster assistance, loan, and conservation programs to help producers weather ups and downs in the market, recover from natural disasters, and invest in improvements to their operations. Learn about additional programs. 

For more information about USDA programs and services, contact your local USDA service center.