Organic Farming Creates Opportunities For Military Veterans
October 8, 2013 
The marriage of the U.S. Marine Corps, returning veterans, and sustainable organic farming may seem a highly unique one, but on Archi’s Acres, a small-scale organic farm in Escondido, CA, it’s just another day in the life.
Colin Archipley, a former Marine sergeant, and his wife Karen developed the 6-acre certified organic farm as a way to provide job opportunities in agriculture for returning vets, and as a way for the couple to stay connected to the military community after Colin’s years of service in Iraq.
Through the six-week full immersion program, the couple created what is called the Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training, or VSAT program, where veterans learn the basics of organic, sustainable, and hydroponic production through a series of lectures and hands-on training, and are equipped with the tools needed to develop a successful business plan to potentially manage their own operations.
A New Type Of Duty
The common thread between all the veterans at Archi’s Acres is their commitment to service and leadership.
“Iraq and Afghanistan have a huge amount of very young men and women who are coming out of the military right now and need to find a new direction in life,” Karen Archipley explains.
“These are leaders; when they come back, the regular cubicle is not going to be a good fit. So in agriculture they can take that leadership they learned in the military and re-direct it and be a rock star for their community,” she continues.
About one-half to one-third of the program graduates go on to start their own farms, and another percentage of the graduates go on to produce value-added products like hot sauces, ketchup, etc. The Archipleys also do a significant amount of job placement and have set up work for graduates on farms, in the food and fiber industry, and in other varying positions.
The operation also has a strong relationship with the Farm Service Agency (FSA). FSA personnel come to the farm and educate the vets about loan programs and, as Karen explains it, the agency sees completing the six-week program as equivalent to one year of farm ownership, which could impact the graduates’ eligibility for a loan.
Channeling Through Local Markets
There’s a total of 6 acres on the farm including protected agriculture and an avocado grove the Archipley’s inherited, but most of the farm’s output comes from the greenhouses and hydroponic systems.
The farm’s primary crops include kale, rainbow chard, bell peppers, and perhaps what they’re most known for, basil. Basil is produced year-round on the farm, supplied to Whole Foods and other local retailers, and is displayed in a hydroponic bed designed as a vegetable crate, which they found has drawn a lot of attention to the produce in the store.
The Archipley’s also place a high priority on creating a local footprint. “People are really drawn to the ‘Buy Local’ theme right now. They want to know more about the growers’ stories, and they get more invested personally into farmers who are distributing locally, and we think that’s a good place to start,” Colin says.
Sustainable Efforts
Among the farm’s founding principles is the oft buzzed-about doctrine of sustainability. But what does sustainability mean to the Archipley’s exactly?
“Most people think that sustainability just means being green. Our focus is not only is it green and using less water and creating fewer carbon emissions, but it’s also being profitable. Profitability dictates how much inputs go in, and fewer inputs means greater profit margins as well as more sustainable,” Colin explains.
In addition to their focus on profitability, the Archipleys do implement what most consider traditional sustainable practices which includes water conservation through their hydroponic operating systems.
“Hydroponics is kind of the cornerstone of sustainability on our farm. Also, we teach a lot about how to irrigate crops, not only in hydro systems, but also in container and soil systems with drip and micro irrigation,” Colin explains.
Future Prospects
Looking toward the future, Colin and Karen say they want to have vets operating multiple farms across the U.S., and are currently working with a group of investors to develop 1-acre turnkey hydroponic organic greenhouses and plan on selecting eligible managers from the graduating class to operate those greenhouses.
This concept is suited well with the “give a man a fish…teach a man to fish” parable that the Archipleys operate by, and as Karen succinctly puts it, the day the students graduate really marks the first day of their relationship together.
The veterans’ natural ability to serve and lead is a perfect fit for the work ethic required in the ag industry, and as Colin says, “There’s a huge talent pool of leaders that we’re not tapping into in the veteran community. This industry is only going to continue to grow — more than half of American farmers are at retirement age, and we need someone to fill those footsteps. There’s a lot of risk though, so we need leaders to take that on, and the military community has
those leaders.”
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