In the final episode of our series, we interview rancher Dennis Stitt, retired Army Colonel and owner of Soldier Mountain Highlands & Huns Ranch located in Fairfield, Idaho.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service descibes regenerative soil practices as those that build soil health by increasing organic matter and microbial activity through methods like cover cropping, crop rotation, conservation tillage, and managed grazing. These practices conserve moisture, prevent erosion, build soil carbon, and increase farm resilience.

Listen as Dennis talks about how he uses these principles on his ranch as a production risk mitigation strategy.

Resources:

Soldier Mountain Highlands and Huns: https://idahopreferred.com/members/soldier-mountain-highland-huns/

The Regenerative Agriculture Network of Idaho https://www.regenidaho.org/

Center for Regenerative Agriculture | Regenerating the health of our soils while building increased resiliency for farms and food production

Resources - Soil Health | University of Idaho Extension

USDA NRCS Soil Health Basics: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns/soil/soil-health#:~:text=As%20world%20population%20and%20food%20production%20demands,harvesting%20better%20profits%20and%20often%20better%20yields.

In this episode, we interview special guest retired Army Colonel and founder of At Ease Orchards, Joe Ricker shares how his farm is dedicated to supporting veterans through hands-on experiences in farming and beekeeping.

Joe retired from the Army in June 2022 as an Army Colonel who specialized in Logistics and Information Management. His 30 years in the military brought him to Afghanistan, Iraq, and many other countries. He developed not only a drive to get the mission done, but a desire to help people. After two tours in the Pentagon and meeting the AgrAbility Veteran team in 2016 at a workshop he decided that agriculture was going to be his focus in retirement and helping Veterans is his passion.

He is the founder of At Ease Orchard, a non-profit that is focused on getting Veterans, First Responders and their family members into Beekeeping and other farm activities. Over the past two years At Ease Orchard has provided over 80 hives, mentorship, and training to their beneficiaries. He also manages his property with 250 apple trees as well as 5 beehives. At Ease Orchard helps support two primary Veteran training farms in Anderson and Danville Indiana.

Joe also founded Veterans IN Farming, a non-profit that supports Veterans and their families in Indiana to be successful in Farming, Ranching and Homesteading. Veterans in Farming has over 1300 members, and recently conducted a conference with over 50 Veterans attending.

At Ease Orchard has receives over $100K per year in grant funding which includes Natural Resource Conservation Service Partnership Grant, Indiana State Specialty Crop Grant, and Farm to School Grant. At Ease Orchard was awarded the non-profit partner for 2025 for the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs.

Joe was recently awarded the inaugural Veteran Farmer of the Year in Nov 2024, where the nonprofits received over $10K in award money.

Joe is currently the Veteran Outreach Coordinator for AgrAbility where he mentors Veterans on Veteran specific resources and provides guidance to dozens of Veterans every month on pursuing their passion of getting into Agriculture.

Enjoyed this episode? Let us know at ell us what you think at https://bit.ly/hhpodcastfeedback.

Resources:

At Ease Orchards: https://www.ateaseorchard.org/

AgrAbility: http://www.agrability.org/

Farm Stress Management in Idaho: https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/farm-stress

Joann Danner, owner of the Dancing Goat Farm in Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Dancing Goat Farm was established approximately 15 years ago on 40 acres in Bonners Ferry with the vision of providing a space where veterans could relax and recover while learning about farming. The farm originally raised beef cattle, goats, pigs, chickens, and sheep, reflecting the dedication of its founders—both military veterans.

In this episode, we have a conversation with Veteran Joann Danner, owner of Dancing Goat Farm in Bonners Ferry, Idaho as she shares her experience marketing goat milk products and how she navigated the risks associated with including these products as part of her business. Joann is also founding member of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Idaho and has been on the board 3 years.

Enjoyed this episode? Let us know at ell us what you think at https://bit.ly/hhpodcastfeedback.

Resources:

Dancing Goat Farm: https://idahopreferred.com/members/dancing-goat-farm/

Cultivating Your Business E-Book: https://www.cultivatingsuccess.org/cyb-online-guide

Farm-direct Marketing: Merchandising and Pricing Strategies Publication: https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/publications/publication-detail?id=pnw0203

Value-Added Agriculture: Enhancing Farm Opportunities: https://extension.psu.edu/value-added-agriculture-enhancing-farm-opportunities

Under the Idaho Food Code, "cottage foods" are edible products made in a person's home or another designated location and sold directly to consumers. They include low-risk foods, which the code defines as products that do not require time and temperature controls for safety."

in this episode, Veteran Cathy Cabalo, co-owner of Cabalo's Orchards and Gardens shares her experience navigating the regulatory hurdles she encountered making and selling value added food products.

Enjoyed this episode? Let us know at ell us what you think at https://bit.ly/hhpodcastfeedback.

Resources:

Cabalo's Orchard and Garden: https://www.cabalosorchard.com/

Cultivating Your Business E-Book: https://www.cultivatingsuccess.org/cyb-online-guide

University of Idaho Publication on Selling Cottage Foods: https://www.uidaho.edu/-/media/UIdaho-Responsive/Files/Extension/publications/bul/bul1009.pdf?la=en

Idaho Cottage Food Rule Frequently Asked Questions: https://phd5.idaho.gov/Documents/Environmental-Health/Cottage-Food-FAQs_2-16-17.pdf

Idaho Preferred: https://idahopreferred.com/

Financing an agricultural enterprise of any size can be risky. Decisions are made every day related to the investment in land, equipment and tools, loans and credits, cash flow and balancing income and expenses.

In this episode we talk to Army Veteran Aaron Zimmerman, who is the current Treasurer for Farmer Veteran Coalition of Idaho Chapter, and the Vice President of a local bank.

We ask Aaron to look back on his own experiences getting started in urban farming and his years as a financial professional and offer sage advice on avoiding financial mistakes and reducing risks when planning or starting a new enterprise.

Enjoyed this episode? Let us know at ell us what you think at https://bit.ly/hhpodcastfeedback.

Resources:

Finding, Accessing and Securing Farmland: https://agrisk.umn.edu/Library/OpenItem/15067

Beginning Farm Finances: https://www.cfra.org/farm-finances

Mindi Anderson is the President, Executive Director and Founder of the Idaho Veterans Chamber of Commerce. Navigation Services is one of the programs offered by the Chamber. In this podcast episode Mindi talks about those services her organization provides for veterans, military individuals still serving, those transitioning, and their family members. She then talked about the services that would be most valuable for the veteran in agriculture, those who might wish to start a specialty food business and then she discussed the Operation Freedom Crossroads project. There have been several farmers interested in having a tiny home placed on their property for the veterans helping out on the farms. This is a developing topic of discussion so stay tuned.

Enjoyed this episode? Let us know at ell us what you think at https://bit.ly/hhpodcastfeedback.

Resources:

Veteran Services | Idaho Veterans Chamber of Commerce

Avenues for Hope Housing Challenge

University of Idaho Extension and the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Idaho Chapter are committed to improving the economic opportunities and quality of life for military veterans choosing agriculture as their next mission.

The Idaho Harvest Heroes Podcast delivers production, marketing, financial, legal and human risk management education to new and beginning veteran farmers and ranchers through stories directly from experienced veteran producers.

In each episode, we highlight veterans who have reduced their risks through diversification, innovation, creativity, and who have successfully navigated relevant state, regional and federal USDA programs supporting veteran and new and beginning producers.

This podcast is funded by a grant from the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center and is one part of our planned efforts to utilize peer to peer learning and a regional approach to connect Idaho’s farmer veterans with risk management education and each other.

Succession planning as a form of legal risk management is an important topic for anyone that owns property, especially a farm operation. In this episode, we have a frank conversation with Randy Smith owner of Smith Family Tree Farm in Hayden, Idaho. Randy is currently going through the legalities of farm succession and exploring options.

Enjoyed this episode? Let us know at ell us what you think at https://bit.ly/hhpodcastfeedback.

Resources:

https://www.uidaho.edu/cals/idaho-agbiz/resources/succession

https://www.fbfs.com/learning-center/what-you-need-to-know-about-farm-succession-planning

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://landforgood.org/wp-content/uploads/LFG-Farm-Succession-Planning-Where-Do-I-Start-Workbook.pdf

My guest for our third podcast episode is Jaime Stephan, who operates Stephan Family Farms in Hammett, ID raising wild birds. In learning more about Jaime, it was determined that he would be a great candidate for this podcast episode due to his experiences and lessons learned while establishing multiple business enterprises, utilizing online sales, and applying for and receiving a grant to support his farm operation.

Enjoyed this episode? Let us know at ell us what you think at https://bit.ly/hhpodcastfeedback.

Resources:

For assistance with online small business development in Idaho, visit: https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/digital-economy

Learn how veteran farmers may be eligible for grants through the Farmer Veteran Coalition: https://farmvetco.org/fvfellowship/

Learn more about Farmer Rancher Grants through USDA WSARE (Due October 23, 2024): https://western.sare.org/grants/farmer-rancher/

Our guest for this episode is Ron Kern from Back Forty Farms, in Nampa. We invited Ron to be our guest to talk about how he uses agritourism as a marketing strategy and how he manages the risks that are involved with these activities.

Enjoyed this episode? Let us know at ell us what you think at https://bit.ly/hhpodcastfeedback.

Resources:

To learn more about agritourism and key information to help guide your decision, go to:

Choosing Property Insurance for Your Farm - Free Webinar from Farm Commons: https://farmcommons.org/product/does-my-farm-have-the-right-property-insurance-coverage/

Agritourism Questions to Ask Yourself (from Farm Commons): https://farmcommons.org/pathway/what-legal-issues-do-i-need-to-consider-if-i-do-agritourism-on-farm-events/

To learn more about Idaho Preferred resources go to:

https://idahopreferred.com/business-resources-2/

Our guest for today’s first podcast episode is Ted Kovarik of Sonshine Acres in Emmett, who we met through the Harvest Heroes training program in 2020. Ted was already farming at that time but joined the program to meet other veterans and to learn more to grow his operation. We invited Ted to talk about diversification as a risk management strategy on his small farm.

Producing a diverse selection of crops and livestock on a small farm is often presented as a way to reduce risk, expand markets, and make the best use of available natural resources, and Ted’s farm embodies this kind of diversification in both what he produces and how he markets his products.

Enjoyed this episode? Let us know at ell us what you think at https://bit.ly/hhpodcastfeedback.

Resources:

Check out the following links for more information on resources related to this episode:

• Sonshine Acres Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sonshineacres.net
• UI Extension Website: https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/county/ada
• FVC Idaho Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FVCIdaho/ Website: Home | Idaho FVC
• Idaho Preferred Website: Idaho Preferred | LIVE. EAT. LOCAL.
• A PRIMER for Selecting New Enterprises for Your Farm https://agrisk.umn.edu/Library/Record/a_primer_for_selecting_new_enterprises_for_yo
• Managing Production Risk in Agriculture https://extension.usu.edu/apec/files/uploads/agribusiness-and-food/risk-management/risk-management-factsheets/Managing-Production-Risk.pdf