FARMINGTON — Four years ago, Jerry Ireland might have laughed at the idea of becoming a farmer. He had never farmed, but now he operates a diverse, 82-acre farm in Swanville.

Ireland, an Army veteran, is a member of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Maine.

The Sandy River Farm Corn Maize, at 755 Farmington Falls Road, is a tribute to veterans this year, owner Herbert “Bussie” York said. The farm has partnered with the Maine chapter of the United Farmer Veterans of America, which supports veterans who want to farm in Maine. Based in California, it has another chapter in Iowa.

Bringing agriculture and veterans together creates a new dynamic to help each other succeed and pool resources, Ireland said. The organization also wants to help veterans face their struggles, overcome homelessness and avoid suicide.

Maine last year had 55 veteran-owned farms registered as members. This year that number has grown to 215, Ireland said.

“Maine is unique in that there are more veterans per capita,” he said. “There are 157,000 vets in Maine.”  

The coalition sees the struggles vets face and realizes they can’t get the answer through half an hour of counseling, prescriptions or the VA hospital at Togus, he said.

The organization’s core goal is to provide hope and a reason to live, he said. But this is done on a hand-up not a hand-out basis.

As part of their work, they have launched a new program, the 22 2×4 Project, which challenges Mainers to buy 22 two-by-fours at a cost of about $66 to help build a cabin for a veteran. 

Materials for the cabins cost $5,000 and they can be built in a couple of days with the help of volunteers and local organizations, he said.

The cabins are placed on small farms across the state in rural, secluded spots where vets can live, zone out, rest and figure out their lives, Ireland said.

He has plans for six cabins on his farm. The veterans can help feed animals and if they want to work, jobs are available. Interest in agriculture is not necessary. They receive hands-on training preparing them to own their own farms, he said. Farm owners participate in a mentoring program.

“We want to set an example of what we can do and how it can be done,” he said.

An average of 22 vets commit suicide each day, 8,000 each year. About 200,000 Vietnam veterans have taken their own lives. That is four times the number of names (58,000) on the Vietnam War wall, Ireland said.

Veteran suicides follow a spiral pattern, he said. It is not about coming back and committing suicide. There are a dozen steps that lead to it. They come back and lose jobs, lose spouses and children, become homeless, he said. 

But veterans have the perseverance, job skills and dedication to get up at 3 a.m. to feed the animals they know they are responsible for, Ireland said.

“It is sorta therapy — a missing piece of the puzzle,” York said. 

Ireland and his wife have worked to diversify their farm and to run it as a business. They have started a farm store similar to Sandy River’s. SCORE mentors, former business owners, helped them develop a business plan. 

“We started out of the gate with a business mindset,” he said. “Most farms are run by the heart, not the head.”

With branding from the “Homegrown by Heroes” program on its label, Ireland Hill Farm sold its maple syrup in 17 states last year. It was the first year of syrup sales.

A veteran product is likely to bring more people to the marketplace, he said. Sixty to 70 percent of people who don’t buy local food would support a veteran.

“We talk about thanking our veterans,” he said. “Buy from a veteran; it thanks him more than any other way.”

abryant@sunmediagroup.net

To contribute to the United Farmer Veterans of Maine, go to: http://conta.cc/2clFxV4 or bpfvc.farmvetco.org/ourchapters.