Connecticut Veteran Grown Opens Doors for Veterans Starting Farming Operations
In partnership with: Connecticut Department of Agriculture
When Jared McCool transitioned from the Marine Corps to civilian life, he had a successful 9-to-5 job selling technology solutions, but McCool was missing that sense of camaraderie and “mission accomplished” that had driven him as a Marine.
A self-described “city boy” from Waterbury, McCool stumbled upon a new passion after accepting a friend’s invitation for pheasant hunting. McCool became fascinated by watching the dogs work, and his new pastime coalesced into a business plan centered on poultry processing.
In 2016, he launched Steadfast Farms and tapped into the services of the Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development (CT RC&D) nonprofit, where he connected with Agricultural Programs Director Amanda Fargo-Johnson.
“I started having a conversation with her that navigating these programs is difficult,” McCool says. “She held my hand through the process.”
Fargo-Johnson, who has worked at CT RC&D for 19 years, took McCool’s feedback and developed the FarmUp and Veteran FarmUp programs to support farmers through the administrative and logistical challenges of launching their businesses.
McCool and Fargo-Johnson continued working together to expand services to farmer veterans. In November 2022, the formation of the Connecticut chapter of Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) was announced. At the same time, the Homegrown by Heroes CT Grown brand logo, done through an agreement between the FVC and Connecticut Department of Agriculture, was released.
“This branding program of the national Farmer Veteran Coalition lets consumers know that agricultural products were produced by U.S. military veterans,” says Sarah Layton, who works with Fargo-Johnson at CT RC&D as the agricultural programs coordinator.
Last year, the U.S. Small Business Administration awarded a grant to CT RC&D to further these initiatives. On Veterans Day 2023, ctveterangrown.org went live, showcasing CT veteran-owned farms through an interactive map and farmer features.
“CT Veteran Grown brings together powerful marketing resources to help recruit new farmer veterans, while encouraging consumers to support farmer veterans,” says Fargo-Johnson who oversees the grant.
Connecticut farmer veterans run a variety of farms, including maple syrup, winemaking, dairy, poultry and livestock. The CT Veteran Grown program helps create a network among farmer veterans.
McCool hopes his story will inspire other veterans to pursue farming and find that sense of camaraderie.
In 2023, he expanded Steadfast Farms, opening his second business, Steadfast Farms Poultry Processing and Slaughter LLC, the only USDA-inspected poultry slaughter facility in Connecticut. His improvements led to McCool being named the 2024 Outstanding Young Farmer.
“I sleep less, work harder and make less money,” McCool says. “But I am the happiest I have ever been farming.”
To learn more about the program, visit ctveterangrown.org.
See more: Top Connecticut Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture