Currently serving in the military stationed abroad. I have spent the last few years educating myself through online research, reading many different books, researching work and practices of Gabe Brown, regenerative farmer in North Dakota and Mark Shepard, the CEO of Forest Agriculture Enterprises LLC, founder of Restoration Agriculture Development LLC and award-winning author of the book, Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers. I’ve also participated in ag-related programs such as WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms).

I have developed a sizable garden area, but unfortunately have not yet had the opportunity to manage animals, which is what my focus would be on my future operation.

I want to regenerate land previously used in “industrial” agricultural practices through the employment of cover crops, no-till techniques, and animal integration with planned, concentrated electric fence paddocks. I have researched different breeds of animal and am interested in mainly heritage breed types of beef (Milking Devon / Red Poll) and pork (Mangalitsa / Old Spot / Ossabaw), as well as chickens and potentially other animals.

The idea is to succession plant cover crops with cash crop seeds so that the ground is always covered, and the animals can graze in rotation periods that allow for the pastures to recover before revisiting them. These cycles will quickly build soil microbiology and topsoil year after year.

Cash crops would likely be oats and ancient grain varieties. I would seed them with a tractor and no-till seed-drill if possible. If there is a forested area, I would be interested in developing a mushroom enterprise. Honey would be an easy choice for me as another enterprise to support pollinators and as a low-maintenance income stream (following natural beekeeping practices). If there are substantial stands of sugar maples on the property, I would consider developing a maple syrup enterprise. I am potentially interested in growing vegetables for market in the future, but that is not my main focus at this point. I would be growing vegetables for home consumption.

As other sources of income, I would consider creating Agri-tourism oriented enterprises such as a separate home for Airbnb or other rental programs.

Searching for 100 acres of pasture/cropland on a property in order to have enough room to effectively manage a “modular paddock” type system in conjunction with row cropping, cover crops, orchards, and multiple animal groups to better imitate natural and holistic systems.

Ideally the property I would match with would have some sort of house included in the property. This would enable me to use the VA loan to buy a larger property, which would free up capital for starting the farm business.

Marketing products will be dependent on the area in which I find land. Open to opportunities to buy, lease, or lease to own anywhere in Pennsylvania given the right situation.

Active military until December 2023.