Army Ranger Veteran Jon Jackson

 Army Ranger veteran, Jon Jackson, returned from 11 years of service with physical and psychological wounds. He found healing for himself and close to 100 other veterans through launching a farming venture, Comfort Farms in Georgia.   “Some [veterans] come for a day, some stay for longer. All are volunteers as they seek to get their grounding back in civilian life. They come desperate for an escape from the dark and painful thoughts invading their minds. Meanwhile, there’s a comfort and familiarity found in the routine and specific tasks required on the farm that they can relate to from the military.”  “One of the things we tap into is the ability to serve again. This time it’s not your country, but your land,” Jackson says.  Read the story from AGDAILY: bit.ly/3PFJDX7 This story is part of AFT/AGDAILY’s Diversity in Agriculture partnership. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e-4MvDEY #diversityinagriculture #leadership #farming #farm 

Delorise and Tony Jones have one mission for their family-owned farm - to bring fresh and clean produce to Delorise's hometown of Chulahoma, Mississippi.  "If we can help one person grow one plant, or if we can provide them with better choices, it will create a healthier person one family member at a time," she adds.

Residing in Orange Mound, a predominantly low-income African American community in southeast Memphis, Delorise and Tony have witnessed first-hand the limited access residents have to healthy foods.  Their intention for starting Chulahoma's Garden was to show that fresh produce can be grown and distributed even in the most rural parts of the mid-South.

Today, the couple's garden features peppers, herbs, tomatoes, corn, okra, cucumbers, cabbage, and more.  "Now the neighborhood children are stopping by and asking about our Front Yard Garden and eating from (it)," Delorise adds.

All of their naturally-grown produce is sold through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and can be found in local farmers' markets in Oxford, Hernando, Olive Branch, and Holly Springs, Mississippi.  "We feel that we can start helping our community - whether we are at our farm or in the city - to see the benefits of growing fresh and eating fresh produce."

Their program is subscription-based, so participants can choose to sign up for either weekly or bi-weekly shares (or boxes).  Each share will be a $50 value priced at only $40 per share.  However, if participants received SNAP benefits, they will only need to pay $20 per subscription.

Weekly pickup locations are available to subscribers around Memphis and other parts of Shelby County.  For more information, you can check out Delorise & Tony's YouTube channel or head to their Facebook. page Facebook.com/Chulahomas Garden.  For inquiries, you can also reach them directly at 

In 2020 Seven Harvest, Inc., established the Veterans Agriculture Support Fund Project (VASFp). This fund provides support for socially disadvantaged farmer veterans who live in east Arkansas, west Tennessee, and north Mississippi.

Funding opportunities include:  

1)  Farm-related training

2) Farm equipment and supply purchases

3) Farm operating expenses 

4) Farmland leasing or purchase