Posts by Rich Mattingly

Rich is a Marine Corps veteran and is dedicated to building community through sustainable agriculture. He lives in Dryden, NY, and is an aspiring farmer, with the goal of growing healthy food for local food sovereignty initiatives. He worked as a veterans associate for the Farm Ops project from 2024-2025.

Tricia Park | Farmer Veteran

By Rich Mattingly / January 16, 2018

Tricia Park enlisted in the United States Air Force after high school, serving two tours at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey as an Aerospace Ground Equipment Mechanic. Looking back, she…

Kevin Miller | Farmer Veteran

By Rich Mattingly / January 16, 2018

Kevin Miller dedicated 15 years to serving in the U.S. Army before being medically retired in 2013 following injuries sustained in Afghanistan, which led to the amputation of his leg.…

CCE Helps Farmer Veterans Grow Their Dream

By Rich Mattingly / January 10, 2018

Peter and John Lehning grew up farming as young boys, but it wasn’t until after retiring from the military that they decided to return to their agricultural roots. With guidance…

Elly’s Acres Farmer Veteran Tour

By Rich Mattingly / December 20, 2017

After serving 27 years in the United States Military, John Lamondes made a deliberate choice to pursue farming, a lifelong dream sparked by his childhood experiences working on a farm.…

Centurion Farm Farmer Veteran Tour

By Rich Mattingly / December 19, 2017

Centurion Farm is owned and operated by Nina and Jeffrey Saeli, both veterans. In our video tour, Nina shares that her biggest challenge in transitioning out of the military was…