How Veterans are Learning to Start Small at the SAVE Farm with Tod Bunting

Creating a pathway to farming Tod Bunting joins us this week to share about the resources he and his team have developed to support veterans and introduce them to farming as a career. Tod is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Servicemember Agricultural Vocation Education (SAVE) Farm, based in Manhattan, Kansas.  The SAVE Farm exists to provide therapy, as needed, and hands-on teaching to veterans and transitioning service members through experienced professionals. Tod believes that farming or ranching is a natural transition for veterans, because both paths provide a tangible purpose.   About our guest: Tod Bunting, SAVE farm - Kansas Tod Bunting is a retired Major General from the Kansas Army and Air National Guard. He is a founding member, beginning in 2015, of SAVE (Service-member Agricultural Vocation Education). The SAVE farm is a teaching farm and healing center for transitioning veterans – A Pathway to Farming. Tod is also a Director of Heroes Among Us, a 501C3 organization that supports veterans and first responders and their families with emergency financial assistance and specialized events. To learn more about the SAVE farm, find them on Facebook or their website.   At a glance: [10:17]: They believe in what they do “They believe more in what they do than whether or not they get parades or people coming up and thanking them for that. They want to be part of something meaningful. Farming is meaningful. Serving is meaningful.”  [19:42] Farming with a team “Farming is best done by a team. It’s hard for one person to farm, and if you are a couple, and only one of you likes farming, it’s going to be a challenge.”  [29:30] Innovation is necessary  “Innovation comes from a lot of people, and not necessarily from the industry. It’s ‘I need to make something practical, affordable, and portable’. And most industries are not in any of that. Farmers are handy as a general rule, and sharing those ideas with each other is fun, it’s rewarding, and it can also help make that profitability better.” [32:38] Successful farming “Successful farmers – one, they’re resilient, they build into their plan things that are beyond their control; two, they don’t overspend, they do live within their means.”   You may also enjoy… #18 Kansas Hop Farming and Entrepreneurship with The Tipsy Farmer #44 Our Farm Transition Story Part 1 #49 Growing a 100 year old Meat Market in Rural Kansas   About the Host of Farming on Purpose, Lexi Wright:  I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the stories of agriculture from generations past, preserving the skills and lessons learned along the way, and ensuring the best of that is passed onto those who will continue to lead the way into the future of production agriculture. I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you’ll take a moment to join the conversation with me and other listeners on social media.  Connect with me on Instagram @wrightatthemoment, Facebook, and TikTok.