In honor of Veteran’s Day, GreenStone is proud to provide scholarships to eight Michigan veterans to attend the 2016 Farmer Veteran Coalition National Stakeholders Conference?. Katy Tuckerman is an Army veteran and one of the scholarship recipients, and she recently spoke with GreenStone about her journey from the military to agriculture. We offer our sincere thanks to Katy, and to all veterans across the country, for such dedicated service and sacrifice.
For Army veteran Katy Tuckerman, the idea of returning to her family farm, Floodwood Creek Farm, in Blissfield, Michigan is both daunting and exciting. After serving eight years in the Army Reserves, Katy completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy and Decision Making in 2014. She’s currently pursuing a master’s degree at Ohio State University, and later this month, she’ll attend the Farmer Veteran Coalition National Stakeholders Conference with a conference scholarship from GreenStone.
Growing up in Blissfield, Michigan, Katy was raised on a 1,100 acre cash crop and beef cattle farm, which is still managed by her father and brother. After high school, she left Blissfield to join the ROTC program at Ohio State, but was unsure about what subject to select as her major. She decided the best course of action was to enlist in the Army after her first year in college. “The military gives you so many life experiences,” said Katy. “It really helps you understand what’s important.”
Tuckerman on deployment with with U.S. Army.
While in the Army she deployed to the Middle East, focusing on civil affairs and capacity building. This meant that she worked in collaboration with infantry to stabilize the area and help the local community members cope with living through war. While there she also collaborated with representatives from United States Department of Agriculture to assess local infrastructure regarding agriculture.
Next spring she’ll finish her master’s degree, which includes coursework on agriculture public policy and technical subject matters, such as soil conservation. With her father nearing retirement, she hopes to take that skill set back home, where she can join her brother on the family farm operation.
“Given what I have studied in school and my interests, I’d love to transition the farm to organic,” said Katy. She recognizes the hurdles involved in such a transition, and is preparing by starting to have conversations with her father and brother about what the move to organic could mean for the farm. “There are so many factors,” Katy remarked. “It would completely change the structure of the farm.”
Katy’s father and brother are open to the possibility, and that coupled with her passion for conservation would make the obstacles worth the effort. “My dad is the person I learned conversation from. If anyone taught me to be environmentally conscious, it was my father.”
For Army veteran Katy Tuckerman, the idea of returning to her family farm, Floodwood Creek Farm, in Blissfield, Michigan is both daunting and exciting. After serving eight years in the Army Reserves, Katy completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy and Decision Making in 2014. She’s currently pursuing a master’s degree at Ohio State University, and later this month, she’ll attend the Farmer Veteran Coalition National Stakeholders Conference with a conference scholarship from GreenStone.
Growing up in Blissfield, Michigan, Katy was raised on a 1,100 acre cash crop and beef cattle farm, which is still managed by her father and brother. After high school, she left Blissfield to join the ROTC program at Ohio State, but was unsure about what subject to select as her major. She decided the best course of action was to enlist in the Army after her first year in college. “The military gives you so many life experiences,” said Katy. “It really helps you understand what’s important.”
Tuckerman on deployment with with U.S. Army.
While in the Army she deployed to the Middle East, focusing on civil affairs and capacity building. This meant that she worked in collaboration with infantry to stabilize the area and help the local community members cope with living through war. While there she also collaborated with representatives from United States Department of Agriculture to assess local infrastructure regarding agriculture.
Next spring she’ll finish her master’s degree, which includes coursework on agriculture public policy and technical subject matters, such as soil conservation. With her father nearing retirement, she hopes to take that skill set back home, where she can join her brother on the family farm operation.
“Given what I have studied in school and my interests, I’d love to transition the farm to organic,” said Katy. She recognizes the hurdles involved in such a transition, and is preparing by starting to have conversations with her father and brother about what the move to organic could mean for the farm. “There are so many factors,” Katy remarked. “It would completely change the structure of the farm.”
Katy’s father and brother are open to the possibility, and that coupled with her passion for conservation would make the obstacles worth the effort. “My dad is the person I learned conversation from. If anyone taught me to be environmentally conscious, it was my father.”
