Retired Army Col. Joe Ricker, who operates At Ease Orchard near Wilkinson, Indiana in Hancock County, is the first recipient of the Veteran Farmer Award of Excellence presented by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) with support from Farm Credit.
The newly established award recognizes veterans or service members for excellence in farming or agriculture and positively impacting local communities.
Ricker served 30 years in the Army before retiring from a logistics post at the Pentagon in 2022. His service also included tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since leaving the Army, his commitment to excellence in farming and enriching the lives of veterans has blossomed in a myriad of ways in both his local community of Wilkinson, Indiana, and across the country.
Ricker started At Ease Orchard, a nonprofit that introduces veterans, first responders and their family members to beekeeping and other farm activities. Ricker says he trains veterans to become beekeepers and start their own honey production.
He says beekeeping and working on a farm can be therapeutic for many veterans—not only for those who suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome, but also those veterans who may return home with a physical disability.
“I think it helps veterans. It gives them a mission and gives them a reason to wake up because beekeeping and farming, in general, is a little bit like the military—there’s always danger in it.”
He says he also understands the struggles that many veterans face and uses to farm to help connect with them.
“We’ve been in different environments that most people who aren’t veterans sometimes don’t understand. But it’s a difficult environment to try to adjust to when you return home from serving. With that said, being among other veterans helps you open up a little more. You can say, ‘Hey do you remember this?’ You kind of have that camaraderie where people understand what you’re going through,” says Ricker.
He also founded Veterans IN Farming, which provides veterans in Indiana with training and support to succeed in farming. He’s involved with Heroes to Hives through Michigan Food & Farming Systems, which uses beekeeping to help veterans achieve financial and personal wellness. For the last several years, he has served as veteran outreach coordinator for the National AgrAbility Project, which helps farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers with disabilities remain in the workforce.
“We’re proud to elevate and celebrate Col. Joe Ricker for his past service to our country and current involvement in agriculture and local communities,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “We greatly appreciate the sacrifices of veterans and active service members so we can enjoy the freedoms we have in our country, and I’m delighted to highlight their contributions to agriculture, too.”
Ability to assess risk, aptitude for planning and patience are among the skills gained from military service that Ricker has found transition well to agriculture. Through the training classes he conducts in beekeeping and other types of agriculture for veterans, he offers an ear and more formally, referrals for mental health support and resources.
“I feel successful and worth my time if I save one [person] from hurting themselves,” Ricker said. He’s excited about using the $10,000 cash prize for the award to train additional veterans in beekeeping and also improve outreach and national networking.
AFBF will present Ricker with the Veteran Farmer Award of Excellence at the organization’s 2025 Convention in January, in San Antonio.
To learn more about At Ease Orchard and how Ricker and his team how are helping veterans in need, visit AtEaseOrchard.com.
CLICK BELOW to hear Hoosier Ag Today’s interview with Joe Ricker from November 2023, as he talked with C.J. Miller about the goal of helping veterans with At Ease Orchard.
Source: American Farm Bureau Federation
