After Fort Drum, Military Vets Embrace Mission: Agricultural

Jun 04, 2025

By James Dean

Black Hawk helicopter pilot Ben Groen found himself constantly tending to unreliable fences when he began to farm as a hobby on his 24-acre property near Fort Drum in upstate New York. Problems with a post or an electrical short could invite one of his 1,200-pound Scottish Highland bulls to stray into a neighbor’s pasture or trample his own yard.

A solution presented itself when Groen enrolled in Northern New York Veterans in Agriculture (AgVets). The program, run by Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Jefferson County, helps active-duty and veteran service members explore the field of agriculture.

Then nearing retirement from the Army as a major and battalion logistics officer, Groen spent weeks at Centerdale Farm with owner David Hawthorne, an AgVets mentor and fellow combat veteran who raises beef cattle. Groen admired Hawthorne’s five miles of high-tensile-wire fencing and found a broader model he could apply to Groen Family Farms.

“Everything about the experience, I was learning and enjoying,” Groen said. “I thought, this is what I want my place to be like in five or 10 years.”

Source : cornell.edu

Video: How Can We Grow More Food With Less Impact?

For over two decades, Dr. Mitloehner has been at the forefront of research on how animal agriculture affects our air and our climate. With deep expertise in emissions and volatile organic compounds, his work initially focused on air quality in regions like California’s Central Valley—home to both the nation’s richest agricultural output and some of its poorest air quality.

In recent years, methane has taken center stage in climate discourse—not just scientifically, but politically. Once a topic reserved for technical discussions about manure management and feed efficiency, it has become a flashpoint in debates over sustainability, regulation, and even the legitimacy of livestock farming itself.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Specialist with the CLEAR Center sits down with Associate Director for Communications at the CLEAR Center, Joe Proudman.