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DC Farm for Vets

DC Farm for Vets is deeply committed to changing the lives of other veterans. Jake has set out to guide veterans in living a healthy life with a focus on suicide prevention. Jake offers an alternative to isolation and despair through a holistic approach. 

Service Through Farming

Jacob VandenPlas doesn’t just grow vegetables, he is creating a community filled with healing. A Wisconsin Army National Guard veteran with two tours in Iraq and 13 years of service, Jake found his way to farming after the military. However, it wasn’t a simple transition. The leadership skills he honed in service weren’t valued in the civilian job market, and finding work felt like a constant uphill battle. 

 

“One of the greatest things about veterans is you can stack an immense amount of responsibility on their shoulders, and they will show up and perform, which we did,” Jake explains. “This makes the actual transition of coming home even harder because when we come home, we start applying for baseline, entry-level positions and are routinely told that we are unqualified or don't possess the skillset. It was very difficult to try to find any job that matched well with the leadership positions I had in the army.”

 

This challenge ultimately led to Jake’s journey to farming, changing not only his life but the lives of many other veterans. In 2018, Jake and his wife, Emily, purchased a 40-acre farm in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, with a clear mission: to eliminate veteran suicide by offering a path to healing through farming. 

 

They named it DC Farm for Vets. 

 

“The work we do with veterans is important specifically because of the oath that we all took,” Jake says. “We vowed to never leave a brother or sister behind, and the mental health within the veteran community is staggering.”

 

Jake has set out to guide veterans in living a healthy life with a focus on suicide prevention. Jake offers an alternative to isolation and despair through a holistic approach. 

 

“We teach veterans about vegetable production, beehives, apple and cherry orchards, mushroom growing, and more,” Jake says. “We wholeheartedly believe that your health, including your mental health, starts with the quality of the food you consume. We don't want to just give a man a fish; we want to teach him how to fish so that he can have that skill set for a lifetime and even pass it on. We need to be able to start taking care of our own health, and no one's coming to help us do this, so we'll lead the way, and we'll do what we can to get nutrient-dense food into the hands of as many veterans as we can.”

 

DC Farm for Vets is deeply committed to changing the lives of other veterans. Jake is providing a place of healing where veterans can connect with each other and themselves through purposeful work. The farm is not just a workspace, it is a community. Every Thursday, veterans gather to harvest crops followed by a shared meal. Through these weekly gatherings, veterans can support each other in ways that go beyond farming.   

 

“Getting the veterans together to teach them is my favorite part of DC Farm for Vets,” Jake says. “To be able to bring them together and have difficult conversations is what opens the door for healing. When we talk about growing through healing, this is what we mean. We have a support community set up. We as vets have a duty and obligation to live, and DC Farm for Vets will do what it can to help and support veterans.”

 

This sense of camaraderie and purpose is what has led Jake and his team to expand with the launch of their Victory Garden project—an initiative aiming to provide veterans with the resources to grow their own food and eventually help other veterans start their own gardens. The history of Victory Gardens comes from World War II when Americans grew food to support the war effort.

 

Jake knows that farming can help veterans heal and move their mental health in a positive direction. He also understands firsthand the important role they play as educators and mentors because of his start in the industry. 

 

Without an extensive background in farming, Jake relied heavily on resources like YouTube and, most importantly, guidance from other farmers. One such mentor, Darren Vollmar, co-owner of both Ledgeview Gardens and Seasonal Harvest, became an important part of Jake’s journey. 

 

The two met at a CSA conference, and Darren invited Jake to tour his farm. Darren has remained an incredible resource for Jake and supports him in whatever ways he can. This friendship and mentorship led to Darren introducing Jake to Seasonal Harvest, a partnership that has vastly changed DC Farm for Vet’s ability to reach a larger market.

 

“In the first couple of years that we started, no one knew we existed because growing enough produce to pay our bills is a full-time and a half job. Coupling that with the marketing and everything that's needed to actually get your product sold is another full-time job, and it's just really hard,” says Jake. “Our work with Seasonal Harvest lessened our load, which has been critical.”

 

Today, nearly 75% of their produce is distributed through Seasonal Harvest. 

 

"Working with Seasonal Harvest is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I absolutely believe that not only was it the best decision I’ve made, I believe it's the future of agriculture,” Jake says. “Seasonal Harvest is brilliant. They're here to make sure that we are successful. I truly feel it is the way of the future as far as farming goes here in Northeast Wisconsin. They really have it dialed in, and the more that they grow, the more all of us farmers that fall underneath them can sell. They’ve done so much to make sure I get lifted up. It has been quite a story for us, so I can’t thank them enough.”

As DC Farm for Vets dives into 2025, Jake is focused on expanding their reach and impact on veterans. The Victory Garden project is just the beginning. They are also planning to implement educational tours, giving the community an opportunity to learn not just about agriculture but also the importance of supporting veterans. 

 

Looking ahead, Jake is more committed than ever to serving those who served. With the power of agriculture and community, DC Farm for Vets is proving that, when given the right tools and support, veterans can grow—not just crops but entire new lives.

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