Photo By Brian Godette | Young, organic raised chickens huddle in a newly built chicken pen on the "HalfAcre...... read more read more
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DES MOINES, IOWA – Soldiers in the U.S. Army Reserve, by nature of the title, Citizen-Soldier, wear at least two hats. For many, the double life of warrior and Civilian must be balanced.
Then there is Joe.
Father, Soldier, Civilian, and farmer, U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Joe Villines is performing a juggling act in life, balancing four worlds, much of it with a beautiful view from a farm in Iowa.
“I have a small farm that I operate in Cumming, Iowa and it's the third iteration of my farming enterprise. I started very small, and gradually increased the size of the operation as things have grown” said Villines, broadcast noncommissioned officer with the 203rd Public Affairs Detachment.
“I'm on five acres of just absolutely beautiful rented property,” Villines said. “The owner, Sharon Rosenberg had purchased this property a couple of years ago and wanted activity and life out here, and because the VA had been so good to her husband in his final years, she really felt strongly that she wanted to give a veteran the opportunity to come out here and do some work.”
Villines, who works full-time for the Department of Veteran Affairs at the VA Central Iowa Healthcare System as a program support assistant, has begun a journey towards the past, a past where man is closer to nature and develops a synergy with the soil, animals, and environment around him.
“I want to have an entire web of things out here, different streams of income to diversify, and ensure I have steady income from it,” Villines said. “Right now I have 400 birds on pasture, and eventually I will get the vegetable gardens in, and then a high-tunnel greenhouse which will feed into other things.”
“Eventually I would like to farm full-time,” Villines said. “I currently have a small flock of broiler chickens, the Cornish cross, the standard breed you will find in a grocery store. They typically grow into five or six pounds and it's a great break in to the entire farming industry really.”
The farming industry, a staple of the Midwest, is not an easy industry to break into according to Villines. It takes a focused level of planning, preparation, and hard work, something Villines feels he's been prepped for throughout his military career.
“Those times in the military when the mission has to get done, it has to happen, your cold, tired, hungry- I think those situations that I've been put in have really prepared me for this kind of work,” Villines said.
“I've been holding my regular job through the week, coming out here at night, working past dark, and building, and building, and building, getting up at 5:30 in the morning,” he added.
Those closest to Villines in his reserve unit concur on the amount of difficulty he has taken on in pursuit of his desire.
“Joe is juggling massive amounts of responsibility, and he handles that responsibility extremely well,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer Rothfus, NCOIC with the 203rd Public Affairs Detachment.
The support received from his military unit, and civilian counterparts at the VA , aid in his resolve to make things work. The added kicker are his own abilities, traits many Soldiers have.
“The mental toughness that we bring to the table as Army Reservists, as service members in general, really suits us well to physical task like this,” Villines said.
“It is a real challenge, just being a Reserve Soldier, having a civilian career, and a family, without the added stress of the farm,” Villines said. “Meeting those obligations is something I don't think a lot of the general public understands. We do walk in two different worlds.”
Like many things in life, the passion Villines has was introduced piece by piece, and a few chance encounters led to the opportunity he has now. One of those encounters introduced Villines to Raymond Meylor, owner of a local urban farm, the Cherry Glen Learning Farm.
“A few years ago Ray Meylor and I crossed paths, and he was doing a lot of work for church and school gardens at the time,” Villines said.
“Through him I met several other people and just started networking, showing up to their board meetings, giving my input, and started getting on my soapbox, which I can do pretty easily because I'm passionate about this,” Villines said.
Villines took baby steps, taking his time to understand the world he was entering into.
“I moved from my community service time, working in the community with school gardens, and on what you would call an incubator plot (low risk, easy to enter) I'm working on getting systems down, and frankly not failing,” Villines said.
The success of the farm means a lot to Villines, but what means even more is the person looking up to him throughout his journey.
“I have four jobs,” Villines said. “First and foremost, I'm a father. I have a four year old son, Joseph Jr., and he is super interested in what I have going on out here.”
“He understands the connection between what we do today to grow these chickens and how that relates to the food on his table, and he knows the difference between what we grow and what we can get in the store,” Villines said. “He understands the connection and the hard work.”
The hard work has created a shining example for his son, and a chance to give back in another way to others.
“This affords me the opportunity not only to do something that is good for me...... but it allows me to give back to my community too,”Villines said. “Part of my farms charter is giving ten percent back to the local food pantry.”
As of right now, Villines has already sold all of his stock of organically raised pasteurized chickens, mainly by word of mouth to locals in the community.
“Quite frankly, I got into it to see if I could do it and I am overwhelmed at how welcoming people are to the idea of food basically grown in their backyard, so close to them,” Villines said.
“It was difficult for me to grasp at first that people would pay three dollars and fifty cents a pound for an organically raised chicken, but their happy to do it,” Villines said.
Taking pride in his craft and in his products maybe key to his success. Villines is continuing to grow like a seed in a garden, and learn more about something he is so passionate about.
“I'm continually learning because I find it fascinating,” Villines said.
“One of my major influences is Joel Salatin,” Villines said. “He has a farm in Virginia, and has been featured in the movie Food Inc., and there's a movie that came out about him and how he raises his birds, and that's exactly how I do it.”
It all goes back to planning, preparation, and hard work, although a love of the soil and for the culture helps tremendously.
“I've learned that farm folk are absolutely fantastic people,” Villines said.
“We come from all walks of life, and all over the political spectrum, but we're all here for the same purpose and that's to grow and provide clean food, and if we can make a living at it in the process, all the better,” Villines said.
A major part of the farming culture is being an activist, and promoting the benefits of supporting other farmers, according to Villines. His message to those who may have never been to a farm is to just ask a farmer.
“Support your local farmers, and when you're at the farmers market ask the farmer, where are you located? Can I come out and see your farm?” Villines said.
“Even though organic gets labeled as being expensive, when you're eating nutrient dense food, there's more food in my food, and there's your savings,” Villines said.
Sgt. Joe Villines has managed to find a way to have a foot in different worlds, enjoying every part of it, and he is proud in his accomplishments thus far, and others see the father, Soldier, Civilian, farmer, and are equally as proud.
“I'm really proud of Joe, because when I met him he was a little young and a little crazy but he has turned into an extremely responsible NCO, person, man, he's a father who does an amazing job with his son, and all I can say is I'm proud of him,” Rothfus said.
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2016 13:33 |
| Story ID: | 194699 |
| Location: | DES MOINES, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 403 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Balancing Act: Parenthood, Service, Career, Dreams, by Brian Godette, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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