Mr. Mitchell
iLearn @ Home Day 4 Assignment
Agricultural Literacy
To be used with the article entitled, “Harvest of Gratitude,” by Carol Davis of Out Here Magazine. Students
can retrieve this article from
http://www.tractorsupply.com/out-here_2015-spring_harvest-of-gratitude
Common Core Standards: AG—Ani3, AG—Ani5, AG-Biz5.
Harvest of Gratitude | Spring 2015 Out Here Magazine
Former soldier Terrell Spencer found healing in his faith, family, friends, and farm; now, he's on a mission to
help other veterans succeed
Terrell and Carla Spencer's children, and farm helpers, are
Simeon, left, Silas, and baby Gwen.
By Carol Davis
Photography by Mark Mosrie
Terrell Spencer remembers the day that everything
changed for one of his farm employees, a returning veteran
of the Iraq war who feared that all he could do successfully
was to be a soldier.
"We were working on this steep hillside, installing electric
fencing, and he said, 'The only thing I've ever been good at
is killing,'" Spencer recalls.
Spencer decided to prove him otherwise, as the two built
corner posts and installed fencing wire.
"I showed him a few times and let him do one all by himself. Then, I told him, 'Now, there are two things that
you're good at,'" Spencer says. "And for the first time, he saw that he could do something different."
Spencer, or "Spence," as his friends call him, knew how to interact with his troubled employee because he'd
been there himself. Also a military veteran of the Iraq war, Spence once endured a crippling case of Post1
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Traumatic Stress Disorder, and all that goes with it: explosive anger, loneliness, emotional issues, and
flashbacks.
But with the help of his faith, family, friends, and farm, Spencer has conquered most of his post-war trials and
is living the life he wants — as a loving husband to Carla, father to three happy children, and a hardworking
farmer with too many chores to count.
Now, his mission is to help other war veterans find where they belong.
Building A Farm
Any given day will find Spencer moving
chicken pens on his pasture, gathering
eggs, tending to pastured turkeys,
checking on goats and hogs, or taking
broilers to be processed and then
delivering freshly processed chicken to
a half-dozen or so local restaurants that
he supplies. Or he may be selling at a
farmers market, fixing fences, building
animal housing, bookkeeping, and
updating his social media pages.
After his chickens have dined on
pasture grass and suitably fertilized the
space, Spencer moves his poultry pens individually by strapping on a rope and using his strong back to pull
them several feet to fresh grass. This method has resulted in healthier chickens and lush pastures.
He raises 10,000 broiler chickens, 200 laying chickens, turkeys, a herd of meat goats, and a small, but growing,
herd of hogs on Across the Creek Farm in the Boston Mountains near West Fork, Ark., just south of
Fayetteville. Spencer manages about 20 acres of good grass pasture for his chickens and 15 acres of
mountainous brush land for his goats and hogs. He plans to expand both his property and livestock this year.
Interestingly, Spencer's desire to farm didn't originate from his Arkansas roots, but rather from his convoy
escorts and patrols in Iraq. As a machine gunner on a Humvee, he would often sit alone up in his gun hatch,
and one day, while waiting outside of a military base, Spencer remembers watching as the local farmers and
their children tended their crops, oblivious to the violence and instability that surrounded them.
"It was really peaceful," he says. "It kind of stuck with me."
When he returned home after his tour of duty, Spencer, who had in the meantime married Carla, began
college for a degree in soil and water science, which led to his interest in sustainable agriculture.
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Subsequently, he decided that his livestock would consume non-GMO feed, which means that it is not
genetically modified, and that he would rely on his chickens to naturally fertilize his lush fields.
"Everything we do is non-GMO," Spencer says. "It's a nice step between conventional and organic; I would
have to double my prices if we went organic."
As their farm began to take shape, the Spencers planted gardens, bought land, and started a flock of 30
chickens. Across the Creek Farm became a reality in 2007.
Spencer was hired by ATTRA, the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, as a poultry specialist,
which linked him in to other farmers, poultry specialists, sustainable growers, and perhaps most fortuitously,
the Farmer Veteran Coalition.
Spencer delivers freshly-processed chicken to The Farmer’s Table, one of a half-dozen Fayetteville restaurants
that he supplies.
A Sense of Purpose
Michael O'Gorman, a leading organic farmer for more than 40
years, founded the Farmer Veteran Coalition in 2009 to cultivate a
new generation of farmers and create viable, meaningful
employment for veterans who have served their country.
Studies revealed a disproportionate number of small-town
residents going into the military during the Iraq and Afghan wars. Unfortunately, there aren't an
overwhelming number of employment options for these veterans when they return home, O'Gorman says.
"They go in a country boy, they come out a country boy, like Terrell," O'Gorman says. "He would not have
done well moving to a city and he would have not done well in an office or corporate setting."
Other studies indicated that 25 percent of veterans were direct heirs to a farm and 25 percent had never been
on a farm.
It was that remaining middle 50 percent that caught O'Gorman's attention as he was starting the Farmer
Veteran Coalition. They were the ones who were most likely one generation off from farming; for example,
their grandfather farmed but their father didn't, or they spent summers working on an uncle's farm.
"They're close to it; they know what it feels like and smells like," O'Gorman says. "They have a sense about it,
but they don't have land, and they're anxious to find out how they can bring farming back into their farming
lineage."
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Farming also gives these mission-driven individuals a sense of
purpose, he says.
"There's just something that is solid enough about it that it
feels as important as (defending) the country," he says.
"Feeding it feels as equally important as defending it."
Spencer feeds his pasture-raised chickens, including these
layers, non-GMO feed, which means that it is not genetically
modified. "Everything we do is non-GMO," he says. "It’s a
nice step between conventional and organic. I would have to double my prices if we went organic."
Life Lessons
When Spencer hires veterans to work on his farm, they usually receive much more than lessons in farming.
His farm is a sanctuary for many of the troubled vets he hires, Spencer says. In his animals and in physical
work, they can find a sense of purpose. In Spencer, they find a confidant.
"Guys can say stuff to me and not freak me out," he says. "It's almost like a therapy session; they can open up
and they don't have to explain who they are or what they feel."
And when they express that they want what he has — a family, meaningful work, and contentment — Spencer
emphasizes the possibilities.
"I tell them, 'Man, if I did it, then anybody can do it. This is obtainable,'" he says. "If they want the kind of life
we have, it's possible, no matter where they're starting from. It's not easy, but it's doable."
Spencer credits his church, The Community, with imparting that belief in himself.
"When I was messed up in the head, they just didn't believe that it was permanent," Spencer says. "They
didn't see me as a lost cause and as time went on, I realized the only guy who saw me as damaged goods was
me."
Spencer also shares his knowledge and encouragement by mentoring both locally and long distance; working
with ATTRA; teaching at workshops around the country; doing webinars; and hosting workshops that draw
veterans and others from across the nation.
Spencer is highly active in the Farmer Veteran Coalition, helping war veterans learn farming so they can find or
create viable, meaningful employment.
The Farmer Veteran Coalition and the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which also is dedicated to helping veterans,
have supplied travel expenses for veterans to attend workshops.
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Spencer, in turn, offers his workshops at no charge. That's because when he needed help, others gave freely
to him.
"When I got back, I had some difficulties," he says. "After I was diagnosed with PTSD, I really needed help and I
had people from our church and from the local farming community who really filled in that gap and kind of
mentored me … and no one paid them."
The Farmer Vet Coalition reached out to him and gave him a small grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
"That meant a lot to me (to have) these folks who came in and helped me without taking anything," Spencer
says.
O'Gorman also has been a significant mentor to him.
"I've called Michael multiple times whenever I felt beat up on by the farm business. He'll laugh and tell me
about a time that was much worse in his farming career," Spencer says. "It kind of like normalizes it and puts it
in perspective."
"It's like he has a 30,000-foot view of the situation," Spencer says, "and he's got a really good heart."
The admiration is mutual; O'Gorman appreciates Spencer's dedication to his fellow veterans.
"Terrell's a gifted young man," O'Gorman says. "What Terrell's able to do is pretty exceptional, in that he's
taken that calling really beyond himself."
Spencer sees it as simply a way to honor those who helped him through his PTSD and other issues.
"In any war, you're causing pain, people go hungry, lives are destroyed. That's what war is. But when you farm,
you're feeding people or supporting their families," Spencer says.
"Now you're sowing good in your family and your community."
Carol Davis is editor of Out Here.
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iLearn @ Home Day 4 Assignment
Name: _________________________________ Date: _______________ Class Period: _____
Agricultural Literacy
“Harvest of Gratitude”
By Carol Davis for Out Here Magazine
Directions: Retrieve the article from http://www.tractorsupply.com/out-here_2015-spring_harvest-ofgratitude. After reading the article, determine the BEST answer for each of the following questions. Write
the letter of the best answer in the blank provided.
1. _____ How did Terrell Spencer first become interested in farming?
A. Spencer was raised on a farm and wanted to return to farming life after he finished college.
B. Spencer took a couple of agriculture classes in college and decided he wanted to try farming.
C. Spencer was impressed with the peaceful attitude of farmers in Iraq during wartime.
D. Spencer married the daughter of a full time row crop farmer from Arkansas.
2. _____ The article begins with an anecdote (brief story that illustrates a point) about a farm employee that
Spencer hired. Probably why did the writer begin with this anecdote?
A. The writer wants readers to understand the specific symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
B. The writer wants readers to encourage charitable organizations to help war veterans.
C. The writer wants to get the reader’s attention by telling an interesting story.
D. The writer wants the reader to understand Spencer’s childhood ties to farming.
3. _____ According to the article, what is Spencer’s mission today?
A. To help other war veterans find where they belong.
B. To increase the size of his farm and improve productivity.
C. To grow livestock without using genetically modified feed.
D. To provide healthy and locally grown farm products to war veterans.
4. _____ LITERATURE CONNECTION. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of
words. Which of the following sentences contains the BEST example of alliteration?
A. The Spencers planted gardens, bought land, and started a flock of 30 chickens.
B. With the help of his faith, family, friends, and farm, Spencer conquered most of his post-war trials.
C. As a machine gunner on a Humvee, he would often sit alone up in his gun hatch.
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“Harvest of Gratitude,”
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iLearn @ Home Day 4 Assignment
D. After his chickens have dined on grass and fertilized the space, Spencer moves his poultry pens to fresh
grass.
5. _____ What is the Farmer Veteran Coalition?
A. An organization that provides food and medical care for disabled war veterans.
B. An organization that encourages veterans to become involved in farming.
C. A Political Action Committee (PAC) that lobbies Congress on behalf of farmers.
D. An organization that teaches farming techniques to farmers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
6. _____ The article says, “Studies revealed a disproportionate number of small-town residents going into the
military during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Disproportionate means
A. unequal
B. unfair
C. huge
D. depressed
7. _____ The article mentions several responsibilities that Spencer has as a farmer. Which of the following is
NOT one of them?
A. Installing electric fencing
C. Updating social media pages
B. Relocating poultry pens
D. Spreading commercial fertilizer
8. _____ According to the article, what percentage of veterans are directly linked to a farm background?
A. 25 percent
B. 50 percent
C. 66 percent
D. 75 percent
9. _____ From details in the article, we can infer that Spencer thinks organically grown farm products
A. are healthier than traditionally grown foods.
B. are easier to grown than traditionally grown foods.
C. are too expensive for most consumers.
D. are going to take over farmer’s markets
10. _____ How did Spencer’s church help him achieve his goals after he returned from Iraq?
A. Church members helped Spencer purchase farm land.
B. Church members supported the family by purchasing Spencer’s crops.
C. Church members provide meals for the Farmer Veteran coalition.
D. Church members helped Spencer believe in his own worth and abilities.
11. _____ According to Terrell Spencer, why is farming good work for a soldier?
A. Because of their intense training, soldiers are strong enough to work the land.
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B. Because of their war experiences, soldiers are able to deal with the stress of farming.
C. Farming sows something good into family and community after war has caused pain and destruction.
D. Farming helps soldiers see the beauty of nature again, after seeing the horrors of war.
12. _____ Which of the following statements BEST summarizes the main idea of this article?
A. The Farmer Veteran Coalition is the nation’s largest organization helping veterans become farmers.
B. Farming helped Terrell Spencer recover from war experiences, and now he is helping other veterans find
the same healing.
C. Small family farms provide quality food to veterans in need of food, shelter, and jobs.
D. Farmers who provide a wide variety of food and services have the best chance of being profitable.
OPEN RESPONSE
Using specific information from the article, describe four examples of individuals or organizations giving of
their resources to help veterans.
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iLearn @ Home Day 4 Assignment
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