Carroll EMC hosted its spring Agribusiness Seminar April 8 at City Station. The bi-annual seminar is known for bringing together individuals and groups in the agricultural community from across the state. More than 200 farmers, National FFA Organization students, associations, business leaders and elected officials were represented and in attendance at the spring event.
U.S. Army Veteran, Jon Jackson was the featured speaker. After serving two combat tours in Iraq and four in Afghanistan, Jackson was released from service due to combat injuries and came back now battling depression. He then developed the idea of using farming to help him and other military veterans recover from the trauma of combat.
“You can actually take your trauma and do good. You can take your trauma and be better than you were before,” said Jackson. “Our growth is on the other side of comfort. That’s the message to our vets.”
Jackson created Comfort Farms located in Milledgeville, GA. The farm prepares veterans and students for careers in sustainable food production that integrates economic profitability, environmental stewardship, and healing through the use of Agri-therapy and time-tested natural approaches. Comfort Farms has educated and assisted more than 3,000 veterans since 2016.
“The military conditions civilians to be soldiers and the farm conditions soldiers back to being civilians,” said Jackson.
