Black Hammock Farms: Where Service Meets Soil

Honoring Our Veterans Through the Power of Farming

At Black Hammock Farms, we believe that service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. For many veterans, the transition from military life to civilian life can be one of the hardest battles they will ever face. Post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and the loss of daily mission and camaraderie can leave deep marks long after active duty.

But here, on our pastures, the land offers something different: healing, purpose, and a new mission.

Farming as a Path to Recovery

Research shows that farming and animal care can help veterans manage post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related challenges. Working the soil, tending to livestock, and building routines on the farm provide more than just physical activity—they restore balance.

• Connection to Nature: The quiet rhythm of grazing sheep and the steady cycle of planting and harvest create calm and stability.

• Purpose and Responsibility: Caring for animals offers veterans a renewed sense of duty—one that feeds families, sustains communities, and protects the land.

• Community and Camaraderie: Just as the military is built on trust and teamwork, so too is farming. Sharing work on the land builds bonds that ease isolation and create belonging.

• Mindfulness and Healing: Simple farm tasks—checking fences, feeding sheep, collecting eggs—become grounding practices that quiet intrusive thoughts and create peace in the present moment.

How Black Hammock Farms Supports Veterans

We are committed to making our farm a place where veterans can find both healing and opportunity.

1. Hands-On Farming Experience
   Veterans are welcome to join us in the daily work of shepherding Katahdin sheep, maintaining pastures, and learning the rhythms of sustainable farming.

2. Community Farm Days
   We plan to host days where veterans and their families can spend time on the farm, share meals, and connect with each other in an environment built on trust and respect.

3. Pathways to Purpose
   Through partnerships with organizations like the Farmer Veteran Coalition, we will create opportunities for veterans who want to learn agricultural skills, launch their own farm ventures, or simply find therapeutic value in time spent on the land.

4. Closed-Herd Katahdin Alliance
   By working to preserve and strengthen Katahdin genetics in a closed herd society, we offer veterans a chance to participate in meaningful agricultural stewardship—a mission that lives beyond the farm gate.

Why It Matters

For generations, America’s veterans have fought to protect our soil and our freedom. Now, that same soil can help protect them—by offering healing, purpose, and a renewed mission. Farming is more than a livelihood; it’s a pathway to restoration, dignity, and community.

At Black Hammock Farms, we are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who have served. Whether it’s through working the pastures, tending to the flock, or simply finding peace under the open sky, we believe farming can give back to veterans what service took away: a place to belong, a reason to rise each morning, and a mission worth pursuing.

Our Commitment

We are more than a farm—we are a community. To every veteran who steps onto our pastures, we say: you are welcome here. The land is waiting, the sheep are grazing, and a new mission is ready for you.

👉 If you are a veteran interested in learning more about opportunities at Black Hammock Farms, or if you know someone who could benefit from farm-based healing, we invite you to reach out. Together, let’s turn service into stewardship and healing into growth.