About us
Frontline to Farm, a grant-funded program, is led by Appalachian State University’s Goodnight Family Department of Sustainable Development. We train military veterans and beginning farmers in sustainable farming, supporting practices that raise healthy food, build community, and mitigate climate change.
Military veterans need our support in transitioning to civilian life upon completion of their duty. At the same time, more farmers are needed in the U.S. The average farmer age is almost 60. We also need to conserve farmland, which is rapidly disappearing for housing development and urban growth. Farming can offer meaningful livelihoods to veterans. We particularly need farmers who practice sustainable agriculture and steward the land for the future. Community-based food systems can help ensure that consumers have access to local food and help re-connect veterans with their communities. Veterans often have skills that transfer well to farming, and farming can provide healing work for those who have sacrificed as part of their service.
A new generation of farmers is needed in the U.S. to produce food sustainable. Sustainable agriculture conserves our natural resources like fertile soil, clean air, and fresh water. It follows basic ecological principles to maintain resources, including carbon sequestration in the soil, nutrient cycling, and increasing biodiversity. It relies on renewable energy, such as solar, instead of fossil fuels. Livestock can be integrated with crops, trees, and horticultural production, and are part of agricultural systems that are resilient to drought, heat, pests and other challenges. Sustainable agriculture also requires a focus on social justice in food systems, such as building communities, equal access to healthy food, and animal welfare.
The work of Frontline to Farm is supported by our flagship project Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2020-49400-32301 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The work is led by faculty in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Appalachian State University. Fanatico and Gibbard co-founded Frontline to Farm in 2020 and co-directed it together through mid-2025. App State has been designated as a Military-Friendly university since 2009. See article.
Our Team
Dr. Anne Fanatico, Director and Co-Founder
Fanatico is the Director of Frontline to Farm. She is a Professor in Appalachian State University’s Goodnight Family Department of Sustainable Development. Dr. Fanatico has worked in agricultural research, teaching, and outreach for 30 years. During that time, she has developed sustainable livestock production systems, conducted research in ecological poultry production, and conducted research and led programs in sustainable agriculture outreach. The daughter of a Korean War Veteran, Dr. Fanatico wants to to help the next generation of farmer Veterans and beginning farmers be successful in sustainable agriculture.
Dr. Lynn Gibbard, Co-Founder and Former Co-Director
Gibbard is a Professor in Appalachian State’s Department of Communication and former Chair of Appalachian State’s Military Affairs Committee (M.A.C.). Dr. Gibbard grew up subsistence farming. She has a deep appreciation for how central sustainable agriculture is to the health and welfare of local communities. As a Veteran of the United States Army and the U.S. Army Reserve, Dr. Gibbard helps veterans transition to farming and uses her skills as a strategic communication practitioner to build a network of support organizations and community organizations.
Eddy Labus, Consultant
Eddy Labus is a Marine Corps veteran and has worked with Frontline to Farm via NC Cooperative Extension, National Center for Appropriate Technology, and as a consultant.
Frontline to Farm publication
This publication Sustainable farmer training for military veterans and beginning famers describes the work of frontline to Farm form 2020 to 2023. We presented the work at a National Extension Workshop for the Poultry Science Association in 2024. Also see podcasts at farmanswers.org.
Partners
Frontline to Farm works closely with partners throughout the nation, with a focus on North Carolina and Arkansas, including:
- NC Cooperative Extension (Watauga County) (Jim Hamilton)
- Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (Liz Whiteman)
- University of Arkansas, Small Farms Program (Sarah Bramall)
- USDA Agricultural Research Service Poultry Production and Products Safety Research Unit (Annie Donoghue)
- National Center for Appropriate Technology (Eddy Labus)
- University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (Michael Gold)
- Farmer Veteran Coalition (Jeanette Lombardo)
- Farmer veterans across the Southeast working in support of military veterans and local food production
Students Past and Present
Phoenix Tyson (Communication), Shannon Ferko (Communication), Erin Smith (Communication), Nora Duffy (Communication), Sarah Gummo (grad student in Sustainable Technology and the Built Envrionment), Morgan Lampman (Communication). We have also worked with Second Story Media, a student-run communication agency.
Help support Frontline to Farm
Your donations help Veterans to explore and transition into careers in farming, to reconnect with the land and community, and with each other. Your money will support a variety of training, mentoring and internship programs, as well as local farms and gardens.