Feature
Service to Soil
Turning Military Experience Into Agricultural Careers
By Maggie MacHale
Leaving military service is more than just a career change. It also often means finding a new sense of purpose, community, and direction in civilian life. While there are many routes veterans can take, agriculture offers a unique path forward.
Trent Schmid and Corey Roberts both served in the U. S. Army, but they had different trajectories. Still, their experiences illustrate how the agriculture industry can create opportunities for veterans to apply their existing skills, develop new ones, and find their next mission.
Many Paths
Trent Schmid, owner and auctioneer at Schmid Auction, served in the U. S. Army from 1989 to 1991 as an 11B infantryman and was deployed as an M60 helicopter door gunner during Desert Storm. Before service, Schmid had a taste for agriculture already.
“ I grew up on a small farm in central Illinois, where agriculture became a lifelong passion,” Schmid said.“ My father and grandfather were farmers who also did some auctioneering.”
Schmid served from 1989 to 1991 as an 11B infantryman in the U. S. Army.
After leaving the army, Schmid attended Illinois State University, earning a degree in agricultural business, picking up that passion where he had left off.
“ I began my career as a seed corn salesman and agronomist before founding Schmid Auction in Teutopolis, Illinois,” Schmid explained.
The path for Corey Roberts, executive director of Sovereign Roots Veterans Retreat, was not so obvious. Roberts joined the Army following 9 / 11, spent seven years as a medic before transitioning to human intelligence collection, and deployed in Iraq, Kuwait, and even Germany.
Roberts received an Army Commendation Medal with valor, a Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Medical Badge, and the Knowlton Award, on top of other recognitions. But after transitioning out of service, it suddenly became unclear.
“ My transition from military service to civilian life came with a bit of an identity crisis, a lack of mission, and isolation from people I felt understood me,” Roberts said.
Attending college and several other jobs weren’ t a fit for Roberts, either.
“ For me, working for a dollar doesn’ t feel the same as working to help people while getting paid,” he explained.“ I didn’ t feel connected to the missions of those jobs.”
The Challenges of Starting Over
Roberts was not alone, and neither was Schmid; the militaryto-agriculture transition does not follow one formula, and many veterans come to the field from different backgrounds, farm types, and even reasons for entering the industry.
But there’ s an underlying tie with each: the skills learned from military service, including perseverance, work ethic, planning, accountability, and problem-solving, all contribute to success in this industry.
When comparing his military service with his career in agriculture, Schmid puts it simply:“ No matter how difficult a task may be, I faced even greater challenges in the military.”
These skills and ability to overcome challenges are incredibly useful in this industry, but agricultural knowledge still has to be developed, especially for those without a background in farming.
While Roberts grew up on a few acres in Indiana, he didn’ t have any true experience in ag until moving to Fort Collins, Colorado, where he started with poultry and horses, before taking online agricultural classes and exploring ways to produce more of his own food, including dairy.
Beyond practical experience, agriculture still has its own
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