We are honored to highlight Tomas Norris this Veterans Day and thank him for his years of service to the United States, as well as the veteran and agricultural communities.

Thomas Norris is a disabled combat veteran from Wright County. He, his wife Char’riese, and board members Matthew and Justin collectively founded the Veterans Farming Initiative. VFI is a sustainable permaculture farm focused on regenerative agriculture.

“We strive to provide healthy food to veterans and their families as well as local children,” said Norris. “We do everything with a passion for excellence and with transparency.”

VFI is working towards expanding their education programs, donating more pasture-raised proteins to food insecure veterans and their families and healing the soil. On their farm in Wright County, they produce pasture raised beef, Icelandic lamb, Mangalitsa pork, laying chickens, duck, goose, quail and old-world fruits such as elderberry, currants and gooseberry.

VFI continues to work towards being a self-supporting operation after starting their farm in 2017. “We have grown every year even including our donations to Veterans and local children,” said Norris.

Since beginning to farm, Norris has earned his B.S. in Sustainable Food and Farming from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and continues to give back to other organizations such as the Minnesota Chapter of the Veteran Farmer Collation, where he serves as the Chairman, and the Midwest Elderberry Cooperative.

For more information on the Veteran Farming Initiative, visit https://veteransfarming.org/