“I had a plan, or maybe it was more of a dream,” said Brad Fourby, Navy veteran and owner of Leafy Green Farms. “The moment I saw a shipping container farm is how the idea for my farm started.” Leafy Green Farms is in southeast Kansas, where the population is 20,000 — a big difference from Brad’s hometown of Sacramento, California.
Brad’s decision to move nearly 2,000 miles away was aided by his military experience in strategic planning and resilience. “I knew I didn’t need to win the war today; I just needed to survive the battle” he said. That step-by-step approach has proved helpful as Leafy Green Farms has grown as steadily as their greens since the first seed was planted on July 4, 2021.
Ninety-five percent of the farm’s produce is true to the name, with a wide variety of leafy greens from arugula to lettuce. The farm’s design and layout in a 320-square-foot shipping container are as unique as the products that come to market. When entering Leafy Green Farms, it may look more like a laboratory than a farm with vertical rows of plants, hydroponic lights, lab coats and computers. “It is like being on a ship, a place for everything and everything in its place,” said Brad. The new age look and feel of the farm has even attracted a younger crop of farmers in the local area, with Brad teaming up with 10 different farm classrooms and school districts to help promote agriculture.
Brad acknowledges the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s assistance in improving his knowledge base early on. “The USDA puts out an extraordinary amount of educational material,” he said. “Watching webinars, reviewing web pages, and connecting with liaisons helped jumpstart my enterprise.” USDA resources and support, including guidance from Monshi “Ram” Ramdass, the USDA Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison, played a crucial role in Brad's journey. Ram helped connect Brad to USDA resources and points of contact to set him up for success.
Leafy Green Farms would like to expand its farming model and ideas to other areas to help reduce food deserts and enhance individual self-sufficiency, but Brad notes that the current growth is owed to his team and the supportive community. “We have grown, and I attribute everything that we’ve accomplished to the community’s support,” he said.
Learn more about the USDA employment, education and entrepreneurship resources available to veterans at www.usda.gov/veterans.