ARLINGTON, Va. — Army veteran Ephesia Sutton had always enjoyed personally connecting with the land and feeding people with freshly picked produce grown from the care of her hands.

When she was younger, Sutton gardened with her grandmother and helped pick green beans, collard greens, tomatoes and peppers. She knew she wanted a farm but had no idea how to get started.

A few years after retiring from the Army with more than 20 years of service, Sutton joined Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Arlington, participated in their Veteran Farmer Reserve Program and now trains other veterans who have a similar story.

Army veteran Ephesia Sutton harvests tomatoes at Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Arlington, Va., on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

“I left the military with PTSD, depression and anxiety, and I would rather be anywhere else when dealing with those symptoms. This is the place that relaxes me,” said Sutton, of Fayetteville, N.C.

Just a few miles from downtown D.C., the veteran-owned farm partners with Armed to Farm — an organization that supports military veterans with learning opportunities for sustainable agriculture — and offers the Veteran Farmer Reserve Program for veterans to receive on-farm training and classroom learning.

Armed to Farm has supported more than 1,000 veterans with hands-on and classroom learning opportunities for sustainable agriculture since launching in 2013.

Sutton is there before the sun rises every day to check the plants, make soil beds and weed, water and harvest crops including; tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, spinach, kale, collard greens and bitter melon.

“Knowing the work that I’m doing every time I put my hands in the soil is going to provide for a family, for somebody in this community, that just gives me the push to be out here every day,” Sutton said.

Army veteran Ephesia Sutton harvests bitter melon at Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Arlington, Va., on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Army veteran Ephesia Sutton, left, and military spouse Sarah Hallford sort tomatoes they just harvested at Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Arlington, Va., on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Coast Guard veteran Michael Maman, left, and military spouse Sarah Hallford load a van with fresh bell peppers at Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Arlington, Va., on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Once crops are harvested and prepared, they are dispatched to mobile markets in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas to distribute to local communities.

“We have a unified mission to create the best produce we can,” said Coast Guard veteran Michael Maman, an apprentice at Arcadia. “It has been really fulfilling, literally planting up until harvesting.”

Maman, of Chevy Chase, Md., was a culinary specialist in the Coast Guard and worked in the food service industry after serving for three years. He joined Arcadia’s veterans program in March, and he has been learning about the basics of farming such as the tools used, planting methods and irrigation.

“I got inspiration to work the land and see where everything is sourced from, and what it takes to facilitate the best produce you can get,” said Maman, adding that farming is a great post-service mission.

Coast Guard veteran Michael Maman harvests peppers at Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Arlington, Va., Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Sutton said that farming, like the military, provides structure, such as getting up early and completing a list of tasks.

“Being out here is the same mission,” Sutton said. “You’re volunteering your service for the community, and you’re making yourself one of those people that know how to fish, so nobody has to fish for you.”

The program is not limited just to veterans but includes military spouses.

Sarah Hallford, an apprentice at Arcadia and spouse of an active-duty Space Force guardian, said before joining the farm at Arcadia, she had no personal direction due to the challenges of being a part of a military family for 14 years.

“It has made me feel like I have purpose again,” said Hallford, of Lompoc, Calif.

Military spouse Sarah Hallford harvests tomatoes at Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Arlington, Va., on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Hallford used to say she had a “black thumb” and thought she couldn’t successfully grow any crops, but she decided to give the program a try. She said it has “life-changing” and can see a future with her own farm and educating children on nutrition and agriculture.

“I put my own career and goals on hold to support my husband. ... But now I have this opportunity to figure out what it is I want to do,” Hallford said. “I feel really empowered being part of this program. The people who work here are fantastic, and they’re full of heart and commitment to the community.”