Mark B. of Meadowdale Farm knows what it means to serve, first in uniform, now in boots on the ground. His farm, nestled in the rolling hills near Knoxville, Tennessee, is more than a business. It’s a place where purpose meets pasture, and where a regenerative approach to agriculture is feeding both the soil and the soul.
Thanks to the Dauntless Veteran Foundation Agriculture Grant, Mark’s work is reaching a new chapter—and it’s a powerful example of how support rooted in Oregon can ripple across the country.
Meadowdale Farm is a veteran-owned, pasture-based poultry operation raising meat chickens and laying hens, with plans to add sheep and pigs to the mix in the near future. Their focus is on regenerative practices that center animal welfare, soil health, and community resilience. For Mark and his family, farming is more than a job, it’s a lifeline.
“Farming has helped me rebuild—physically, mentally, and professionally,” Mark says. “It gives me a way to stay in service. To provide for my family and my neighbors with real, healthy food.”
After 16 years in the military, three years active duty and the rest in the Army National Guard, where he currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel—Mark has found healing and direction in agriculture. But like many veteran-run farms, Meadowdale faced a familiar obstacle: access to poultry processing.
“The cost of processing equipment is a huge barrier for farms like ours,” Mark explains. “This grant made it possible for us to build our own on-farm facility. That changes everything.”
By removing the bottleneck of limited, far-off processors, Mark can now scale up his operation, ensure quality, and meet rising local demand. Even more, the infrastructure investment opens the door to hands-on education, training opportunities for other veterans looking to transition into agriculture.
This transformation is exactly what we aim for at Dauntless Veteran Foundation—while we’re based in Oregon, our mission knows no borders. We’re proud to stand behind veteran farmers across the country, wherever they’re building a life on the land.
“It’s not just a grant. It’s a vote of confidence,” Mark says. “Thanks to Dauntless Veteran Foundation, we’re not just growing food—we’re growing a future for veteran farmers.”
From the Pacific Northwest to the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Dauntless Veteran Foundation is building bridges and lifting up veterans who continue to serve by feeding their communities, stewarding the land, and lighting the path for others.
Learn more about Meadowdale Farm:
🌐 meadowdalefarm.com
📸 @meadowdale_farm
