From the USMC to the Farm!

Dan Donohue leans on a fence, overlooking green pasture in Accokeek. As he watches his small beef herd walking into new grazing area, he enjoys calling out their tag numbers: “Good morning, number 12. How do you do, number 7?” The mild-mannered farmer has spent his entire life right here at this southern Prince George’s County farm — that is, with the exception of deployments to places like Okinawa, the Horn of Africa, and Afghanistan.

Dan enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1972, serving overseas as a field artillery officer. When he got back home to America, he stayed in the Reserves, and was called up again during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. At the turn of the century, Dan was due to retire — but then the terror attacks of 9/11 happened. Dan continued serving for six more years during the Global War on Terrorism, deploying to Djibouti and spending his last year of service in Afghanistan.

It’s now been some fifty years since Dan first enlisted, and he’s fully enjoying life back on the farm. In the same way that he served his country, Dan is now serving his land. He’s a two-time finalist for the prestigious Sand County Foundation Leopold Conservation Award, recognizing his commitment to voluntary sustainable ag practices. Using an electric fence that he moves every few days, Dan rotationally grazes a herd of grass-fed beef cattle. Clover is planted each spring to promote soil health and provide a nutrient source for insect pollinators.

Like many veterans who find themselves in elected office, Dan has done the same — but his leadership is rooted in agriculture: he is the President of the Prince George’s County Farm Bureau, Inc. According to the US Census of Agriculture, Dan is just one of over 2,000 farm workers with military service in Maryland.

You may not see many parallels between military service and farming, but both involve a lot of hard work in tough environments. As Dan says, “I’m not that interested in things that are shiny, just what we’ve got to do to get this job done.” #MemberSpotlight