Radishes grown at the Fields 4 Valor farm in Maryland

Peter Scott has spent his entire adult life serving others. First the United States through his military career, and now to veterans in-need by providing food.

A mere 31 miles from DC and a stone's throw from Andrews Air Force base lies an unassuming farm in Brandywine, Maryland. It is here on a quiet road dotted with other small farms that Pete and farm manager Antoinette LaForce, also an Army Iraq veteran, operate the non-profit organization Fields 4 Valor Farms. Everyone else on the farm is a volunteer to help fulfill the mission of the farm, which sits on seven acres growing an abundance of organic produce, all of which is donated to veterans.

Pete worked as a Counterintelligence Agent and was in the Army for twelve years. He met his wife in Pakistan and the two moved to Petworth in 2010 just before he completed his service. Feeling lost after he transitioned out, he began gardening in his yard, just one square foot of dirt, and tending bees on the roof of their Petworth home. To his own amazement, in just two years, Pete will have lived in Petworth longer than anywhere else in his entire life.

In 2016, Pete decided to grow his hobbies into something more meaningful by helping local veterans struggling after their own service. He initially forged a partnership with Operation Homefront in Gaithersburg, Maryland to bring healthy weekly food shares directly to injured or disabled veterans.

The first year was challenging and actually began in the field across the road. Antoinette would carry buckets full of water into the field, which was not sustainable. The farm was moved to its current location and a proper irrigation system was installed. Fields 4 Valor produces an array of vegetables such as tomatillos, tomatoes, radishes, peppers, carrots, and more. Pete has been able to donate approximately 3,000 seedlings produced on the farm to veterans as part of a Victory Set.

Pete and Antoinette had reached a level of sustainability when the pandemic began. Now, one volunteer brings the produce from the farm to the Bethesda Mall each week where it is distributed to 20 households of formerly homeless veterans living in Montgomery County.

As the country began locking down to stop the spread of COVID, the demand was high for toilet paper and chickens. Pete connected with Marker 99 Poultry, a chicken distributor in Smithsburg, MD. Run by a Navy veteran, Marker 99 generously donated sixty-four chickens to Fields 4 Valor where they were quickly christened “The Fabulous Ladies of Fort Clucks.”

The Fabulous Ladies lay between 30-33 dozen eggs every week and have been added to the food shares. There are also fourteen bee hives on the property, generating a lot of honey. Through a partnership with DC Beekeepers, five slots are reserved for veterans each time the Beekeeping Course is offered. Veterans that complete the course are given their own hive by Fields 4 Valor as a graduation present.

By the end of this growing season, Fields 4 Valor will have donated two tons of food, a huge increase from the 1,500lbs donated in 2019.

How you can help
Pete and Antoinette need help picking the ripe produce and welcome individuals, small groups and families to volunteer at the farm. From now until November on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, volunteers are welcome to help. Email Pete if you want to do a small part in the process of helping our veterans. Learn more on their website, Fields for Valor.