Dan Hromas is one of Farmer Veteran Coalition’s newest Fellow. Dan established Prairie Pride Poultry with a goal of providing healthy, farm fresh eggs to consumers and to share the interesting facts about the “Incredible Edible Egg”. Prairie Pride Poultry is situated on three acres of pasture on the northeast edge of town, where Rhode Island Reds are truly free range. The farm prides itself with the humane treatment of the flock.
Dan’s motto is “happy hens lay healthy eggs.” He started this farm simply because he loved chickens. “I’ve been around agriculture all my life, and one of my fondest memories was visiting Grandpa and Grandma’s farm in North Dakota as a child, where they had chickens and it felt like an Easter egg hunt every day.” Dan believes there are a lot of individuals that have similar memories, of being on a farm and he wants to help them reconnect with those memories by fostering an environment where everyone can feel welcome and connected to Prairie Pride Poultry.
Dan’s family has a military history starting with is grandfather who served in the Army-Air Corps and his great-uncle as a Marine during WWII. Dan’s Father served in the Air Force during Vietnam, and his mother enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1974. Upon graduating from high school Dan enlisted in the Marine Corps and served on active duty for four years and served another two years in the Army. In 2001 he was awarded an ROTC Scholarship where he attended North Dakota State University and graduated with a B.S. Microbiology. Dan says “One of the more common things I see, no matter where I am, is that people enjoy eating food.” Dan believes everyone should have the opportunity to eat healthy, wholesome food. With help from both the state of Nebraska and the Farmer Veteran Coalition, he was able to secure assistance with establishing a business plan and conducting a market analysis where he was awarded a fellowship grant to help get Prairie Pride Poultry off the ground.
Dan wants his fellow veterans to know that they can find purpose in life after the military, whether it be in agriculture or another field. His last deployment was to Iraq in 2006-2007, during the troop surge, where many of Dan’s friends did not return with him. “The farm, and my girls foraging out there are a type of therapy for me.” Dan explains. “I like to tell people that boredom is the most hazardous thing to my health, and that having 600 chickens helps to keep me from being bored.”
