“Our family is very grateful and appreciative to have the addition of the electric fence wire and energizer from the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund. It is now possible for us to utilize efficient and intensive grazing techniques on our diversified farm.”
Lucas Papineau
Vermont National Guard
Papineau Family Farm
Growing up working on his grandparent’s dairy farm in Franklin County, Vermont, Lucas Papineau dreamed of one day driving tanks in the U.S. military. Shortly after graduating high school, and still just 17 years old, Lucas realized that dream when he enlisted in the Vermont National Guard as an M1A1 tanker.
Though his unit was later transferred to a mountain brigade and his MOS changed to wheeled vehicle mechanic, Lucas served nine years in the National Guard which included a 2010 deployment to Afghanistan.
While he was deployed to Afghanistan, his wife, Sabrina, gave birth to their first child. Then, two years later they welcomed their second. This led the Papineaus to begin researching nutrition and how to grow healthy food for their family.
Starting with just six laying hens in 2012, the Papineaus began small-time homesteading. In 2014, Lucas built their first chicken tractor and raised their first batch of 80 broilers. Today, Lucas and Sabrina own and operate Papineau Family Farm in Highgate, Vermont where they’ll raise 500 broilers, 250 layers and 50 turkeys this year.
“Farming really brought back purpose into us being together as a family,” Lucas said in a 2017 interview with Vermont Public Radio. “Our lives are all about the farm.”
In February 2018, Lucas applied to the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund, and in April he was awarded $2,500 to purchase electric fence wire and energizer thanks to generous support from Kubota Tractor Corporation.
“Our family is very grateful and appreciative to have the addition of the electric fence wire and energizer from the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund,” said Lucas, a Homegrown By Heroes certified producer. “It is now possible for us to utilize efficient and intensive grazing techniques on our diversified farm.”
Currently, the Papineaus are in the process of adding an additional 60 acres of land, some of which is the same land once farmed by Lucas’ grandparents. With the additional land, they plan to expand their operation to include pastured pork, grass-fed beef, rabbits and a small dairy operation.
To learn more about the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund, please visit www.farmvetco.org/fvfellowship.
