A Fellowship Fund award through Tractor Supply Company enabled Gus Leigh to buy essential equipment and supplies, including feeders, waterers, chick-starter feed, and bedding for young chicks.
After more than 30 years of wearing a uniform, whether in the service or as a police officer, Gus Leigh is now focused on running the family farm in Nebraska.
Farming isn’t new to Leigh. He was raised in the small agricultural town of Bassett, Nebraska, and at age 14 and 15 worked on a small farm as a farmhand.
“My responsibilities included feeding and caring for pigs, chickens, horses, and cows, as well as assisting with daily milking,” he said. “During the summer months, I contributed to hay cutting in the fields. Through this experience, I acquired a range of skills essential to farm operations. I learned how to care for animals, repair fences and windmills, drive a tractor, brand cattle, ride horses, rope and castrate calves, and assist with the delivery of pigs and calves, often at all hours of the day and night.”
But he looked to joining the Army upon high school graduation. At age 17 he enlisted in the Nebraska Army National Guard as a medic. He completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, between his junior and senior years in high school and after graduation attended Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sam Houston in Texas.
During the first Gulf War, Leigh enlisted in the active-duty Army, serving approximately four years at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, before receiving an early release to pursue higher education. After two years of college, he returned to military service, joining the Nebraska Army National Guard, then he transferred to the Nevada Army National Guard, where he served an additional seven years as a traditional guard soldier and on Active-Duty Guard (AGR) status.
He was deployed in support of Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and received numerous commendations.
Leigh and his wife, Stephanie, lived in the Las Vegas area for 24 years. He was a Henderson, Nevada, police officer while Stephanie was a supervisor at Costco.
In 2020 they inherited 55 acres of farmland from his parents, Hugh and Susana Leigh, though the property had been neglected for more than three decades, he said. It fueled their plans to leave the city and pursue farm life.
Changes
In 2023 he retired after 20 years in law enforcement and Stephanie resigned from Costco.
“Together with Stephanie’s mother and our youngest daughter, we relocated to Neligh, Nebraska, where my parents reside,” he said. “Our primary focus became caring for our parents and restoring the farm. We envision establishing a farm-to-table enterprise that provides fresh eggs, chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows to our local community and online markets, while also setting an example in regenerative agriculture.”
NE-Leigh Farm was helped by a $1,000 Fellowship Fund gift certificate through Tractor Supply Company, which enabled them to buy essential equipment and supplies, including feeders, waterers, chick-starter feed, and bedding for young chicks in their brooder.
News of the Fellowship Fund was featured in their local news, which Leigh said brought out people to ask him about the award and the mission of Farmer Veteran Coalition.
Focus
“We are committed to practicing regenerative and sustainable agriculture with our animals, aiming to improve our environment both above and below ground,” Leigh said. “However, the predominant agricultural practices in our area tend to be more conventional, relying on fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.
“Large-scale operations, such as feedlots and enclosed hog and chicken raising facilities, are also commonly used throughout the region. This creates a narrow view of how and where to raise animals while also healing our environment.”
Leigh said he loves working the farm alongside his wife.
“With my wife as both co-owner and teammate, and guided by the good Lord and values we hold dear, I am confident that we will build a successful and prosperous farming business,” he said.
“We are committed to applying the lessons and experiences we have gained throughout our lives to enhance our farm, better ourselves, and support other farmers, ranchers, and our community.”
