Barn Restoration Aids Navy Veteran on Washington Farm

ff banks and barn web

Navy Veteran Ben Banks used his Fellowship Fund from AgWest Farm Credit to purchase wood and materials to restore the barn that is important to his Ceridwen Farms operation.

While Ben Banks’ herb and edible flower farm in Bellingham, Washington, is a long way from where he grew up in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Navy Veteran said farming has always been a part of his life.

“I grew up in Gonzales, Louisiana, and spent 22 years living between Louisiana and Mississippi,” he said. “Our family had a 350-acre farm in Mississippi where we raised cattle, hay, and timber. My father owned a feed store that I spent my formative years working in. I learned to drive on a forklift, tractor, and an old truck picking up hay in the pasture.”

The first time he drove as a licensed driver, Banks hauled a 25-foot gooseneck trailer full of cattle from Louisiana to Mississippi.

He raised hogs, sheep and cattle as a child in 4-H, and during his teen years he competed in state, national and international shows exhibiting pure breed Brahman cattle.

“Every member of the family gardened, and both sets of grandparents had massive gardens the whole family helped work,” he added.

Banks enlisted in the Navy in January 2000, serving his first six years as a fire controlman and then 16 years as a master-at-arms. He had deployments to the Middle East and went on humanitarian missions to South America.

After 22 years of service he retired in January 2023 and began the farm shortly thereafter.

“I went through a rough patch mentally and realized I found relief and comfort from getting my hands in the dirt bringing life and something useful from it,” she said. “It’s exhausting, backbreaking, and filled with failure and disappointment. But it’s also the most rewarding, fulfilling, and mentally regenerative occupation I’ve had.”

The Farm

He and his wife Rachael run Ceridwen (Keh-ruh-dwn) Farms, named for a Welsh Celtic goddess.

“Our little farm is a family-owned, all-natural, no-till, conservation-minded herb and edible flower farm,” he said.

“We are currently growing calendula, lavender, roses, nasturtium, borage, echinacea, chamomile, thyme, rosemary, basil, mint, sage, and hops,” he said. “We are also growing pumpkins, apples, pears, cherries, plums, tomatoes, and a variety of squash.

“Our focus, though, is on herbs and edible flowers mostly for use in cosmetics (soap, beard products, and other balms and salves), which we will have available by Christmas.”

Fellowship Fund

He applied for the Fellowship Fund and received a grant from AgWest Farm Credit, which enabled them to purchase wood and materials to restore and repair their hundred-year-old barn.

“The barn is the heart of our operation and going forward the upstairs loft will be our drying and production facility,” Banks said. “It will also house all our farm equipment, and it will be where we grow all our starters. We also purchased a 350-gallon water tank that will be part of our future water catchment system.”

He said they were honored to be chosen as a Fellowship Fund recipient.

“The difference it made in the growth of our operation cannot be put into words,” Banks said. “It is more than just financial; it is the recognition of what we are doing, and the resources, education, and support provided by the great people at Farmer Veteran Coalition.”

He added that operating the farm is fulfilling.

I enjoy being outdoors, getting my hands dirty, and bringing life to something that was barren,” he said. “We also do our best to be in harmony with nature and it’s always enjoyable to see the natural process occurring all around you while you work − watching the bees, birds, bugs, and other creatures working to help make my crops better.”

Website: www.ceridwenfarms.com

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