Heather Wright is a U.S. Air Force veteran and a fifth-generation farmer on her family farm in Berkeley County, West Virginia. Her mom’s side of the family were dairy, crop, and subsistence farmers and her dad’s side had pasture-based turkeys and a cow/calf operation that spanned 84 years.
The history in her family’s farm goes a long way and in 2030, they will reach the centennial mark – ownership in one family since 1930!
Heather is a family nurse practitioner, registered nurse, athlete, military veteran, and banjo player. She was brought back to the farm by an unexpected life pivot, coupled with an intense interest in wellness, disease management, and stewardship. These unexpected changes provided an opportunity to focus on education, gardening, and the future of the farm.
Growing up, her family always had a small garden and grew a few things that they would all eat – especially tomatoes and sunflowers. Over the years, that interest grew into larger gardens. She was also interested in exercise and health, which led to her reading Mother Earth News, the work of J.I. Rodale (founder of the Rodale Institute), and attending gardening fairs.
“I always wanted to find a way to combine the medical side of health with what we put on and in our bodies,” said Heather. “I took great interest in food as medicine during my nursing and post-graduate nursing studies, and later while practicing in diabetes and metabolic health.”
During her outpatient career, nutrition became a core pillar of her lifestyle medicine focus and she developed a program to connect local farmers and patients with fresh produce. She also helped start a community garden for educational outreach.
Her farm business, Wright’s FARMacy, was established in early 2022.
It varies slightly from year to year but she’s grown tomatoes, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, brussels sprouts, beets, radishes, arugula, mustard greens, collards, green beans, potatoes, sweet corn, onions, okra, peppers, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, watermelon, basil, and garlic.
Last year, she’s begun growing some flowers and is currently learning more about cut flowers.
In 2024, Heather was a Fellowship Fund awardee and with the funds (thanks to Kubota Tractor Corporation) she purchased an IronCraft 3-point rear tiller and a utility trailer.
Heather and her husband were able to borrow their neighbor’s tractor and use the tiller for their farm.
“I’m very thankful for the donors and for the Farmer Veteran Coalition for the grant and empowering veterans to pursue farming,” said Heather. “The tiller makes it easier for me to do physical work from a more passive position, on the tractor.”
She needed ways to work smarter and to have the right tools for the job. It also makes it easier for Heather and her husband to expand new gardens and/or incorporate organic matter for soil building.
One of the things that Heather enjoys the most about her farm is that she gets to learn every day, and being able to make adaptations each year to do better – for herself and for the land.
“I hold dear the relationship of the health of the land and of our health – and strive to treat it accordingly,” said Heather. “I really enjoy being outside, hearing birds sing, watching them dip and dive, and seeing plants grow. I view it as a relationship – if I tend them, they’ll provide for me and many others.”
She enjoys watching plants spring forth from the soil. Watching how a tiny seed can turn into a 12-foot tomato plant by the end of the season. She also enjoys learning from local mentors who have been doing this for decades.
Heather believes there is something very rich and personal about being connected to the earth, or as Joel Salatin (American farmer, lecturer, and author) would call our “ecological umbilical cord.”
“I wholeheartedly believe I’m a steward of the land and I hope to leave it better for those that come after me,” said Heather.
Most of all, Heather loves the fresh produce and the way it makes her feel, mentally and physically. She claims it’s hard to describe how it feels to watch something go from an idea, a small seed, to a plant, harvest, preservation, and then a meal. It’s something that she says it speaks to the core of one’s being and is rooted in delayed gratification – something that she also claims we could use more of today.
“A lot of my vision is rooted in altruism and I want to encourage others to grow something too,” said Heather. “I cherish the conversations and connections with customers and also hold fast to caring for those in need through donations and encouraging them to take what they need if they’re unable to afford it.”
Despite its challenges, Heather loves being outside and working on the land.
Heather knows that the type of farming that she’s chosen is a tough and physical endeavor and it’s difficult to make a profit. She prays that her altruism and interest root her with patience and perseverance through this calling.
“I also pray organizations like the Farmer Veteran Coalition continue to exist to provide us support and a boost when we need it,” said Heather. “I hope that whether people have a connection to a farming past or not – they try to learn and put it into practice, no matter how small.”
Throughout her lifetime, Heather has witnessed the loss of agricultural knowledge that has been accrued over thousands of years. Along with that loss of knowledge and self-sufficiency, the near disappearance of the backyard garden. She wishes to be a part of bringing that back as a normal part of life.
To learn more about Heather and her farm, Wright’s FARMacy, visit her Facebook page HERE.
