Growing up in Delanco, New Jersey, Danielle Gent never expected to become a farmer. After two years at Rutgers University, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy in September 2000, beginning a 24‑year career that took her across the world.
She served 12 years before being commissioned as a Chief Warrant Officer in 2013, with duty stations that included the USS KEARSARGE, USS KITTYHAWK, USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, USS LASSEN, the Joint Intelligence Operations Center in Hawaii, Fleet Cyber Command, four Atlantic Fleet submarines, and the National Security Agency.
When she retired in 2024, she carried with her decades of discipline and leadership – and a growing passion for something entirely different.
Danielle didn’t come from an agricultural background, but she pursued it with determination. She completed the Boots to Bushels and Boots to Business programs, became a Master Gardener through the University of Maryland, worked with a SCORE mentor to build her business plan, and continued her education each winter through Cornell University, MOFGA, and various flower‑farming conferences.
Danielle began farming in 2024 not only because of her love for flowers, but because she loves sharing them with her community even more.
While still in the military, she often left bouquets from her garden on coworkers’ desks to brighten their day. “When I saw them smile, it was the best feeling ever,” said Danielle. “I did not seek out flower farming, flower farming found me.”
Today, Danielle grows specialty cut flowers that become part of life’s most meaningful moments – birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, proms, weddings, funerals, and even gender‑reveal celebrations. She loves meeting people at the farmers market each week and hearing the stories behind the bouquets they choose.
“My flowers are grown with love and then shared with someone else out of love and it is a great feeling,” said Danielle.
Danielle became a Fellowship Fund awardee earlier this year (funded by Kubota Tractor Corporation), which allowed her to purchase a Kubota tractor and transforming her operation.
Thanks to her Kubota tractor, purchased through the Fellowship Fund grant, she has been able to compost and mulch her entire field in a fraction of the time.
Before the tractor, she could only move about a yard of material a day due to physical pain. The tractor allowed her to move rocks, shift silage tarps, and prepare beds quickly enough to plant two weeks earlier than the previous year – a major advantage in Maine’s short growing season.
Being a woman in agriculture has brought challenges, especially around pricing.
“When I first started selling my flowers, I was not confident enough to price my flowers higher than I should have,” Danielle recalls.
Some customers would comment on her prices or say, “Wow you charge a lot for flowers from your garden.”
Now in her third season, she confidently prices her flowers to reflect the true cost of running a sustainable farm, and when someone refers to it as a garden, she politely clarifies that it is a farm and a business.
For other women interested in agriculture, Danielle’s advice is encouraging and direct.
“You do not need to know everything about farming to start a farm,” said Danielle. “All you need to do is be resourceful enough to seek out opportunities to learn how to start a business and run your operation in a profitable and sustainable way.”
Danielle recommends connecting with the Farmer Veteran Coalition, where new farmers can learn from others who have already walked the path.
To learn more about Danielle’s work and follow her journey, visit www.fullstemaheadfarm.com and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
