Caitlynn served in the United States Marine Corps from 2011 to 2016 as an Intelligence Analyst and a Weapons and Tactics Instructor. During her career, she supported intelligence operations, training, and provided critical analysis to inform decision making and mission planning. In 2015-16, she deployed with the 26th Marine Expeditionary unit aboard the USS Kearsarge, supporting maritime security and crisis response in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
"In 2024, I applied for the Homegrown by Heroes certification which allowed us to include their logo on our farm grown goods. In 2026, I was awarded a Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund award to go toward expanding our beekeeping operations."
The Bergs and the Bees is a small family-owned farm in East Central Minnesota dedicated to sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, and community engagement. Founded with a commitment to working in harmony with nature, the farm uses practices such as no-till growing, cover cropping, pollinator habitat restoration, and diversified production to improve soil health and support local ecosystems.
They grow a variety of fruits, veggies, herbs, flowers, and specialty products while also maintaining a flock of chickens and several honeybee colonies. Beyond growing food, they are passionate about educating others about where their food comes from and the importance of conservation focused farming practices.
At its core, The Bergs and the Bees is about cultivating healthy food, healthy ecosystems, and a stronger community while demonstrating that small farms can play a meaningful role in building a more sustainable future.
"After leaving military service, I used my GI Bill to attend culinary school with the goal of becoming a chef. I’ve always loved cooking, but during that time I was exposed more deeply to where food actually comes from and I developed a strong interest in sustainable agriculture and how good food is grown, not just prepared. While in school, I was also working in medical device manufacturing, which gave me stability but didn’t feel like long-term purpose. In 2021, my husband and I purchased the land that would become our farm, and that shifted everything."
For Caitlynn, farming and beekeeping ended up filling a gap she didn’t fully understand she was carrying after leaving the military. As it is for many veterans, the transition out of service was not easy for her mentally, and agriculture became a place of grounding and rebuilding.
Through working with the land, restoring habitat, and learning beekeeping, Caitlynn found both personal healing and a renewed sense of direction. It’s also become a way to give back by sharing knowledge, creating access, and helping others connect more directly with where their food and ecosystems come from.
"Being an American farmer, to me, is fundamentally about care, responsibility, and justice in how we relate to land. It's not just production, it is stewardship, repair, and accountability to the ecosystems we depend on."
"On our farm, that means actively working to restore damaged land, rebuilding soil health, expanding native plantings, and creating habitat that supports pollinators and biodiversity. It means choosing systems that move away from extractive agriculture and toward perennial, regenerative approaches that can sustain future generations!"
"Equity is also central to what being a farmer means to me. Land access and agricultural knowledge have long been unevenly distributed, and that shapes who gets to participate in farming today. We also recognize that this land exists within a history of Indigenous stewardship, and we strive to learn from Indigenous knowledge systems grounded in reciprocity, observation, and long-term care for the land. Our goal is to help open doors by creating space for hands-on learning in regenerative agriculture, native restoration, and beekeeping so more people can directly engage with land, build skills, and reconnect with the ecosystems around them."
