After boot camp, Jeff got stationed on a 180' buoy tender based out of Honolulu, Hawaii and was chosen to go to U.S. Navy Dive School to serve on the ship's dive team doing salvage, maintenance on aids to navigation, underwater repairs and construction and rescue diving. After spending two years of his four year enlistment there, he went to rescue swimmer school at Pearl Harbor and transferred to a small boat station in Portsmouth New Hampshire where he served as rescue swimmer/crewman on small boats.

He also spent three months in Florida diving in the intercoastal waterway cleaning up hazardous materials that the Coast Guard had dumped during their maintenance of aids to navigation. He enlisted in 1991 and was honorably discharged in 1994. He received the Commandant's letter of commendation and ribbon for a rescue he performed after a boat accident with fatalities involved and another for his work cleaning up hazardous waste underwater at a LORAN station near Johnston Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Jeff has a disability rating for PTSD and hearing loss associated with his diving work.

Zack Woods Herb Farm is a certified organic medicinal herb farm and botanical sanctuary located on the unceded homelands of the Wabanaki, in the heart of the green mountains of north-central Vermont. They have majestic mountain views and are surrounded by pristine forests and streams. It is on this little piece of heaven that in 1999, they began their dream of living and farming sustainably while providing people with some of the highest quality medicinal herbs available. All of their herbs are organically grown or ethically wild-harvested and exhibit the incredible life force that flows through the land.

"My father's family were involved in dairy farming and I was always drawn to the work and wanted a career where I could be physically active and working outdoors. I also love working with plants and was fascinated that plants have medicinal attributes which is why I chose to grow medicinal herbs."

"I enjoy the sense of having my work as a farmer directly affect people's wellness in a positive way. I also enjoy my role as an agricultural consultant and mentor, both privately and for the USDA because it helps other people find success with their own farming ventures."