A Newborn man was among 50 military veteran farmers nationwide this month to receive $1,000 gift cards from Tractor Supply Co. and the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) in celebration of the Fourth of July. 

Timothy Robison received the award for his work with Robi Ranch/Johnston Farm Inc. which was started in 2015 to raise beef cattle. He served in the Air Force for 18 years.

The 50 farmer veterans were selected based on essay applications describing their farm training and experience, personal investment in their farm business and clear need for assistance to further their vision and goal for the business. Each won the gift cards to support their agriculture projects and businesses.

The FVC is a national nonprofit that assists active duty and veteran members of the U.S. armed forces embarking on careers in agriculture by providing them with education, resources and small grants to launch their own farming operation or find employment in farming. The group serves more than 20,000 members nationwide.

“We are honored to support these veteran farmers as they serve our local communities through their wide-ranging agricultural businesses,” said Roc Hodges, who retired as a master sergeant in the Air Force and currently leads the Tractor Supply Veterans Employee Resource Group. 

“These military heroes have supported our country through their service and it’s a privilege to assist with these gift cards while letting them know how much we support them as they pursue their work in agriculture post-military service.”

Now in the third year of the partnership, Tractor Supply has donated $150,000 in gift cards to veteran farmers.

The rural lifestyle retailer supports military members year-round with programs such as Dogs on Deployment and by offering military discounts on select holidays. 

For more information about the program, visit TractorSupply.com/Military.