by Jessica Davis, Idaho FSA Farm Loan Officer

Aurelio Perez came to Jerome, Idaho, in 1992 with a plan to work on a local dairy farm for one year. That year became a life-changing experience for Aurello.

He decided to stay and continue working at the dairy and In 1993 he met his soon-to-be wife, Rocio, who was a student working part time milking cows on another Idaho dairy farm. The two began dating and married four years later. 

Aurelio continued to work as the herdsman and in exchange for some of his wages he was compensated with cows. After 17 years, Aurelio had acquired 80 cows free and clear. It was then that the Perez family made the decision to venture out on their own and start a small dairy.

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Annette Carpenter of Preston Berry Farms uses a high tunnel hoop house to grown thornless raspberries that produce large berries.

by Chris Wood and Candy Moore, Idaho Farm Service Agency

Sweet goodness from field to family is the motto of Annette Padilla Carpenter, owner of Preston Berry Farms. She and her husband Stan grow more than 5,000 bushes of newly developed thornless raspberry bushes that produce large fruit.

"Last year, I sold all the berries we grew and could have sold more, if I had them,” Stan said.

The Carpenters first came to the Idaho Farm Service Agency with a business plan to develop the berry by using high tunnel hoop houses that resemble a greenhouse without any electronic climate controls. The sides of the tunnels can be rolled up to regulate the temperature.

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This week in Fence Post we are recognizing several of our FSA veterans. We say thank you to all of our veterans for your service to this country. 

Lisette Aveiro is a Human Resources Administrative Technician

Joining the U.S. Army can really change your life. That’s exactly what happened to me when I decided that I wanted to do something different with my life. I wanted to seek other opportunities and new adventures. After I graduated in 1993 from the University of The Sacred Heart in Santurce, Puerto Rico, I worked in the hotel business for two years. After speaking to customers everyday from all over the world, I imagined how nice it would be to travel and experience new places and meet new people. But who has the money for that, I thought. It would take me years to save up enough money and working at the hotel didn’t provide me the money I needed. So I thought — the military!

When I told my friends and family that I had joined the military, they were totally surprised. My mother literally cried and screamed, “No!” I’m an only child and coming from a Hispanic background I knew this would be difficult for my family. We tend to be a little protective of our children. After much convincing, my mother gave me her blessings and off I went to basic training in Ft. Jackson, S.C.

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This week in Fence Post we are recognizing several of our FSA veterans . We say thank you to all of our veterans for your service to this country. 

by Latawnya Dia, FSA public affairs specialist

Oscar Rivera was honored to continue his family tradition of serving in the military. His father served in the Army during WWII in the Panama Canal zone while seven of his uncles served in the Army — two of them made it their career. Oscar followed suit. After serving 25 years in the U.S. Air Force, Oscar retired at the rank of major, making him the third person in his family to retire from the military.

Oscar began his military career in 1982 as an E-3 enlisted soldier at the MacDill Air Force Base basic training camp in Tampa, Fla. As an enlisted soldier, Oscar worked as a contracting officer until he became an officer through his college’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program, better known as AFROTC. He is the first in his family to become an Army officer.

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This week in Fence Post we are recognizing some of our FSA veterans in honor of Veterans Day. These men and women come from every region of the United States and represent all branches of the armed forces. We say thank you to all of our veterans for your service to this country. 

by Latawnya Dia, FSA public affairs specialist

Kathy Blake is a farm loan technician in Decatur, Miss.

 Kathy Blake served in the Navy for four years during the Vietnam War. She retells how she joined the Navy and some of her life-changing experiences while she served.

"I graduated from high school and was working a dead end job, not going anywhere. Suffice to say my parents didn’t like the way I was living, and to be honest I was getting tired of it myself but hadn’t done much to change it. 

One day, my mother invited me over for a drink, and after a couple of drinks she took me to the recruiting office. I guess she didn’t want me too sober to know what was about to happen. We arrived to the recruiting station and I had no clue what she was up to. We sat down, and the next thing you know I had signed everything they laid in front of me.

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