#84 – Arizona State University – Alicia Ellis (US Air Force)

January 16, 2026 01:15:56
#84 – Arizona State University – Alicia Ellis (US Air Force)
Vets In Ag Podcast
#84 – Arizona State University – Alicia Ellis (US Air Force)

Jan 16 2026 | 01:15:56

/

Show Notes

Today’s guest is Alicia Ellis—a US Air Force veteran whose work goes well beyond farming as a lifestyle choice. Alicia has spent her career thinking about systems: how food is produced, how it moves, who controls it, and what happens when those systems fail. And for her, agriculture isn’t separate from national defense—it’s foundational to it.

As Alicia puts it,

“Food security is national security.”

In this episode, we talk about why resilient food systems matter for military readiness, how agriculture fits into broader national security conversations, and why veterans are uniquely positioned to see those connections.

Alicia shares how her experience in uniform shaped the way she approaches agriculture—not just as production, but as infrastructure that supports communities, installations, and the nation as a whole.

This is a conversation about preparedness, risk, and responsibility—about why food deserves a seat at the national security table, and why veterans belong in that conversation.

Enjoy!

Other Episodes

Episode 0

June 27, 2023 00:50:23
Episode Cover

#49 – Nicole Cleggs-Burns (USAR) – USDA

“I help people that have a dream to get into farming that could not get this opportunity elsewhere.” Our guest this week is Nicole...

Listen

Episode

May 20, 2025 01:08:49
Episode Cover

#74-Tom Gauthier (US Army) – AgTechLogic

“Holy cow, there’s this big gap. There’s this big gap of not having that data at the ground level of farms. The big ag...

Listen

Episode 0

May 19, 2024 00:42:41
Episode Cover

#60 – Ben Martin (USMC) and Leanne Babcock (USAF) – Dauntless Veteran Foundation

“The wine starts the conversation. It brings people in and sets them up for what we’re really trying to do, which is support our...

Listen