When Matt Soldano left the U.S. Marine Corps in 2006, he had no idea he would become a farmer.

Six years later, he wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

"It's such a calming, relaxing feeling to go out there," Soldano said.

At one time, he worked on perimeter security at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

These days, he raises eggs and chickens on a small farm in New Jersey.

For many military veterans, a second life as a farmer presents lots of challenges, from getting enough land to getting reliable equipment.

But it also presents a chance to do something they've grown accustomed to doing already — serving a greater good than their own.

"It's definitely that sense of purpose that drove me into the Marine Corps. In the same way, I'm doing that again," Soldano said.

Sasha Klein of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, a nonprofit that helps vets — including Soldano — start farming, said many vets appreciate the autonomy of working on a farm.

"There is also a real therapeutic need to working with your hands. In a lot of ways, agriculture is a way of continued service for these men and women," Klein added.

Soldano got into farming after moving in with his in-laws in Mahwah, N.J., in 2006.

Soldano's father-in-law had a surplus of chicks, so he gave six little chicks to Soldano to raise on his own.

Today, he has 250 laying hens and some broilers on 10 acres of preserved land he leases in Bergen County.

Soldano recently bought a 21-acre farm in Warren County and hopes to expand the business to 600 laying hens and 1,200 broilers by 2014.

He's had to be quite frugal and has accumulated a lot of debt to get the business going.

The chickens are raised on pasture but housed in a trailer that's moved from pasture to pasture when needed.

Soldano built his own feeders for the birds, using five-gallon buckets and a couple of feed pans.

He's using a 1953 Allis Chalmers tractor, which needs a lot of maintenance, but which gets the job done, he said.

Even with all of that, Soldano still has to buy feed for the chickens.

"It's nuts how expensive farming is," he said.

For Justin Garrity, farming has been an exercise in patience and learning.

After serving as a combat engineer for the U.S. Army for five years, he left active duty in 2009 and joined the Pennsylvania National Guard.

He knew getting a job after serving in Iraq and Korea wasn't going to be easy, especially with the bad economy.

So he turned his attention to farming and in particular, collecting food scraps from businesses to turn into compost.

"I was looking at different sustainable businesses and saw composting as an option," Garrity said.

Like Soldano, Garrity found it difficult to get started.

All he had was a shovel, a truck and the willingness to learn.

"I kind of learned a lot by reading and doing," he said.

Garrity leased a 30-acre tract of land in Aberdeen, Md., and bought an old Farmall 444 tractor for $800. He ended up putting more than $3,000 in repairs over the life of the tractor.

"In hindsight, I probably overpaid," he said with a laugh.

More challenging than getting the business started, though, was sticking with it.

The first six months were tough. Garrity made only $350 and had to take a night job to pay the bills.

But he didn't give up, and things eventually turned around.

He made connections with various restaurateurs who were looking for a way to get rid of their waste and found a niche market with homeowners and gardeners wanting to use compost.

"I think a lot of it comes back to the determination I got in the military," he said.

Garrity's business produces 10 to 15 yards of compost a day, but he hopes eventually to expand the business and produce 60 to 90 yards a day by 2013.

He's even looking to hire fellow veterans in the beginning of the year.

"It's a good honest living," he said. "My peers, other farmers, they are good honest people where a handshake actually means something. Hard work and integrity is valued. It's been great."

Garrity is happy with his new life.

"A bad day on the farm is certainly better than a good day in Afghanistan."

Looking back, Soldano said he wishes he would have lined up technical and financial assistance before diving headfirst into the business.

But it sounds as if that's the only regret he has in becoming a farmer.

"It's high stress because it is a business and I am trying to generate a profit. At the same time, it is low stress. Working with these animals, it's relaxing," Soldano said.

"It taught me to be a better person," he said. "It's definitely a healing experience going outside every morning. It feels like I'm almost back in the service, because people are relying on me every day."

For more agricultural news from Lancaster Farming, go to LancasterFarming.com.