Evan Leeper: A Soldier’s Strength, A Farmer’s Heart

Sixth-generation farmer Evan Leeper grew up with deep roots in Macon County, Illinois—roots that stretch back to the 1840s, when his family first began raising crops and livestock on the same ground they care for today. However, farming isn’t the only legacy in the family; military service has long been a part of this family’s identity, with ancestors serving in every major conflict from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam. Evan’s experience as a soldier informs how he works on the farm.

A Proud Family Tradition of Service

In 2013, shortly after finishing high school, Evan enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard as an infantryman. The attacks of 9/11—which he clearly remembers as a young child—strengthened his determination to follow in his relatives’ footsteps.

That decision took him far from the cornfields of southern Illinois.

Evan completed basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 2013. He later trained with soldiers in Singapore and deployed to the Middle East in 2020, serving in Bahrain and Jordan on security missions alongside the U.S. Navy. He was honorably discharged in 2021.

Service and Farming: A Shared Mission

Despite the distance, agriculture was never far from his mind.

Many of the soldiers in his Illinois Guard unit also came from small towns and farming backgrounds. Conversations about grain markets, calving seasons, and broken machinery were common while working overseas.

Evan says the lessons he carried home from the military are the same qualities that define successful farming:

• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Resilience under pressure
• Quick problem-solving with limited resources

As he puts it, the biggest skill that transfers from the infantry to agriculture is simple: “Farmers and soldiers both have to think fast and stay calm when nothing goes according to plan.”

A Sacrifice Shared at Home

Evan’s time away wasn’t easy for the family farm. Summer training stretched from four to five days at a time to five to six weeks during the summer, meaning extra work for his father and everyone supporting the operation.

His 2020 deployment, nearly ten months long, required his family to plant and harvest crops without him. Evan expressed deep appreciation for the way his loved ones “rallied together” so he could serve his country.

Coming Home to What Matters Most

Today, Evan is back full-time on the farm—applying the discipline, stewardship mindset, and leadership lessons he gained through service. He hasn’t just returned to agriculture; he’s returned to a mission that feels just as meaningful.

Feeding families, caring for the land that has fed his own for generations, and continuing a legacy of service—at home and overseas.

For veteran Evan Leeper, the uniform may have changed, but the commitment to serve remains the same.