Imagine you're a young soldier returning home after combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. You need to calm your nerves and debrief after exposure to so much violence and suffering. What to do? Why not become a farmer? An organic farmer, specifically — why fill your lungs with pesticides after inhaling the hazardous fumes of war? According to the new film Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfields, 50 percent of American farmers are at retirement age, and our new shell-shocked generation of young veterans is the perfect army in the civilian fight for local, organic, healthy food. See a screening of the documentary and speak to filmmakers Dulanie Ellis and Raymond Singer, as well as one of the featured veteran farmers, Edgar Hercilla, at the Armory Center for the Arts tonight. Proceeds from the benefit event, which will feature locally sourced organic food from Pasadena's Little Flower Cafe as well as craft beer and organic wine, will go directly toward building a greenhouse for the Growing Experience, Hercilla's community farm and fish center in Long Beach. Watch a trailer for the film and learn about the Ground Operations Social Action Campaign, which supports veterans' transition into sustainable farming and ranching, at their website, groundoperations.net. Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena; Thurs., June 6, 6-9 p.m.; $45. (626) 792-5101, armoryarts.org.

Thu., June 6, 6 p.m., 2013

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