Agri-business team improves local farming infrastructure while incoming team trains at home

By: Sgt. 1st Class Shelda Sternberg and Rachel Knight
135th History Detachment and Unit Public Affairs Representative





Missouri Agri-Business Development team III is continually working on improving the farming infrastructure in the Nangarhar province while Missouri's fourth Agri-Business Development team is hard at work here in Missouri preparing for their deployment to the region.

The team is working through the use of slaughter houses, olive farms, sweet orange orchard rehabilitation, cold storages and solar wells with the overall goal of improving quality of life in the region and ushering in an era of self sufficiency.

"When you talk about the agriculture sector, all of the projects tie together," said Master Sgt. Don K. Lilleman, project noncommissioned officer in charge.

The team has completed nine slaughter facilities during their tour. They have also implemented training on how to clean the facilities properly and work with the local governance to enforce sanitation practices.

"The slaughter facilities provide a centralized location for butchering and slaughter services," said Capt. Jordan Clark, slaughter facilities manager. "They have successfully improved meat sanitation and market practices."

ADT III assisted the Nangarhar Valley Development Authority, a governmental branch responsible for management of the Nangarhar province, in rehabilitating the existing olive orchards and reestablishing the sweet orange orchards.

"We helped reestablish the sweet orange orchards by planting approximately 60,000 trees," said 1st Lt. Zachary Wilson, agriculture specialist.

Many locals are hired to work at each project through the "Cash for Work" program, which has created a sizeable amount of permanent jobs in the area. The program has paid many local villagers to create soil and stone masonry canals. These canals transport water to almost 30 acres of crops.

"We are trying to push forward, giving the locals the tools they need to sustain themselves," said Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Wooten, project manager.

ADT III has helped implement the cold storage, canning and juicing facilities for farmers in Afghanistan. Prior to the arrival of the ADT III and the completion of the facilities, local farmers would ship their produce to Pakistan. The canning facilities in Pakistan would then can the produce and ship it back to Afghanistan at a much higher cost.

"Cold storage and the canning and juicing facilities here in Afghanistan lower the percentage of produce sent to Pakistan," said Wooten.

The canning and juicing facilities also provide electricity to about 300 local farmers with the use of solar panels at the facilities.

ADT III has completed 60 solar wells in the Nangarhar province. The wells use solar energy to pump water into the reservoir tanks. The water is then used by the local farmers to irrigate the crops.

Cold storage and canning and juicing facilities use solar panels also at their facilities to water the local agriculture land.

Missouri's fourth ADT prepares to deploy to Nangarhar Province

While local villagers and farmers continue to benefit from projects the Agri-Business Development team III is working on. Another 60 Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen from the Missouri Air and Army National Guard are currently receiving necessary pre-mobilization training at Camp Clark and will be deploying to the Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan on the state's fourth Agribusiness Development Team, replacing the team currently in place.

Brig. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard, told the Soldiers and Airmen on Thursday that "we are very proud of you for your services and for volunteering."

"I am super impressed with this group of Soldiers and Airmen," said Col. Michael Fortune, company commander. "They are operating at a rank well above where they are. They take charge and these guys are sharp."

Coming from various different units from around the state, together as a newly formed cohesive unit deploying together, they are highly motivated and excited about their training.

Capt. Kenneth Uenink was nominated by the group to take charge of the physical training. He implemented a circular training including close-hand pushups, lunges, squats and much more. Uenink is also big in combatives and plans to work with other Soldiers while deployed to teach them the necessities.

Spc. Ginny Fletcher, of the 1438th Multi-role Bridge Company in Macon, said the physical training has come in handy during the pre-mobilization training.
"Everybody is improving," she said. I think it has come in handy during warrior tasks because we become more fit."

Fortune said he is extremely impressed with the fact that no one has complained one bit and they have been through some "pretty brutal training."

They have spent several days doing warrior tasks, range qualifications, combat life saver and cultural awareness and language.

Soldiers and Airmen are learning the language and frequently used phrases. Fortune said they practice the language every morning during physical training, in cadences while marching and especially during access control point training.
Critical exercises include moving under direct fire. Soldiers had to move within 100 meters of the enemy position and use the correct individual tactical fire and movement techniques dictated by the terrain features. They coordinated movement within the team and provided covering fire for each member while securing the area. Communication is a critical part of any exercise.

"These exercises are important so that if we do come under fire, we can perform as a team and react correctly," said Spc. Phillip Anderson, of the B Company of the 1-138th Infantry Regiment at Kingshigway. "It refreshes our basic tactical concepts. It's so everyone knows their job and can work as a team."

Anderson said it also helps bring the company together since the Soldiers and Airmen come from all different units across the state of Missouri.

Each task the company encountered during pre-mobilization training was taught to them by the training battalion at Camp Clark.

"The instructors are pretty informative," said Fletcher. "They have firsthand experience in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Fletcher said you learn what the book tells you and the instructors taught so much more from what they have experienced personally.

"It makes me confident in the training I receive," she said.

"I have no doubt you're going to get the right training, be trained and will be prepared," Danner told the Soldiers Thursday.

Fletcher volunteered for this deployment because it will get her out of her element. She is a welder for her home unit, but is assigned to force protection on this deployment.

"I'm going to learn a lot," she said. "This is a once in a lifetime thing. We have security details, but this is more humanitarian. We are getting to go out and teach the people of Afghanistan and it's great that the military is getting involved."
This unique team will facilitate agricultural reconstruction and development in the Nangarhar Province with focus on irrigation and water issues, energy, education, resource management, value added enterprises and food safety.

The team will relieve the third Missouri Agribusiness Development Team, which is currently in the region. That team, which is made up of 60 Air and Army National Guard members, is set to return to Missouri in August.

Missouri's National Guard pioneered the Agri-business Development Team model. Missouri became the first National Guard in the nation to deploy this particular type of team in 2007.

Danner said the development team is the premiere deployment.

"You get the unique opportunity to spread your wings," Danner concluded.




Posted: 6/23/2010 12:37:00 PM