Face of Defense: Nebraska Native Mentors Afghan Farmers

By Army Sgt. Christopher Bonebrake

115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

PAKTIA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Sept. 18, 2012 – Army Sgt. Alex Peyton, an agricultural specialist from Gothenburg, Neb., bristles with weapons and gear as he sits quietly in a wooden chair, surveying the world outside the wire at Forward Operating Base Gardez here.

Pulling guard duty is not one of his regular tasks, but as a member of the Nebraska National Guard’s agribusiness development team, the agricultural section for the Paktia Provincial Reconstruction Team, he must do his part to keep his fellow service members safe.

In high school, Peyton was more interested in becoming a veterinarian than a veteran.

“I’ve always loved animals, and I worked for a local veterinarian during high school and pursued animal science during my first couple years in college,” he said.

Peyton credits his grandfather with first sparking his interest in serving in the military. “My dad would tell me stories about my grandfather when he served in the Big Red One during World War II,” he said.

Ever since Peyton joined the Nebraska National Guard in 2007, he has not looked back.

“It was one of the best decisions I ever made,” he said. “I serve because when I wear the uniform, it’s an honor that is hard to explain. It gives me a great feeling when I put it on.”

Peyton deployed to Iraq in 2010 to serve as an intelligence analyst. While he was there, he heard about the agricultural development teams the National Guard was deploying to Afghanistan to help infrastructure development.

When he returned from Iraq, Peyton said, he was looking for summer work and started looking into agronomy -- the study of farming. He worked for a friend at his church taking soil samples and identifying pests, and found that he loved it.

“When I heard about this deployment, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get out in the field and do what I’m learning on the civilian side,” he said. “I’m here to help the people of Afghanistan become better farmers, but at the same time learn about early farming practices.”

There is no specific course designed to train agricultural specialists in the Army. Selection for being on an agribusiness development team is based upon experience in the civilian world, including education. Peyton was selected because of his work with animals and his current pursuit of a degree from University of Nebraska-Lincoln in agronomy. He said he believes that his experiences in Afghanistan will make him a better student and potential employee when he returns next year.

On a typical mission, Peyton talks with Afghan farmers to assess how the team can better help them improve the quality of their crops. The team also conducts quality assurance and quality control missions, examining the farmers’ produce to see if the training they have received has made an impact.

Army Sgt. 1st Class John Ruden, Peyton’s first-line leader, describes him as very capable.

“He has a lot of potential for more leadership roles and responsibilities,” Ruden said. “He loves to engage with the local populace and teach them about agriculture. When there’s a chance to go out, he’s always eager to do the mission.

“His work ethic is really good, as well,” Ruden added. “If I give him a task, he’ll do it. He may ask me five different questions about how to do it, but that’s because he wants to do it right, which is great.”

Army Lt. Col. William Prusia, the team’s officer in charge, described Peyton as a motivated and dedicated soldier who makes a significant contribution to the team.

“Sergeant Peyton is a very sharp and knowledgeable young man,” Prusia said. “He brings a unique skill set to the team that is invaluable. I don’t know many guys in their 20s who have the knowledge and experience he has.”

When he gets home, Peyton said, he plans to finish his degree in agronomy and stay in the National Guard until he reaches at least the rank of master sergeant.

“I continue to serve because I have so many friends who got out early and regret it,” he said. “Overall, I’m really happy I joined and enjoy what I do here. I’d rather stay in than get out and look back with regret.”

In fields of Afghanistan, a diverse Kentucky Guard group comes together

By Sgt. Paul Evans

Kentucky National Guard

FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan - More than  halfway through their mission, Kentucky National Guard's Agribusiness Development Team 4 leaders seemed to agree that their diverse assembly of Soldiers, Airmen, and Civilian Agricultural Specialists from across Kentucky-and a few from outside the state-finally started to find its rhythm.

ADT 4 has worked in southern Afghanistan to help educate farmers on improved farming and business techniques since February 2012.

“Getting a diverse team, trying to find people that had experience with each other, it was a balancing act," Maj. Walter Leaumont said of the initial selection process. "You want to get a spread, but you’re looking for the same qualities in people. Are they willing to play as a team member? What kind of experience do they have? Do they have any agricultural experience?”

 “There were people who came on board that did not mobilize with us, that we realized shortly into the program they were not going to fit into the

 team,” he continued. “A lot of that, no matter how much you do pre-vetting, some of that’s just got to be whenever you hit the ground,” said ADT 4’s commander, Col. Tommy Barrier. “We certainly went through that.”

 “We formed together well,” said Barrier, of Versailles, Ky. “Everybody was excited and motivated to come here, and we explained to them that this was not a kinetic (fighting) mission. We explained to them that this was an Agribusiness Development Team, and that we would be doing more technical stuff than we would be doing kinetic stuff.”

 “I think some folks were a little disappointed in the beginning because you get hyped up, you go through the train-up, you go through Wendell H. Ford (Regional Training Center), and all they teach you is the kinetic piece of this,” Barrier said.

“So, it’s kind of when you get here, we’re not kicking doors, and we’re not doing combat patrols, but we are helping the Afghan government, the Afghan people, and the agricultural people,” Barrier said.

“I’ve seen deployments where it takes a little time, and I’ve seen deployments where it takes a little bit longer time (to get a unit working together),” Barrier continued. “This (ADT 4) one was one of those ones where it took a little bit longer to get everybody gelled together.”

 “One of the differences about this unit and the unit that’s normally mobilized, this unit was completely made up from different (units)…different backgrounds, different MOS’s (military occupational specialties). It wasn’t a unit that worked together prior to this,” Barrier added.

“Since we are a nonstandard mission…I didn’t want to hamper by taking too much out of one unit,” Leaumont explained about his recruiting strategy. “Although we did take a lot out of the 103rd (Brigade Support Battalion) and the 138th Fires Brigade in general, also out of the 63rd (Aviation Brigade), there were other units we looked at.”

Over halfway into the mission, Barrier and Leaumont both seemed to agree that ADT 4 had finally started to function as an effective team.“It took a little time to find everybody’s niche,” Barrier recalled. “Almost everybody in this organization has two or three talents that they can do, and that’s the kind of person we need.”

 “Honestly, I feel like it’s been a little slow, but we anticipated that at the beginning,” Sgt. Bobby Sizemore said.

“We’ve had snags here and there,” said Sizemore, of Lawrenceburg, Ky.  “Altogether, I think we’re working through them; that things are getting better.”

"The people that you’re with, you won’t ever really forget them,” Sizemore added. “You’ll always have that connection because you served time together.”

At the end of the day, Leaumont summed up ADT 4’s accomplishments so far with a simple observation.

“When you sit there and see people succeeding, it’s nice to know that we had a little bit of a part in that.”

Afghanistan: Kentucky's Agribusiness Development Team 4 builds improves living conditions

By Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Paul Evans

Kentucky National Guard

FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan (7/18/12) - As part of their efforts to help improve the lives of local farmers through education, Soldiers with Kentucky’s Agribusiness Development Team 4 have taken up a secondary project: improving their own environment.

In the process, ADT 4 is also building a foundation to help ADT 5 function more effectively when they arrive at the end of 2012.

“They’re [ADT 5] going to have it made. With the three buildings that we have in mind right now, it’s going to be a huge boost for them because they’re not going to be so spread out,” said Army Master Sgt. John Black, “Everything’s going to be in close proximity and everybody [will] be working pretty much side-by-side… not like us, all spread out everywhere.”

Black, who is leading ADT 4’s construction crew, has served in the Kentucky Army National Guard for nearly 28 years. He spent 27 of those years working as a technician in Frankfort, Ky. while working as a general contractor on the side, building houses and rental properties.

 Recalling his early years of building things, Black said everything he learned has been self-taught.

“After a couple years, I just started doing contract work on my own,” he said. “I built my own house. Then once I built my first house, I just got the bug and started building [more often].”

Balancing construction and military life wasn’t always easy, he remarked.

“Long days and very short nights,” he said.

“Working with wood, it’s pretty relaxing to me. You just kind of take all that other stuff, put it off to the side,” Black said. “It just gives me something to do and reminds me of home.”

According to Black, gathering materials for ADT 4 construction projects has been met with a few challenges thus far, but assistance has been provided by U.S. Navy Seabees and others.

 Black has even received help from other Kentucky Guard members, some of which are first-time ‘carpenters.’

“I have never done construction before in my life, so it’s a pretty awesome experience,” said Spc. Courtney Stewart, a member of the Kentucky Guard’s 1163rd Medical Company.

“I learned how to build a roof. I’ve never done that before in my life,” Stewart said. “I learned how to frame in doors and how to read a tape measure – I’ve never been able to do that before.”

 “The guys that are involved with it, my team, they love it,” Black said. “They’re staying busy, time’s going by quick for them; they’re loving every minute of it.”

 “My favorite part is probably everybody joking on one another. It’s pretty fun,” Stewart said. “I’m in a guy’s world here, so it’s fun to crack up once in a while.”

Black said he plans on building multiple offices to help ADT 4 and ADT 5 function more effectively, as well as some solid buildings for housing to replace tents.

“It’ll be pretty nice from what the colonel [is] wanting,” Black said. “He wants it all laid out for the [agriculture team]. When it’s completed and it looks good, you can walk away from it knowing it isn’t going to blow down.”

 “I think it’ll definitely be good for ADT 5 whenever they get over here because they’ll be able to use it however they need to and it’ll already be here,” Stewart said.

Wisconsin National Guard continues to aid Afghan farmers

By Tech. Sgt. Christopher Marasky

Provincial Reconstruction Team Kunar

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - As members of the International Security Assistance Force continue to help the Afghanistan government with stability and security, one key piece of terrain is the farmlands.

That's where members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Kunar's agricultural section, all members of the Wisconsin National Guard, come into play, as they use projects such as the 'demo farms' at the provincial and district level to teach Afghans new techniques for farming.

The Wisconsin National Guard's 82nd Agribusiness Development Team deployed to Afghanistan in early April 2012, and reorganized to become the agricultural section of Provincial Reconstruction Team Kunar in mid-May.

"A large portion of the people in Kunar are subsistence farmers, in that they live off the food they produce on their farms," said Maj. Fred Oehler, a native of Lodi, Wis. "Over 80 percent of the province relies directly on agriculture, the need to improve in that area is vital."

These farms are small plots of land in which the land owners agree to let the district and provincial leadership conduct training on, as well as to try, different farming techniques in an effort to spread the training throughout the province.

"These local land owners are opening up their farms to allow people to come and get some hands-on training," said Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Beron, a Foxborg, Wis., native. "We're showing people a number of different techniques, such as using green houses and intercropping, in order to show them more effective ways of farming, thus increasing yield and quality in the products."

In a country where the literacy rate is incredibly low, Beron said using projects such as the demo farms is of vital importance.

"Given the literacy rate, people can't really learn different farming techniques from books," he said. "So it's even more important that they have a location that they can learn these techniques with hands on experience to take back to their own farms."

Afghanistan has historically used demo farms in the past to teach farming techniques, according to Oehler.

"In talking with the District Extension Agents, we've been told that prior to the Soviet invasion in the '80s, demo farms were used by the Afghan people to teach farming techniques," he said.

Another area where the farms teach Afghan farmers improved techniques is in the pest management field, according to Staff Sgt. George Nagel, a native of Ogdensberg, Wis.

"One of the biggest challenges we face is that the farmers want a chemical solution to everything, much like we used in the U.S. back in the '40s and '50s," he said. "But there are a lot of problems that come with that, so we're teaching them natural solutions such as biological control and natural predators."

Due to the scarce resources in Afghanistan, pesticides are relatively scarce, something that forces the Afghan farmers to use natural solutions, Nagel said.

"While the lack of access to chemicals may be the cause, we're still seeing progress in their use of natural methods," he said. "As we've seen in the past, there are a lot of problems that go along with spraying a lot of chemicals on crops, so learning these natural techniques is definitely progress."

As with many of the projects the PRT is working on, much of the responsibility in the coming months will be transferred to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and the team is here to help with the transition, Oehler said.

"What we're stressing to them now is that we won't be supporting the demo farms financially in the future," he said. "But as we talk to the extension agents, we continue to stress their importance in teaching local farmers."

"We've seen a lot of success with increased productivity and increased prices for the produce at market using some of the techniques learned at the demo farms," Oehler said. "We're hoping that the government of Afghanistan will continue to use them as a platform for education in the future."