Sat, Nov 07 2009
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Published June 27, 2009 12:17 pm - A group of Soldiers and Airmen from the Kentucky National Guard’s 1/623rd FA MLRS, which is headquartered in Glasgow, is preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. Guard members sent to help Afghanis farm By GINA KINSLOW Glasgow Daily Times GREENVILLE — A group of Soldiers and Airmen from the Kentucky National Guard’s 1/623rd FA MLRS, which is headquartered in Glasgow, is preparing for deployment to Afghanistan.
The group is part of the Kentucky Agribusiness Development Team, which is comprised of Soldiers and Airmen from several different units across the state. “The unique skill sets of these Soldiers and Airmen are not found in just one unit which made it a necessity to pick our team from various units to ensure we had the best people the commonwealth could provide,” said Maj. John H. Homes Jr. with the 1/623rd. Their mission is to teach Afghanis how to farm. “The ADT mission is centered on teaching Afghanis to be agriculturally self-sufficient and is based on a concept that has been in place for over 20 years in South America,” he said. “By teaching Afghani farmers how to be self-sufficient and providing sustainable methods to meet that end, they will be able to feed their families and have enough surplus to market.” Many Americans take for granted the ability to provide food for their families, he said. “This is not the case for the people in Afghanistan,” Holmes said. “The years of constant war have ravaged the country and made raising a family almost impossible.” The Afghanis farm the way the Americans did in the 1800s, he said, so that means they have a concept of agriculture. “It’s just not one that provides enough food to sustain their families,” Holmes said. “The mission is all about teaching and providing Afghanis the tools to improve their chance at feeding their families.” Afghanis have two basic crops — wheat and corn. They also produce grapes, goats, sheep and some beef cattle. “We plan on introducing soybeans and forage grass crops to begin our work in addition to enhancing what they already raise,” Holmes said. One of the Soldiers who will be deploying to Afghanistan for this mission is Sgt. 1st Class Scotty Turner, of Tompkinsville. All of the Soldiers and Airmen who are a part of the mission volunteered for it. Turner volunteered because it gives the unit a chance to help the people of Afghanistan. “The military has an appearance of always destroying stuff,” he said, adding this mission allows Soldiers and Airmen to help the Afghanis. Turner pointed out that Afghanistan was once a thriving agriculture country. “They have lost so many men that the younger generation doesn’t know much about farming,” he said. 
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