CARBONDALE, Ill., - While soldiering can be a dirty job, a group of Illinois National Guard members took dirty to a new level. The Soldiers were not learning dirty fighting techniques, but were being educated on the finer points of dealing with cow manure.
About 20 Soldiers, all members of the Illinois Army National Guard’s Agriculture Development Team, recently spent two days here at the farms of Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) learning skills they will use during a mission to Afghanistan in 2011.
Once in Afghanistan, the team’s mission will be provide local farmers with the knowledge and skills they can use for years to come.
“In country, we will operate somewhat like an extensions service, offering information and support for basic agronomic practices,” said 1st Lt. Dan Clark, an SIUC graduate student in plant, soil and agriculture systems and the team’s planning and operations officer. “It will be up to them whether they take it and run with it.”
The Soldiers, who were handpicked for their expertise in different agricultural areas, received training on subjects pertaining to the particular problems they will encounter in Afghanistan.
To ensure the training matched the needs of the mission, John Groninger, co-director of international agriculture studies at SIUC, assembled a team of agriculture faculty with experience specific to Afghanistan.
One of those trainers was Phil Eberle, associate professor of agribusiness economics. Eberle has spent time in Afghanistan with the Peace Corps as well as on academic trips. Throughout the training, Eberle, and other trainers, emphasized the need to find the most appropriate way to combine modern agriculture practices with the Afghan culture.
“I think the biggest thing is trying to assist the Afghans in making the decisions to determine what is right for them,” said Eberle. “Probably the main thing is to provide some security so these things can take off. Then we can provide some technical assistance where they are lacking. Hopefully, though, there will be an Afghan face on what is done there.”
With demonstrations ranging from soil science and pest control to irrigation and animal handling, the Soldiers had ample opportunities to get their hands dirty while learning.
Like many of the team members, Spc. Nathaniel Stewart, of Oblong, said he volunteered because of the uniqueness of the mission.
“I have been to Afghanistan once already and Iraq once. I thought this would be a cool opportunity to go and help some people out,” he said.
Stewart also said he was impressed with the training at SIUC.
“I thought the training was outstanding,” said Stewart. “It was good to get a good broad horizon, learning a little about everything. I did not know a lot about soil science and weeds, so this helped
While the training at SIUC was demanding, it was only the beginning for the agriculture team. The team’s leaders plan to assess the team’s needs, coordinate with teams from other states and schedule more training in the future.