The Georgia Agribusiness Development Team II has taken over operations from Team I at Forward Operating Base Shank in Afghanistan. They are excited to continue the agricultural development work of assisting Afghan farmers and business. Some of their current projects include watershed management, soil conservation, livestock care, women's business groups, and building root cellars for food storage. The commander comments that their goal is to help the Afghan government support farmers in growing, storing, and selling their products to improve lives and the local economy.

1. APRIL 2012
3 The Agriculture
Team Sower
Mission
4 Featured Soldiers
of the Month
Georgia Agribusiness Development Team II
5 Commanders
Comments
6 Photos
“With Sword And Plow We Are Fighting Evil”

2. After Successful Handoff,
ADT II Soldiers Are Eager
To Get Down to Business
Forward Operating Base Shank,
Afghanistan – After completing a successful
Relief in Place / Transfer of Authority,
soldiers of the Georgia Agribusiness
Development Team II are excited to carry on
the work of ADT I as they continue to assist
the economic development surrounding
Afghan Agribusiness. 1LT Matthew Rushton,
SECFOR platoon leader said, “This is what
Mailing Address we have trained for, and my soldiers are ready for the
mission! Cowboy Up…Lets Ride!” Along with
Last, First RANK conducting initial missions to establish relationships
GA ADT II and rapport with local Afghan officials, GA ADT II team
FOB Shank (East) members have enjoyed settling into their new living
APO, AE 09364 quarters. April has been busy with soldiers building
and tweaking to get
their living areas ‘just
Tips for on Mailing to APO Address:
right’. Additionally
1. APO addresses are considered US addresses for the groundwork has “This is what we
postage calculation purposes been laid for ADTII’s
own Crossfit gym
trained for”
2. When filing out address forms the city is (APO), and fitness center
the state is (AE), and the zip is 09364 right next to the
3. A customs form is required when mailing to APO, office. Whether on
available at your local post office. mission or busy in the office, ADT II soldiers are finding
a home away from home at FOB Shank!
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3. The Agriculture Mission
The AG team has hit the ground running, falling
in on several projects started by the GA-ADT-I.
Our agriculture mission here is going well. We
have been meeting regularly with Afghan
officials, such as the Directors of Agriculture
Irrigation and Livestock (DAIL) and their staff in
order to assess their future needs. As you
know, our goal is to support the Government of
Afghanistan to help the farmers grow, store,
preserve and sell agriculture products. We
spend many hours meeting with leaders in the
Afghan community to determine what practices
work best in their specific area and then we try
significant profit. Other projects include windmill construction for
to help them improve their techniques. We have several projects
water pumps and irrigation canal repair. We will soon be working
that we are working, such as watershed management and soil
in some very steep areas to control erosion. Due to over grazing
conservation, cool storage (root cellars), livestock care, and agri-
and many years of turmoil and living in survival mode, almost all
business associations. We are also working with women’s groups
of the elevated land in our area lacks vegetation. In these areas,
to train and educate them on agri-business affairs, home
erosion is the root of many problems. Drip irrigation from the
gardening and canning, just to mention a few.
rivers is useless due to excessive silt, which clogs the fittings.
Our largest projects include cool With no power it is difficult to pump water to irrigate steep
storage facilities (root cellars) that slopes. Hopefully we can help end this "endless cycle" and allow
“Hopefully we can Afghanistan to become a prosperous and secure nation as many
will preserve food long after the
end this ‘endless growing season is over. In some here desire. We are looking forward to the coming months
cycle’ here in areas this will help villages stave working with the Afghan officials and local farmers. Our aim is to
Afghanistan” off starvation. In other areas that improve the lives of the local farmers and the agricultural
have abundant crops, cool economy of Logar and Wardak provinces. We will continue to
storage allows the villages to keep all the families updated as our mission continues. See you
store the product for a few months until the prices rise due to soon!
increased demand allowing them to sell their products for a
LTC Farrell & SGM Sharpe
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4. Soldiers of the Month
Kevin Bobby
Caldwell Clower
Age: 21 Age: 23
Hometown: Hometown:
Powder Lilburn, GA
Springs, GA MOS: 11B-
MOS: 13B- Infantry
Field Education:
Artillery Soph. at GA
Relationship Status: In a relationship Gwinnett College (Biology)
Education: Soph. at Allied American Relationship Status: In a Reese Holman Age: 22 Hometown:
University Favorite Activities: Sports relationship Activities: Camping, Woodstock, GA MOS: 11B-Infantry
(Flag Football/Baseball), Outdoor hiking, shooting sports, Education: Junior at NGCSU
Activities (Fishing) Stuck on a desert volunteering at BSA Summer (International Affairs)
island with one book: Lone Survivor, Camp Stuck on a desert island with Relationship Status: Single
one TV Show: SportsCenter, one one book: Between a Rock and a Activities: Fratting Hard with SAE
artist: Toby Keith. Favorite thing Hard Place, one TV Show: Lost, one buddies, Running, Working Out
about this deployment: artist: Jimmy Buffett. Favorite thing Stuck on a desert island with one
“Experiencing a completely about this deployment: The living movie: Groundhog Day, one band:
different culture” quarters/having his own room RHCP, one book: The Count of
Monte Christo, one TV show: Blue
Crazy Fact: Kevin once took drama Crazy Fact: Once tried to swallow Mountain State
class in 8th grade where he learned and regurgitate a goldfish as a Boy
stage dynamics and dance. At 5’ Scout counselor, but the fish Crazy Fact: Once took 1st place in
11” he stole the show as one of the wouldn’t come back up a 5k race, and was awarded the
trophy by Jimmy Carter, who was
Seven Dwarfs
wearing a huge “JC” belt buckle
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5. Commanders sections with differing responsibilities. Each
section must do their part in order for the
Last but certainly not least are the HQ
and TOC SECTIONS led by LTC David
entire team to be successful. Taking out any Silver and LTC Dane Snowden
Comments one section would be like removing the leg
from a stool. The stool can’t support a
respectively. The folks working in our
headquarters and tactical operations
person if one or more legs are missing. center make sure everything is running
seamlessly each and every day. The
Our AGRICULTURE SPECIALISTS under number of things these sections are
the direction of LTC Jeffrey Farrell are responsible for include personnel
meeting with their Afghan government matters (pay and promotions),
agriculture counterparts in order to assess intelligence updates, maintenance,
training needs for the local farmers. equipment re-supply, ammunition
Additionally, our AG specialists perform accountability, tracking our mission
quality assurance inspections on projects ground movements, requests of air
started by previous movement (helicopters
ADTs. One major when we can’t drive to a
area GA ADT II is
“GA ADT II is the best small
unit that I have ever been meeting location),
focused on is communications (a
Watershed associated with” boatload of office
Management. computers, phones,
Developing ways to printers, etc. plus the
slowdown the snowmelt mountain runoff internet service we use with our personal
and retain this water for longer periods of computers to do our Facebook and
Salaam Allekum, time will help provide better crop irrigation Skype with you folks back home).
thereby helping increase crop production.
Greetings from Forward Operating Base GA ADT II is the best small unit I have
(FOB) Shank located in Logar Province in Our SECFOR TEAM “COWBOY” is led by ever been associated with in my 35 years
East Central Afghanistan. Your Soldiers, 1LT Robert Rushton and SFC Brian Neal. of wearing the uniform. Everyone on our
Airmen, and DA Civilian have jumped head Team Cowboy is charged with protecting team volunteered. We are small in
first into our mission of helping the Afghan the Command Group and Ag Teams when numbers but not in what we will
farmers in Logar and Wardak Provinces. we go out on missions to meet with our accomplish over the next ten months. It
Our mission is COIN which stands for Afghan partners. The men and women of is my honor and privilege to command
“Counterinsurgency” or in layman terms SECFOR COWBOY are true professionals this elite team of National Guard men
means “winning the hearts and minds of who drive our armored vehicles, man the big and women.
the people” so they will not want or need guns, and check for IEDs along the route. I
to take part as an insurgent or insurgent feel safe every time I roll off the FOB with Sowing Freedom,
enabler. Our team is comprised of several the men and women of SECFOR COWBOY.
COL MCGALLIARD
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