Old Fashioned Farming

As a part of training for mobilization to Afghanistan, TX ADT 5's Agriculture Team spent three days at the Historic Prophetstown farmstead.  While there, they learned from the staff how to combine modern farming knowledge with old fashioned farming techniques.  The Agriculture Team worked on the farmstead as extra hands and participated in milking cows, harnessing and driving their award-winning Belgian mares in the fields, blacksmithing, and harvesting hay and oats to name just a few tasks. 

We had the benefit of working with Dris Abraham (Farm Director), Melissa Brown (Manager), Lauren and Skylar.  The team at Historic Prophetstown showed incredible hospitality and went the extra mile in scheduling additional subject matter experts to come and speak to us.  These included John, who taught us how to create a forge and basic blacksmithing skills, and organic farmers, the Moores.

Their knowledge of what really makes a small farm self-sustaining and profitable will be truely invaluable to the Agriculture Team while in Afghanistan.

Agriculture Team members bale and stack hay they had raked earlier.

SSG Zengerle driving a hay rake.