Posted: Saturday, January 2, 2010 11:31 am

A Tennessee Army National Guard Agri-business Development Team is scheduled to return to Tennessee Monday, Jan. 4, after a year in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan assisting farmers in that region.

They are due to arrive by bus at the National Guard’s Volunteer Training Site in Smyrna, Building 500, between noon and 1:30 p.m.

The team is composed of more than 60 soldiers from throughout Tennessee with a wide variety of Military Occupational Skills.

The agriculture crew, accompanied by a security team, taught basic farming techniques such as planting and harvesting wheat, planting corn in rows and using trellises to grow tomatoes and grapes. They also assisted Afghan farmers in improving irrigation systems and crop storage facilities.

Their aim was to help farmers in that area become more self sufficient.