In 1945, Lloyd Noble established The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation to assist farmers and ranchers with land stewardship. Sixty-five years later, his mission is circling the globe.

For the past year, agricultural consultants from The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation have provided fundamental training to members of the Oklahoma National Guard 2-45th Agribusiness Development Team (ADT). This team was recently deployed to Afghanistan on an 11-month tour to support the region’s farmers and ranchers. By promoting agricultural education, the team hopes the Afghan people will have an economic foundation from which to rebuild stable lives, said Lt. Col. Bruce Arnold.

While the team’s training took them from Texas to New Mexico, their primary agricultural educational resource has been the Noble Foundation’s new Basic AG program. Basic AG is a series of educational events providing practical, foundational knowledge that can be applied to a farmer or rancher’s day-to-day operations. Basic AG events offer straightforward information and interactive experiences to give participants a better understanding of agriculture and new tools to achieve their production goals.