Mo. Guard agribusiness team preps for Afghanistan

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Members of a Missouri National Guard Agribusiness Development Team have received a sendoff from Gov. Jay Nixon as they prepare for deployment to Afghanistan.

Maj. Gen. Stephen Danner, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard, joined the governor Friday for a ceremony at the Ike Skelton Training Site in Jefferson City. Also on hand were friends and families of the 41 soldiers and 13 airmen who make up the Missouri Guard's Agribusiness Development Team VI.

Missouri was the lead state five years ago in sending a team to Afghanistan to work with farmers, government officials and industry leaders. The teams are made up of agriculture specialists including project managers, engineers and instructors.

Missouri's Team VI will receive more training at Camp Atterbury, Ind., before deploying to Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province.