Local Sheiks Meet at FOB Hammer to Discuss Agriculture

Sheik Abu Noor (right), a sheik from al Zatia, a small village east of Baghdad, talks with Floyd Wood (left), from Washington, D.C., a U.S. Department of Agriculture representative, during a meeting to discuss agriculture at Forward Operating Base Hammer March, 6.

Sheik Abu Noor (right), a sheik from al Zatia, a small village east of Baghdad, talks with Floyd Wood (left), from Washington, D.C., a U.S. Department of Agriculture representative, during a meeting to discuss agriculture at Forward Operating Base Hammer March, 6.

By Spc. Ben Hutto
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Sabbah Nissan Council members met with coalition forces to discuss ways to improve farming and irrigation methods in the Mada’in Qada March 6.

Council members met with Floyd Wood, a U.S. Department of Agriculture representative, and Capt. Chas Cannon, commander of Battery A, 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery.

“Agriculture is the foundation of every strong society,” said Wood, from Washington, D.C. “I think everyone in this room would agree that to help Iraq we need to keep helping the farmers of this country.”

The sheiks said water was the chief concern of farmers in their area and requested the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team’s further assistance with water projects. The Mada’in Qada is in the 3rd HBCT’s area of operation.

Wood talked with sheiks about using wells to alleviate the need for irrigation canals from the Tigris River; he suggested testing different crops to discover which ones would work best using this method.

“It frustrates me to see crops that could be grown here being shipped here from Syria, Iran and Jordan and being sold in the local markets,” Wood said. “If we can come up with ways to help the farmers here, I believe that it will help everyone here in the qada.”

Wood and the sheiks agreed to dig several irrigation wells in different parts of the qada as test projects to show their potential effectiveness to area farmers.

“This could very well be the future of farming in this part of Iraq,” Wood said. “We need your help in showing your fellow farmers that it can work successfully here.”

The 1-10th FA is assigned to the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.