Circle of Excellence Awarded to Maryland DC

Anne Arundel County Maryland NRCS District Conservationist John Minnick received a Circle of Excellence award from Chief Lancaster this week at a special ceremony at NHQ in Washington D.C.  Minnick received the award for his outstanding work in the provinces of Nangarhar and Laghman, Afghanistan.

Minnick started his two tours in Afghanistan in May 2006 and most recently served as an agricultural advisor to the Commander of a US-military led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) at a forward operating base in Jalabad in Nangarhar.  Minnick described his work in Afghanistan as very rewarding. His activities have included establishing a soil analysis lab, working with Afghan officials on flood control and irrigation water management projects, and establishing an eastern region seed storage facility for native forest tree species.  Minnick felt his most rewarding experience was working with local and Peshawar scientists on the soil lab.

He also described his travels to local areas where many days the temperature soared above 130°F.  Water was scarce as these areas only receive six inches of water annually.  “The villagers are hard working people.  Families work together, from dawn to dusk, in the fields with very little ag tools and almost no tractors,” said Minnick.  “The fields are small, usually less than one-half acre and must be terraced and irrigated, so water will flow into all parts of the field.  Ag practices in Afghanistan do not fit into the typical American model of agriculture.”

In addition to his Circle of Excellence award, commanders of the PRT’s where Minnick served awarded him battle coins to commemorate his work in Afghanistan.
Your contact is Fred Jacobs, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 202-720-4772.