Marines learn to farm for Afghanistan deployment

A group of California Marines slated to ship out to Afghanistan soon is getting some last-minute training -- in an orchard.

And as CBS News Correspondent Priya David Clemens reported on "The Early Show," if their mission succeeds, it will literally bear fruit.

Clemens observed that U.S. troops are fighting in Afghanistan to secure peace, while others ready to ship out are preparing to keep it. A group of Marines, who spend months training for the battlefields, are now taking part in a week of training on the farm fields. They're learning about soil composition and a variety of fruits, vegetables and livestock.

Lt. Karl Kadon started the program last year to help American troops mend fences with the Afghan people, 85 percent of whom are farmers.

Kadon said, "I would say, 'We're on the constructive side versus the destructive side of the war."'

Clemens asked him, "So it was a way for folks there locally to then trust you?"

Kadon said, "Exactly. This was something that allowed our Marines to act as humans, in a foreign environment."

Though they're traveling thousands of miles to fight, many of these young men and women, like Cpl. Brandi Weaver, have never set foot on a farm.

Weaver said, "I grew up in the country, but not really farming..."

Maj. David Caldwell added, "My experience I guess begins and ends with wine tasting."

Training takes place on the campus of Fresno State University, in the middle of California's farm belt.

Why Fresno?

Clemens explained that, in part, it's because the soil and climate there are very similar to that of Afghanistan. And they grow many of the same crops, such as citrus and stone fruit, walnuts and almonds and pomegranate.

When the program began last June, it had its share of doubters, even among some of the Marines.

But that soon changed.

"Once they got their hands dirty," Kadon said, "they were able to make the connection, the mental connection, and a lot of them were on board with it. All of them were on board with it."

The farmers were also on board - a marked difference, according to Kadon, from a first meeting with a local grower.

Kadon recalled, "Initially, he was very closed towards us. Of course, if you come in looking like Robocop, then they're going to approach you with some trepidation."

But, Clemens reported, once the gear came off and the talk turned to farming, everything changed.

"He started smiling and really opening up to us," Kadon said. "It was a great moment for us."

That's what these Marines hope to face, when they deploy in the coming weeks for Afghanistan, Clemens said.

For Weaver, she wants to use her new skills to cultivate lasting relationships.

"I never really wanted to go over there to shoot anybody," she said. "I like the idea of going over there to help them rebuild. And I'll be able to tell my kids that I did that."