From left: Olivia Manski with her goat, Speckle, Girl Scout Lauryn Smith and Alexandria Manski with border collie, Rio, representing the Churchill County Future Farmers of America.
Sara Dowling | NNG
Lahontan Elementary School held its inaugural Ag Fest on April 18, a project intended to educate kindergarten and first grade students in the ways Fallon benefits from agriculture.
Leana Carey, an avid supporter of agriculture education in the classroom and a Churchill Farm Bureau board member, said she has been working toward this project for several years. A collaboration with LES Principal Kimi Melendy since October finally made it a reality. Carey said it was essential that Melendy was “all in” as a principal from the beginning stages.
Carey said that a change in the agriculture learning environment in Churchill County from outdoor arenas to inside tents proved to be difficult and discouraging. Participants found that even the larger tents were too tight and too noisy to allow for effective learning with all of the crowds and animals involved. Carey wanted to bring back presentations that took place in a larger outdoor space.
Ag Fest also includes certified continuing education for the teachers involved.
“I am a farmer ranch kid and it probably saved my life,” Carey said. “Farmer ranchers, that style of life, truly saved my life and I am passionate about it. I’m working with a lot of people who are extremely passionate about it and want to do this and teach from the ground up.”
Supporters of Ag Fest include Nevada Farm Bureau, Churchill Farm Bureau, Nevada Department of Education, University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Department of Agriculture, Lahontan Valley Cattlewomen, The Village Nursery and Garden Center, Churchill County Museum, Churchill County High School Future Farmers of America, Churchill County 4-H, High Desert Grange and Fallon Livestock Processing, LLC.
“We've got to teach the children where their food comes from,” Carey said. “They've got to know that because it doesn't come from Safeway or Walmart. It comes from the dirt, all of it, even for our beef. (The cattle) have to eat grass first.”