Staff Reports
If your farm or ranch has been in your family for 100 years or more, the Agricultural Council of Nevada would like to hear from you.
The Ag Council is the lead sponsor of Nevada's Centennial Ranch and Farm Awards Program. According to Liz Warner, program coordinator, 29 longtime, family-owned agricultural operations have been recognized since the program started in 2004.
The oldest continuously operating, family-owned ranches honored by the program is the Cushman-Corkill Ranch in Churchill County. Josiah Cushman purchased the 1,700 acre ranch on the Carson Sink in 1861 where Fallon is today. Cushman was known for his high-quality cattle and orchard and eventually served as county clerk from 1872-74. Following the completion of the Newlands Reclamation Project in the first decade of the 20th century, the family raised alfalfa, corn, potatoes, Sudan grass and small grains.
The Centennial Award-winning ranches and farms dating back to the 1860s include the Snyder Livestock Company in Mason Valley (1862), the Laura Springs Ranch in Carson Valley (1863), Stewart's Ninety-Six Ranch in Humboldt County's Paradise Valley (1864), and the Stodieck Farm in Carson Valley (1868).
Recognized ranches and farms dating back to the 1870s include the Capurro Brothers in the Truckee Meadows (now Sparks), Hussman Family Ranch in Carson Valley, Overland Land and Livestock in Ruby Valley, the Pinson Ranch near Golconda, and the Henningsen Ranch in Carson Valley. There are many other award-winning ranches and farms dating to the 1880s to the first decade of the 20th century.
"We know there are other longtime, continuously operating family ranches and farms dating back to the 19th century that have not yet applied for Centennial status," said Warner.
As Nevada grows increasingly more urban, and the demands for water in the sprawling metropolitan areas lead to the further decline of farms and ranches, the Centennial Ranch and Farm Program is a means to recognize the longtime family-owned businesses dedicated to agriculture in our nation's most arid state, wrote Guy Rocha, former Nevada State Archivist.
Bruce Petersen, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, one of the founding sponsors, said, "We know that ranchers and farmers are the best stewards of the land. They wouldn't be in operation for 100 years or more if they hadn't taken care of their natural resources."
Applications are due by June 1. Application forms and more information at www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov/centennial_awards.html
The program is also sponsored by the Nevada Farm Bureau, Nevada Cattleman's Association, Nevada Department of Agriculture and the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office.
