Capital City Farm Days this week at Carson City Fairgrounds

RENO —University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s 4-H presents Capital City Farm Days 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., Thursday and Friday. Thirty presenters, including representatives from the Nevada Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Land Management, the Nevada State Museum, and other local and state agriculture and natural resources organizations, will teach preschool and elementary-age youth about Nevada agriculture, where food and fiber come from, and environmental issues related to agriculture. Attendees include public, private and home-schooled students and their families from Carson City, Storey County, Douglas County and Dayton Valley.

“At this annual event, students, teachers and parent chaperones learn how ranching and farming in Nevada serve us, as well as the benefits and challenges of maintaining agriculture in our state,” Sandra Wallin, with the 4-H Youth Development Program, said. “All of the presenters love the event, and attendees look forward to it each year.”

Presentation topics and demonstrations include organic farming, water, noxious weeds, bees and rangeland. Future Farmers of America and 4-H youth bring their livestock project animals and talk about what it takes to raise a market animal. There will be wild horses and burros, fiber spinning and weaving demonstrations, and a herding demonstration. A life-sized dairy cow model that attendees can milk will be provided by the Department of Agriculture. On Friday, Wolf Pack Meats representatives will talk about how animals are readied for market, as well as the health benefits of quality-processed meat.

Capital City Farm Days has been a part of Carson City Cooperative Extension outreach to the community for 18 years. Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Education Program teaches leadership, citizenship and life skills to thousands of Nevada youth ages 5 to 19 each year, through activities such as practicing robotics and raising animals, with an emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education.

For more information about Capital City Farm Days, call 775-887-2252, or contact Wallin at wallins@unce.unr.edu, Jim Barcellos at barcellosj@unce.unr.edu, or Lindsay Chichester at chichesterl@unce.unr.edu.