By WESLIE GRAHAM
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley High School FFA hosted its third annual pumpkin picking event last week at the MVHS Ag Farm.
The community was able to support the FFA program by picking their own pumpkins for $5 a piece or $4 for two or more. Also available for the picking were a selection of melons and squash grown on the farm. Families enjoyed roaming the five acre patch in search of the perfect pumpkin on each day last week from 3-6 p.m.
FFA Advisor Denise O’Toole said that four students working at the farm during the summer had prepared the fall cr
op. These included Braden Muns, Natasha Ortiz, Garrett O’Toole and Baxter Baker.
“They helped plant the melons and pumpkins in June,” she said. In addition, the students continued to help out by weeding the five acre field throughout the summer.
O’Toole said that some of the melons grown this summer at the Ag Farm were donated to Quail Hollow Farm in Overton, because much of their crop was ruined this season in the recent floods.
“The kids use this as a fundraiser for FFA,” she said of the pumpkin patch. “The money is used to travel to FFA activities.”
“We compete at Reno and various places,” O’Toole said, adding that some kids went to the national FFA convention in Louisville, KY last year.
The money also helps students purchase their official FFA jackets to wear for special events.
O’Toole said that the pumpkin picking event typically brings in around $2,000 and that the FFA students take turns running the sales as well. She said that this provides leadership opportunities and allows them to speak with community members about the program.
“It gives them a sense of pride,” she said.
The students also helped customers load their pumpkins and explain procedures to them.
“The community really supports us,” she said. “We appreciate all their support.”
O’Toole explained that every school in Nevada has some sort of laboratory experience. But the Moapa Valley Ag Farm is the only 40 acre working farm.
“It’s one of a kind,” she said.
The farm includes about 20 mother cows, chickens and more. It is open to local schools for fieldtrips and educational experiences.
