By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
There is arguably no other organization nationwide that offers the sheer number and variety of no-cost programs and community service events as Cooperative Extension. If you aren’t aware of all that Cooperative Extension does, now is a great time to find out.
The Moapa Valley Cooperative Extension office will be holding an open house on Tuesday, May 30, from 5-8 pm throughout the grounds of their Logandale complex, located at 1897 N. Moapa Valley Blvd. The event is free of charge and dinner will be provided.
Cooperative Extension has its roots in American agriculture. It was officially organized in 1914 by the Smith Lever Act, which established the USDA’s partnership with land-grant universities to apply research and provide education in agriculture. At that time, approximately 50 percent of the American population lived in rural areas with around 30 percent of the workforce actively engaged in farming so Congress used Extension to address agricultural issues.
Throughout the years, Extension has played a vital role in the shaping of America. It is directly linked to the American agricultural revolution, teaching farmers to increase farm production and marketing, and how to conserve perishable products through canning, drying and preserving. During the Great Depression these subjects were extended to include gardening, home nursing, furniture refinishing, and sewing, among other skills; to give American women the tools they needed to help their families survive the many years of economic turmoil.
Today, the influence of extension stretches even farther as the landscape of America has changed. Fewer than 2% of Americans farm for a living with only 17% living in rural communities. Although extension still supports all things agricultural, it has moved into suburban areas and is still helping and training both adults and youth through rural, urban, and suburban programs.
To help you find the program you need, the local Extension office has organized this open house to give the community a taste of what it offers. Many locals think that youth programs in isolated Moapa Valley are limited. But Cooperative Extension offers programs for youth in about every conceivable interest and is always looking to expand.
The open house will feature presentations by several 4-H groups demonstrating projects, displays, hands-on interactions with livestock, robotics, and other programs for children and youth. There will be information on local day camps that will be happening throughout the summer, area camps, and even overnight camps at the beautiful Nevada 4-H camp on the shores of Lake Tahoe.
While 4-H is perhaps the most well-known of extension’s programs, it is certainly just the tip of the iceberg. The open house will also spotlight many of the other programs offered locally, mainly for adults.
“The campus will be set up so people can rotate and get a little taste of the things we have to offer,” said local Cooperative Extension Educator Carol Bishop. “We would like to assist the community with whatever they need or want so this is a great opportunity to see what we have and give us input on what you would like us to add.”
There will be 15-minute mini-sessions of an array of exercise classes for attendees to sample and perhaps find one that’s right for them. Best of all, unlike most other local exercise groups, the classes provided by Cooperative Extension are offered to the public without cost. Current offerings include Zumba, Zumba with circuit training, High Intensity Interval Training, nutrition classes for athletes, and nutrition for the general public.
For gardening enthusiasts there will also be tours of the extension cactus garden project, the extension demonstration gardens, straw bale garden information, information on gardening programs, and a presentation on the history of agriculture in Moapa Valley.
Master gardeners will also be on hand to answer specific questions that attendees may have. There will be information on instruction in sewing, home canning and preserving, small business finance, personal finance and classes on many other topics of interest to adults that are offered by the local office.
4-H Specialist Lacey Sproul-Tom encouraged everyone in the community to attend. “This is a great opportunity to highlight the programs that we have that people don’t know about,” Sproul-Tom said. “With free food and lots of hands-on displays, it should be lots of fun for the entire family.”
