By SHANNON BARNES
The Progress
The Moapa Valley High School Ag Farm has begun another season of planting, harvesting and learning. This has gone on, even under the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.
MVHS Ag teacher, Denise O’Toole said that the health mandates have definitely posed a challenge.
“The best part of teaching is being with the students,” O’Toole said. “We are all still trying to figure out how to best utilize the online component. We are all just working through it the best that we can.”
Because the class schedule at MVHS has been cut from eight classes to six classes, students have two less electives to choose. The programs that fall under the FFA/AG umbrella are: AG Programs 1 & 2, Floral Design, Food Science, Leadership and Mechanics.
O’Toole said that the Agriculture class has less students this semester due to that cut. There is a total of about 14 students in the program right now. The floral design class however has grown this year, she said.
The MVHS Ag program is unique. It is the only school program in the state that has a 40-acre laboratory farm.
The planting at the farm begins in late August to September and the harvesting runs through the 4th of July. There are two farm seasons, fall and in February there is a Spring farm.
The farm is also equipped with a Hydroponic Greenhouse. Also on the farm there are about 20 head of cattle, chickens, an alfalfa field and an orchard with various trees and pomegranates.
This season the students have decided to plant lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, carrots, beets, brussel sprouts, a variety of melons and cilantro.
Approximately 7,000 plants have already been planted within the last couple of weeks. The harvest will go to the MVHS culinary program as well as for sale at the farmers market stand that is open to the public daily at the farm.
This market stand holds the left-over harvest not utilized by the school or the students. In addition to produce, local residents can also find fresh eggs for purchase as well. The market stand is honor system.
Customers simply place their money in a lock box after they choose the items that they would like to purchase.
The FFA/AG program usually offers plenty of activities for students. But this year, those live activities are not being held. So activities are being held virtually.
Every October the AG program participates in a Soil Competition. Local teams have taken first or second place every year for the past eight years. This year the competition will be held in an online platform. The students will have to send in soil samples and be a part of a live streaming competition.
There are also virtual elections happening this year as well for FFA officers. Most other activities however have been put on hold.
The FFA/AG students work every year on an AG Literacy program. This brings in elementary students from Las Vegas to show them where their food comes from. Displays are set up with activities for the kids, such as making ice cream or butter or planting seeds to watch them germinate.
FFA students also plant pumpkins at the beginning of the season. So every child who comes to the farm in the fall can go home with a pumpkin that they have selected. The Pumpkin field is also made available to the general public two to three days in October for pumpkin purchases.
Since 1958 the FFA/AG program has seen many changes and 2020 is no different. The program will continue to adapt with the times while providing the skills and training to help instill Leadership qualities into the students’ lives and prepare them for all that life has to offer.
