By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
The Agriculture Expo and Small Animal barn at the Clark County Fair will be teeming with excitement this week. In addition to its usuals, the building will feature a host of brand new attractions as well as bring back some old traditional favorites.
The Ag Expo will once again celebrate the time-honored agricultural practices and traditions upon which the farming community of Moapa Valley was built. It will celebrate all things agricultural from home vegetable gardening to egg and milk production. And it will display some of the machinery and equipment that makes modern farming happen.
Exhibit coordinator Kaluna Aki, with the help of many passionate volunteers and a huge effort from regional 4-H clubs, has put together an experience that aims to teach the younger generation about the fundamentals and practices of farming.
The Clark County Farm Bureau will be on hand with information about agricultural production throughout the region.
In addition, local ag producers will be there to show the desert-adapted techniques being used to grow amazing produce while getting the most out of the precious water resources.
One of the new additions will be an expanded Simplot exhibit in the barn. “Most people around here know Simplot only for its silica sand which is mined locally,” Aki said. “But the company is a huge agri-business. This year they are going to be educating about all the agricultural aspects that they do all over the country.”
Aki added that there will also be a great spot for youngsters to see and interact with all of the animals for which the Small Animal barn is named.
“Just like usual, we will have a wide variety of different animals and a lot more babies this year for the kids to enjoy,” he said.
This includes baby chick hatching, the baby pig exhibit, ponies, lambs, pygmy goats and more.
The backdrop behind all of this is the small caged animal exhibits. “Of course there will be all the 4-H kids from all over the place who have raised their chickens, ducks, rabbits and more in the cage show,” Aki said.
The small animal showmanship contest for all classes will be held on Sunday and led by Las Vegas 4-H clubs.
“That makes sure that it doesn’t coincide with the larger livestock show next door which ends on Saturday,” said local 4H director Carol Bishop.
The Rabbit Showmanship will begin at 10:30 am, with the chicken contest following at noon and the non-market goat competition at 3 pm.
Bishop said that the local 4-H is also sponsoring a large new beekeeping exhibit. While the bees themselves won’t be present, all of the supplies and equipment for taking care of a hive of bees will be on display along with a ton of informational material to get hobbyists interested.
The exhibit will include an activity for youngsters. Participants will be given a small ball of special clay which can be rolled into some select seeds to create a pollinator seed ball.
“We will give them a bag to put it in and the kids can take it home,” Bishop said. “All they do is throw the seedball into some soil and give it water. Then all the seeds germinate and become a wildlife pollinator garden.”
Finally, the Silver State Wrangler 4-H club is bringing back a blast from the past: Chicken Poop Bingo.
Contestants can buy a bingo square for only $5. A live chicken is then placed on the bingo board.
Then the contestants watch and wait. When the chicken finally feels the urge, a winner emerges. If the bird happens to poop on a contestant’s lucky square he/she will be the winner of half of the jackpot. The other half goes to benefit the Silver State Wrangler club.
“It is a great tradition that we haven’t done for a few years at the fair,” Bishop said. “But we are bringing it back and it should be a crowd pleaser.”
