Carson City Harvest Club to receive grant to produce locally grown food for local families
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Tue, 10/08/2013 - 10:06am
The Carson City Harvest Hub, along with food production programs in Douglas and Lyon counties, have been awarded funding through the Nevada Department of Agriculture, officials announced Monday.
Grant awards amounting to $250,730 will go to 13 programs throughout Northern Nevada for crop research, education marketing and production.
“The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is a critical way to experiment with and promote crops throughout the state,” said Jim Barbee, director of the Department. “We are grateful for the funding from the USDA to enhance competitiveness among Nevada’s specialty crop industry.
Specialty crops are defined as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruites, horticulture and nursery crops including floriculture.”
The Carson City Harvest Hub, which will receive grant funding, is designed to provide food for children and families in need. The food produced will be healthy, organic and locally grown. Additionally, the Hub will be open to the general public to provide Carson City residents with easier access to products that are good for their family, the environment, and their community. Through this project, the Harvest Hub will specifically enhance the competitiveness of Specialty Crops in Nevada through outreach, increasing consumption, access and education.
Grant recipient Gardnerville Main Street Program Corporation will establish a community supported educational garden at the Heritage Park Gardens to teach youth and parents about the health benefits of consuming fresh, locally grown produce.
Lyon County University Extension also will receive funding for hoop demonstration housing. According to the the extension office, vegetable and fruit production in Nevada can be difficult, as pest insects, rodents, fluctuating temperatures and dryness put stress on plants. Hoop houses can alleviate plant stressors and extend growing seasons. UNCE will conduct a study on cold crop production in a hoop house while educating and demonstrating to the public about how to grow crops during the early winter through springtime using a hoop house. In addition schoolchildren will be educated about the nutritional value of these crops grown during the project.
Other Funded projects include:
— Nevada Vines and Wines grape growing and wine making with the University of Nevada, Reno
— Eastern Nevada Food Bank, 4H and FFA hydroponic laboratory program
— NevadaGrown consumer awareness and sales of Nevada specialty crops
— Hops research project with Urban Roots, UNR College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and High Desert Farming Initiative.
- Carson City
- 4H
- agriculture
- Awards
- Awareness
- carson
- children
- City
- club
- college
- community
- Community,
- cooperative extension
- county
- demonstration
- Douglas
- Educational
- environment
- families
- Family
- Food
- funding
- garden
- gardens
- grant awards
- grant funding
- Health
- Healthy
- Heritage
- horticulture
- Housing
- Industry
- insects
- local
- locally grown food
- lyon county
- Marketing
- money
- natural
- natural resources
- need
- Nevada
- News
- Northern Nevada
- nursery
- Outreach
- parents
- program
- Program:
- Programs
- public
- research
- roots
- sales
- state
- Teach
- University of Nevada
- University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
- university of nevada reno
- UNR
- USDA
- vegetables
- wine
- Winter
- Youth
- Education
- Food Bank
- Gardnerville
- GROW
- reno
