February 21, 2008
2007 Cooperative Extension Accomplishment Report

By Dave Maxwell, Staff Writer

Holly Gatzke, County Extension Agent, reported on the 2007 UNR Cooperative Extension Accomplishment Report at the February 4 regular meeting of the County Commissioners.

The report focuses on three main areas Mrs. Gatzke said. They are economic development, community development, and community outreach youth programs. In 2007, and looking ahead for the coming year, economic development goals are diversification with agriculture and the creation of opportunities for new specialty products which have a higher return for producers and increase income and create more jobs. Cooperative Extension has been talking with chefs and specialty stores in Las Vegas and has discovered an increased demand for fresh produce. “There is a movement among very, very high end, elite restaurants to have locally grown fresh picked produce,” Holly said. Some local farmers have already stepped up to the dinner plate, “and the chefs were thrilled that there is fresh produce available in Lincoln County.” Plans are to develop that further.

Cooperative Extension was awarded a grant of $431,500, spanning three years, commencing in 2007, for the development of small desert farms.

Holly said, “We started activities to launch the on-farm trials that will study the production potential of feasible specialty crops.” Plans call for small demonstration farms for hot (Alamo) and cold (Panaca) desert areas to be started this spring, using fruits and vegetables and landscaping trees, to show what the cost of production is and what methods to use. “We’ll be looking for a high-quality product,” she said.

Consumer acceptance for the quality of the products will be tested by chefs, niche stores, product wholesalers, and local consumers. Estimated costs of production for niche crops will be calculated for the direct market options. Education will be provided by Cooperative Extension in the following areas information, field tours, seminars and publications.

Mrs. Gatzke believes this could be profitable for any person interested, “even in their backyard, to grow one type of product and put it in the mix to sell to Vegas.”

The idea is not new, up until about 1910, residents in the Pahranagat Valley raised and sold produce to the miners and stores at Delamar.

The UNR report also noted: “The Community Development program has been established to teach the county how to face and plan for change to be positive. With the unprecedented growth expected in the county over the next 5-10 years, residents have been greatly concerned that the city-type growth will cause negative impacts to their quiet rural lifestyle. Lincoln County has not changed very much in population since 1972. The lack of change has deteriorated the economy and caused stores to close, and people to move away. These issues have resulted in a population who does not act for improvement because of the fear of change, but recognizes the need for economic development.”

A community group, named Lincoln County Action Team (LCAT), was established consisting of residents from across the county who are passionate about improving their communities. The idea is to guide participants to take the lead and ownership of the groups’ activities; thereby evoking changes in attitude, producing leaders, and creating a countywide identity and working to keep the valued attributes of the lifestyle.

LCAT members developed a series of demonstration tours in each community of the county to see just how each area could be showcased to increase tourism. Specifically intended to be small group tours, the five demonstration tours offered in October and early November were quite well received and with some adjustments and improvements, show promise for the coming year again.

“On our demonstration tours last fall, we brought in one or two people from Las Vegas for the tours, as well as local people so they could experience it and those ran very successfully,” Holly said. “We learned that what we have to offer here is very, very well received.” She said funding is available from a grant through the Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce to book the tours online.

Holly said that in March 2009, the International Gardeners Convention will be held in Las Vegas, and LCAT has already secured plans to offer pre-and-post conference one-day tours in Lincoln County for convention visitors.

The LCAT group is working to develop an image of what there is to love about Lincoln County. “Hopefully, people who relocate here, will buy into that image as well and we’ll have a better chance of keeping the high values of family and community intact,” she said. “We don’t have to give up our quiet lifestyle to have economic development. We can have both at the same time and work together with each other throughout the county to support one another.”

Community outreach is the youth program and 4-H which provides education and fun through a wide variety of programs. The focus is on life skills development, from livestock, hiking, sewing, cooking, horsemanship, gardening, embroidery, quilting, knitting, woodworking and arts and crafts. Of youths age 5-19 in Lincoln County, Holly said, 30 percent of them are enrolled in 4-H. A few countywide summer activities for youth are also being planned this year but did not give specific details.