Attend Nevada Field Day to learn about Cooperative Extension and other University programs
By Jenn Fisher, commercial horticulture program coordinator
Do you know what University of Nevada Cooperative Extension does in your community?
I find in my daily work that many people don’t know what Cooperative Extension is, or that there are Cooperative Extension offices in every county in the state. Cooperative Extension puts University research to work in in your home, workplace and community. Its sole purpose is to serve the community through six educational areas: children, youth and families; horticulture; natural resources; community and economic development; health and nutrition; and agriculture. There are over 100 Cooperative Extension programs offered throughout the state, created based on needs assessments of each county. Many programs provide free or low-cost educational workshops for the general public, where participants can learn about specific topics.
To learn more about what University of Nevada Cooperative Extension has to offer you and your family, attend Nevada Field Day, a free event held on Saturday, Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Main Station Farm, 5895 Clean Water Way in Reno, near the intersection of McCarran Boulevard and Mill Street. Nevada Field Day is put on by the University’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources; Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station; and Cooperative Extension every year to promote University research and programs, as well as local companies and non-profits.
Washoe County Cooperative Extension programs will have booths at the event to share what they are doing in your community.
Washoe County Master Gardeners will share information about gardening and landscaping in Nevada. The Master Gardeners are volunteers who spend 30 to 50 hours a year providing researched-based horticulture information to the community. Their office on 4955 Energy Way in Reno is open to the public Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Anyone can visit, call or email to have insects and plants identified, plants diagnosed, and to gather science-based gardening and landscaping information.
A new program for northern Nevada that you can learn about at Nevada Field Day is Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL). QWEL is a training and certification program that educates local green industry professionals about reducing landscape water demands and applying water-efficient and sustainable landscape principles to their jobs. Once certified, professionals will be listed on a QWEL.net website database, where consumers will be able to choose qualified professionals for their landscape design and maintenance needs.
Other Cooperative Extension programs, such as 4-H Youth Development, nutrition education programs, Living With Fire, and literacy education programs, will also be at Nevada Field Day to share University research and educational resources. There will be fun youth activities like petting live animals, interacting with the ember house, and more.
You and your family won’t want to miss this event to learn what the University does in your community and to get connected with Cooperative Extension.
