Nevada Climate-Smart Agriculture Educational Program

Project Overview

WRGR23-005
Project Type: Research to Grass Roots
Funds awarded in 2023: $99,860.00
Projected End Date: 03/31/2025
Host Institution Award ID: G301-23-W9988
Grant Recipient: University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Region: Western
State: Nevada
Principal Investigator:
Staci Emm
Email
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Co-Investigators:
Carol Bishop
Email
University of Nevada, Reno Extension
Lindsay Chichester
Email
University of Nevada, Reno Extension
Gary McCuin
Email
University of Nevada, Reno Extension

Commodities

Not commodity specific

Practices

  • Animal Production: grazing management
  • Crop Production: crop improvement and selection, cropping systems, irrigation, no-till, row covers (for season extension)
  • Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, mentoring, technical assistance, workshop
  • Farm Business Management: financial management, whole farm planning
  • Natural Resources/Environment: soil stabilization
  • Pest Management: cultural control, genetic resistance, mulching - vegetative
  • Production Systems: holistic management, integrated crop and livestock systems
  • Soil Management: composting, earthworms, organic matter, soil analysis, soil microbiology, soil physics, soil quality/health

    Proposal abstract:

    The Nevada Climate-Smart Agriculture Educational Program will work with local farmers and ranchers to create 4- educational workshops a year under the terminology of Climate-Smart Agriculture, which will include but not be limited to soil health, water conservation, cover cropping, rotation grazing or rangeland grazing, and cropping practices.  WSARE has significant previously completed WSARE projects in this area.  Specific WSARE past programs are Cover Crops in Organic Systems to access EQIP projects; Feasibility of Cover Cropping systems in Dryland Cropping Systems; Identifying Stacked Conservation Practices that optimize water use; and Climate Mitigation through Carbon Sequestration and increasing soil resilience and plant productivity on rangeland.  While there are several other WSARE projects that the team can pull from, the planning committee will decipher what a specific workshop needs based on producer identified needs and wants.  A workshop was held in Fallon Nevada in September of 2022 and over 70 producers came out for the even to discuss Regenerative Agriculture/Climate Smart Ag that lead to the creation of this proposal.  Evaluation data showed that the producer audience would like to continue education in climate-smart ag practices.  The overall project will be led by UNR Extension Educators Staci Emm (West Central); Carol Bishop (South); Lindsay Chichester (Western), and Gary McCuin (North Central).  A program organizer is in the budget to organize a planning team of producers involved in Climate Smart Ag, USDA professionals, and NGOs that will set the agendas for workshops working with producers in different parts of the state.  It is anticipated that this will be a two-year project with 4 workshops a year in different parts of the state.

    Project objectives from proposal:

    The long-term goal of this project is to provide Nevada producers with the education to implement climate-smart agriculture practices while maintaining overall farm and ranch profitability.

    1. Increase knowledge about Climate-Smart Agriculture and what it could look like in Nevada.
    2. Create a planning group to work with local producers in different areas of Nevada to design workshop agendas and logistical implementation.
    3. Producers take action to implement Climate-Smart agricultural practices.
    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.