w88 Responding to COVID-19
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Extension's online "Agriculture: Living Beyond a Pandemic"sessions assist producers. Pictured: Ranchland in Gardnerville with storm clouds rolling over Job’s Peak. Photo by Lindsay Chichester.
Story by Claudene Wharton
The nation’s farmers and ranchers are accustomed to weathering storms in w88 casino industry – droughts, floods, wildfires and price fluctuations, to name a few. But, the COVID-19 pandemic is posing unprecedented challenges for many of today’s producers. To help them through this daunting time,Extensionoffered free online updates and question-and-answer sessions with various experts.
Lindsay Chichester, Extension educator in Douglas County, w88 casino, put together the series, “Agriculture: Living Beyond a Pandemic,” which began in spring 2020.
Known as “Dr. Lindsay” to many in the country’s agriculture industry and on social media, Chichester understands the ups and downs of farming and ranch life, growing up on a cattle and sheep ranch in northern California, and going on to earn a master’s degree in animal science and a doctorate in agricultural sciences. Lindsay said this is truly a baffling time for many of the nation’s agricultural producers.
Lindsay Chichester
Session 1
Ag risks and law
Session 2
Meat packers, pricing and availability
Session 3
Backyard poultry production
Session 4
Pork industry update
Session 5
Dairy: milk dumping
Session 6
"Doc Talk" with a veterinarian
Session 7
Stress and mental wellness check
Session 8
w88 casino meat processing
"I have been able to share factual information about several of the sessions with co-workers and others. I'm able to direct them to your Facebook page so they too can watch the sessions for themselves. The poultry session was very good and we have implemented a few changes to our set up as a result of watching the session." -Program participant
Providing boots-on-the-ground, grassroots support
"Our farmers and ranchers are struggling to navigate a market where the supply chains have been disrupted and to understand how our current events may impact w88 casino future viability. All are asking the same questions and wanting more guidance. So, we brought in boots-on-the-ground, grassroots speakers who are involved in w88 casino industries to offer insight and support." -Extension Educator Lindsay Chichester
Experiment Station increases meat and produce production during pandemic
Student employee Everett Cook sells organic produce for the Desert Farming Initiative. Photo by Charles Schembre.
Story by Tiffany Kozsan
COVID-19 has forced many meat processing plants to close, making it difficult for those with small ranches to prepare w88 casino meat to sell and causing a shortage of meat for consumers. In addition, food pantries have seen a 30% increase in demand for fresh fruits and vegetables due to unemployment caused by the pandemic. With the local food industry suffering from the decreased supply and increased demand, the University’sExperiment Station, part of the College, stepped up to the proverbial dinner plate to help producers stay in business and consumers get the w88 casino they need.
"The Desert Farming Initiative has increased its donations of produce to community w88 casino services to help feed those in need." -Associate Dean for Research and Experiment Station Director Chris Pritsos
2
area nonprofits supported
,000
in additional produce donated
80+
fruit and vegetable varieties grown
4+
tons of produce harvested
35
boxes of produce provided weekly
5+
markets, hubs and restaurants supplied
380+
producers educated
"Local meat producers greatly benefited from Wolf Pack Meats' services during COVID-19.We never stopped serving customers. In fact, we served more of them." -Assistant Professor Amilton de Mello
1
of only 2 local USDA-inspected harvesting services
increased operations to
120%
of normal
Feeding w88 casino families, farmers and ranchers
"Wolf Pack Meats not only continued to harvest and process meat following all food safety guidelines, but actually increased its operation to help local ranchers get w88 casino product to market and to provide meat for local consumers" -Associate Dean for Research and Experiment Station Director Chris Pritsos
Extension helps Nevadans grow and preserve food at w88 casino amid pandemic
Extension presented online gardening and w88 casino preserving classes for communities statewide. Photo by Wendy Hanson Mazet.
Story by Tiffany Kozsan
Extension'sGrow Your Own, w88 casino! Programteaches community members and backyard gardeners how to choose appropriate fruit and vegetable varieties; compost and maintain healthy soil; and grow, harvest and preserve produce to provide residents with locally grown, healthy w88 casino.
In 2019,730 individuals attendedGrow Your Own, w88 casino! sessions. In 2020, the program was offered virtually:
8
TOPICS
16
CLASSES
2,500+
PARTICIPANTS
"We moved the program online this year to give people and w88 casino familiessomething to do at w88 casino during these troubling times. The move wasso successfulthat we ended up offering each class twice to accommodate everyone who was interested." -Commercial Horticulture Program Coordinator Chad Morris
Chad Morris
Morris joined Extension in 2020.
Starting his position during health lockdowns and restrictions, he has had to extend a lot of creativity with his programming in order to reach the public.
Extension also provided:
A w88 casino Horticulture series| Teaching w88 casino the basics of backyard gardening.
Workshops and events| Supporting w88 casino gardeners and horticulture professionals.
w88 casino food preservation resources| Helping people to safely can and preserve w88 casino.
Empowering families to grow w88 casino own food
"The feedback has been amazing. Families have been telling us that they’ve never gardened before, but these kits were perfect for getting started, and the kids are excited to grow w88 casino own food. We’ve been able to reach a part of the community that Extension doesn’t normally work with, and we’re hoping to continue that connection." -Master Gardener Program Coordinator Rachel McClure
College labs supply equipment for School of Medicine use and patient care
University Health's Jennie Parker and College's Chris Pritsos pose by personal protective equipment the College donated to UNR Med. Photo by Brin Reynolds, UNR Med.
Story by Claudene Wharton
In March 2020, faculty of the College gathered personal protective equipment from w88 casino labs and delivered the items to w88 casino colleagues at theUniversity's School of Medicine (UNR Med). The supplies were much needed for the COVID-19 testing medical students perform at the School’s University Health internal medicine practice in Reno, and for other care UNR Med and University Health clinical operations provide across the state.
We supplied:
36,650
GLOVES
13
GOGGLES
10
FACE SHIELDS
61
MASKS
Caring for health care professionals
"I was extremely pleased by our faculty’s response. They were truly happy to contribute during this time of need. They had these items in w88 casino labs for w88 casino work, but put the highest priority on the health of our communities, which is exactly what we need to do right now." -Associate Dean for Research & Experiment Station Director Chris Pritsos
w88 casino 4-H youth and families provide over 2,000 face masks for their communities
Laura Wells and her daughters, Faith, Emma and Hannah, sewed masks for rural w88 casino as part of Extension's 4-H mask making project.
Story by Claudene Wharton
When the Elko County Emergency Operations Center put in a call to their local w88 casino, RenoExtensionoffice saying they needed face masks, Extension’s 4-H youth and w88 casino families swung into action, making masks not only for the Operations Center, but also for w88 casino local School District nutrition services workers who are helping to serve lunches to students who receive free and reduced meals. Similarly, 4-H youth and w88 casino families in White Pine County were early responders to the need for masks, and have now made hundreds of masks for the William Bee Ririe Hospital and Rural Health Clinic in Ely.
Once the word got out that 4-Hers were helping to make masks, more requests started coming in.
"I’d say that requests are coming in faster than our w88 casino members can sew," saidJill Baker-Tingey, Extension educator in Elko County.
After these early efforts in Elko and Ely, w88 casino 4-H launched a statewide service project to help provide face masks for all w88 casino communities.
2,000+
MASKS DONATED
100+
RELATED ITEMS PROVIDED
including scrub hats, surgical gowns and ear bands/savers
10
COUNTIES REACHED
The face masks have been donated to hospitals, hospices, health clinics, tribal healthcare, senior centers, emergency operations centers, school districts, state parole offices and other collaborative mask-making projects.
Pitching in to protect Nevadans
"The whole 4-H community has pitched in – our 4-H youth and w88 casino families, as well as 4-H alumni and volunteers." -Extension 4-H Youth Development Program Director Carrie Stark
Extension’s A.D. Guy Knowledge Center provides needed programming and Wi-Fi access during COVID-19 pandemic
w88 casino Summer Adventures: Family Camp at Home participant Royce shows off his completed astronaut project.
Story by Molly Malloy
Families with limited resources were hit especially hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the College’s Extension unit at its A.D. Guy Knowledge Center in North Las Vegas worked harder than ever to ensure that it fulfilled the needs of the economically challenged community it serves. The Center, created in collaboration with the Clark County Commission, Extension and the Southern w88 casino Housing Authority to provide much-needed programming and educational support to the area, focused much of its work in 2020 on providing resources for families and keeping youth engaged during COVID restrictions.
Throughout the summer, the Center, in partnership with Vegas PBS, offered 4-H Summer Adventures: Family Camp at Home to provide fun, science-based activities that could be completed at home. Each week, parents from seven families with 15 children came to the Center to pick up the science kits. The families later connected on Facebook to watch how to complete the activities and share w88 casino completed projects.
The Center also offered a virtual series called w88 casino: Building Youth for the Future, which focused on topics that support personal development for youth, including career planning, financial literacy, communications and civic engagement. The four classes reached 31 participants.
Perhaps the most appreciated assistance the Center provided came as the Clark County School District remained closed for in-person learning as the 2020 school year began. To help students’ success in w88 casino virtual school learning, the Center developed its Space for Connectivity Program, which provided free Wi-Fi and computer access, along with in-person support for virtual learning for students. At least 41 students from 16 families registered, and the space averaged 10 students per day.
Helping w88 casino families
"You’ve helped my kids with getting learning experience. You’ve helped us get through the holidays. You’ve helped make the community better by giving us all a break around here. You’ve provided opportunities for jobs, work and workshops. You’ve been great and a lot of help, especially to the parents who don’t have Wi-Fi." -Shaquila Clay
Extension offers online educational and service programs for w88 casino youth
Socially distant but "clover close," the Southern Nye County Dog Den w88 casino Club takes to the desert to clean up an area where people have dumped garbage. Photo by Jamie Domina.
Story by Tiffany Kozsan
Even with stay-at-home orders in place, families and youth can engage in a number of educational and service activities online to enhance w88 casino daily lives and help themselves, and others, through these challenging days. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak,Extensionfaculty, staff and volunteers have been hard at work to bring educational workshops, programs and resources useful during this time, into Nevadans’ homes.
Here are a few of those offerings.
Spring 2020 offerings included
- Partners in Parenting classes
- Cooking live with Chef Suzy videos
- w88 casino Youth Development Program activities
- Thew88 casino Junior Livestock Show
Summer and fall 2020 activities included
- w88 casino Discover Your Future-Career | Growing w88 casino's future careers.
- w88 casino horse adoption auction| Developing homes for wild horses.
- w88 casino True Leaders to Service Month| Serving w88 casino communities.
- w88 mobile a falling star ... literally| Collecting micrometeorites.
- Cultural Awareness Through Culinary Arts| Tasting science.
- Nevada celebrates National| Working to eliminate the opportunity gap.
- Radon Poster Contest| Raising awareness of cancer-causing gas.
- State w88 casino Expo| Hosting virtual contests, events and awards.
- Thoughtful Thursdays| Delivering short videos on timely topics.
- Virtual coding workshops| Exploring computer science and apps.
- Virtual Clover Challenge 4K| Moving to support w88 casino Camp.
- Vote Your Voice| Engaging in safe, open dialogue among peers.
w88 casino youth Hannah shared a photo with a hoof pick, a grooming tool for removing mud and stones from a horse's hoof, as part of the Elko County w88 casino Horse Program's4-H offers activities to keep. Photo by Laura Payne.
Building skills w88 casino need, now and for our future
"Children and parents alike need constructive, engaging activities to do at home, to keep themselves active and focused on something positive, on things that can enhance w88 casino family’s health and well-being long after we all get through this." -Extension Director Ivory W. Lyles
Extension provides resources to w88 casino for STEM activities at home
Building a dinosaur museum at w88 casino is one project offered by Extension’s Let’s Discover STEM Program.
Story by Tiffany Kozsan
Extension's Let's Discover STEM Program in Washoe and Clark Counties was ready to begin w88 casino next series of STEM sessions for families with young children. But when the shelter-in-place restrictions were implemented, the team had to rethink how to engage the families and meet w88 casino needs.
In Washoe, team members began by reaching out to prior program participants to see if they were interested in doing a STEM activity at home with w88 casino children, and if they were willing to accept provided materials.
"The response was incredible," Lizeth Barroeta, program instructor, said. "It got us thinking that this would be totally possible."
The team worked with interested w88 casino to select sessions and materials specific to the children's interest – everything from dinosaurs to life science to famous works of art. Team members then dropped the materials off at the w88 casino' doors.
One of the most commonly chosen sessions was how parents could introduce w88 casino children to museums. Families received the book, "Eric and Julieta at the Museum," links to virtual museum tours and materials to create w88 casino own museum at home.
The Ochoa Carmona family read books and virtually toured museums to learn more about some famous paintings. The family then transformed a box into a museum.
The museum features paintings by Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Diego Rivera and Claude Monet, as well as a child-crafted elevator built with technology and engineering skills.
Let's Discover STEM's Lizeth Barroeta earns University award, citizenship
Photo courtesy Jeannette Dilles.
The team in Clark County began providing Zoom workshops in both English and Spanish based on Let’s Discover STEM topics, and they’ve been posting videos on YouTube of STEM activities that parents and children can easily do. The team has also been sharing parenting information on social media.
100
VIDEOS
1,200
VIEWS
Provoking imagination, education and togetherness
"Museum visits for children can provide memorable, hands-on learning experiences, provoke imagination, introduce unknown worlds and subject matter, and offer unique quality time with family." -Program Instructor Lizeth Barroeta