Above the sounds of whirring drills and nails being hammered into wood planks, squeals of excitement and oohs and ahhs emanated from Yerington Elementary School students as they filed past the hoop house being built on their way to the lunchroom.
March is National Nutrition Month, so it only seems fitting that three rural elementary schools in Nevada had hoop houses installed in late February and early March as part of a partnership among USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and Urban Roots Americorps.
The hoop houses will enhance the Extension’s Veggies for Kids program, an elementary school-based pilot nutrition education program targeting second-graders at schools eligible for Food Stamp Nutrition Education program funding (those having more than 50 percent of the student body eligible for free or reduced-priced meals) and having a significant population of American Indian and Hispanic students.
“Children and senior citizens are below the national average in consuming the daily recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables,” said Staci Emm, Extension educator. “Diets high in fruits and vegetables that are naturally high in nutrients reduce the risk for obesity and related chronic diseases. Efforts to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in the U.S. population have generally been unsuccessful, and one identified reason for this may be limited access to, and affordability of, fruits and vegetables.”
The Veggies for Kids program teaches youth, ages 6-12 years old, how to grow vegetables using the Hoop House Demonstration Gardens sponsored by NRCS. There is up to 12 weeks of in-school instruction and a summer institute.
“NRCS’ ability to support the construction of three hoop houses in our Veggies for Kids program has provided the opportunity to give elementary students the ability to learn how things grow and where their food comes from. We would not have been able to provide these additional growing experiences in hoop houses to the youth at Schurz, Yerington and Smith Valley elementary schools without their support,” said Emm.
Hoop houses, or high tunnels, conserve resources while serving as a source for local food. They are plastic-covered structures that enable farmers to have crops ready earlier or later in the season. In hoop houses, plants are grown directly in the ground, and the temperature is regulated by opening or closing the plastic curtain sides and doors on the ends.
“We’re looking forward to growing radishes and lettuce in the hoop houses right now, so there’s something to harvest before they leave for the summer. And then we’ll plant more vegetables before they leave, so when they return from summer break, they have something to come back to see,” said Judy Halterman with the Veggies for Kids program.
Yerington Elementary School asked to add a work station inside their hoop house for disabled or specially challenged students. The work crew carefully planned the height and location of the work station to accommodate a wheel chair and installed special ramps for wheel chair accessibility, allowing all students to be able to enjoy the hoop house.
The students are eager to get planting and are prepared to consume the outcome, especially after tasting new fruits and vegetables and realizing they like them.
“You know how we have snacks? I think that’s where we’ll get them from,” said Jacklyn Alarcon, a first-grader at Yerington Elementary School.
To get started with NRCS, visit your local USDA Service Center or www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.
