As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families, I am reminded how thankful I am for organizations like the Clark County Food Bank that provide healthy food to families in need. Some of that healthy produce would not be possible without the 78th Street Heritage Farm’s agriculture fields that are used to grow food for the food bank.
Clark County councilors are considering selling our historic Heritage Farm or converting it to more “profitable” uses. Not only is this short-sighted, it could permanently and significantly adversely impact our community.
Heritage Farm is an important historic resource for Clark County and surrounding communities. Thousands of volunteer hours are spent teaching residents about gardening, food preservation, pollinators and helping them answer questions about their homes and gardens. Ongoing research benefits small local farms which benefit everyone in our community. School children and at-risk youth learn about how their food is grown at the farm. Funds raised by nonprofit organizations using the farm spread to the entire county through grants to schools, churches, veterans’ groups and other historic and natural gardens.
We need to tell Clark County councilors that Heritage Farm is an invaluable resource that deserves their support as the agricultural, learning farm it is and which preserves the significant agricultural history it represents.
