Two long-time Nevada families will be inducted into the Centennial Ranch and Farm Awards Program in Oct., bringing the number of Centennial families in Nevada to 45. The Nevada Centennial Awards Program recognizes farms and ranches that have remained in the same family for 100 years or more.
This year’s recipients are the Lytle Ranches in Lincoln County, established in 1865; and the Day-Annett-Costa Ranch in Lyon County, established in 1905.
The Lytle family arrived in 1865 when Brigham Young sent members of the family to settle in Eagle Valley. Charles Lytle eventually bought out his brothers and other settlers and continued to expand his cattle operation. The ranch contains private meadows, alfalfa fields, irrigated crop lands, and grazes on Bureau of Land Management allotments. The ranch is currently owned by Kenny and Donna Lytle, and Patrick and Kena Lytle Gloeckner.
George Byron “By” Day headed to the Virginia City area in 1859 intending to become a miner but ended up raising cattle and sheep on his ranch in the Bridgeport, Calif. area. In 1905, Day and his son, Charles, purchased 200 acres in Smith Valley to expand their grazing operation. Onions, potatoes, garlic and alfalfa have also been raised on the ranch. The ranch is currently operated by James Costa and is leased to the Bryan family of Smith Valley. A fascinating account of By Day’s life was published by the Mono County Museum in 2005 and is available online at http://www.monocomuseum.org/
“It is always a privilege and an honor to recognize these families who represent the rich legacy of Nevada’s agriculture,” said Bruce Petersen, Nevada State Conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Nevada Centennial Awards ceremony will be held on Sept. 21 at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City. The ceremony is open to the public. Dinner tickets are available for $30 per person. Please contact Liz Warner, Centennial Program coordinator, if you’d like to attend the ceremony.
“The Centennial Awards Program acknowledges the deep roots Nevada’s ranchers and farmers have with the land,” said Dennis Hellwinkel, project manager for the Agricultural Council of Nevada. “It is a celebration of Nevada’s agriculture and farm families who feed the world and care for the land.”
Centennial status is given to farms and ranches that have been in the same family for 100 years or more. Forty-five families have received Nevada Centennial status since the program started in 2004. The Centennial Awards Program is sponsored by the Agricultural Council of Nevada, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nevada Farm Bureau, Nevada Ag Foundation, Nevada Heritage Foundation and Nevada Dept. of Agriculture.
For more information about the ceremony or the Centennial Awards Program, visit the Nevada NRCS Web site at http://www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov/
