NRCS NEWS RELEASE
Next month, two long-time Fallon families will be inducted into the Nevada Centennial Ranch and Farm Awards Program. Virgil and Robert Getto still live on the land that was purchased by their fathers, Andrew and John Getto, in 1911.
“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.
John and Andrew Getto immigrated to America from Italy and purchased about 150 acres with their friend and partner, Ed Frazzini. The Getto brothers bought out Frazzini and agreed to let the Carson River divide the acreage into a north and south portion. John took the south side; Andrew, the north. Over the decades, they each added more parcels to their farms.
In the early days, the Gettos cleared the land with teams of horses and grew potatoes, alfalfa, wheat, corn and oats, and raised livestock. Later, each brother started a dairy. Now operated by their sons Mike and John, the farms raise alfalfa hay, teff grain and pasture.
The Nevada Centennial Awards ceremony will be held on Oct. 15 at the Churchill County Museum in Fallon.
“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-three 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, Nevada Cattlemen’s Assoc., and Nevada Dept. of Agriculture.
For more information about the Centennial Awards Program, visit the Nevada NRCS Web site at http://www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov/centennial_awards.html or contact Liz Warner, (775) 857-8500 x 105 or [email protected].
