The Floyd Elementary Gardening Club capped off its after-school season with an exciting field trip to Green Life Produce on Wednesday, May 14. The visit brought approximately 20 students, along with their parents and club advisors Ms. Luna and Ms. Sandy, to the local farm for a behind-the-scenes look at sustainable agriculture in action.
The group arrived at the farm around 4 p.m. and was warmly welcomed by owners Steve and Kouanin Cantwell and Brad Thurmond, who led the tour. Green Life Produce operates a unique closed-loop farming system, where everything from seed planting to harvesting and sales happens on-site. As students walked through the facility, they learned how the farm uses organic soil rich in natural microbes and plant-based nutrients to grow produce the way nature intended—without synthetic chemicals.
Brad and Steve shared how each section of the farm serves a different purpose. A small greenhouse, called the “prop house,” acts as a nursery where seeds are started early in the season. These young plants are then transferred to outdoor fields or temperature-controlled tunnels depending on their needs. The tunnels are reserved for leafy greens and quick-growing crops, while the greenhouses are home to longer-growing vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. The controlled environment is especially crucial in the desert, where high temperatures and dry air present major challenges for growers.
For Ms. Luna and Ms. Sandy, the field trip was both a celebration and an educational experience for the students, who have spent the school year nurturing their own garden on campus. “They’ve put so much dedication and work into it,” Ms. Luna said, noting that the club’s garden is visible from the street and open for community viewing.
Exciting things are also in store for the future. Ms. Luna shared that the club plans to launch a student-run marketplace at the start of the next school year to sell produce grown in their school garden. While the students get a well-deserved summer break, Ms. Luna, the school’s maintenance crew, and some of the young gardeners themselves will continue tending the garden through the hotter months to keep it thriving.
The visit to Green Life Produce offered the students a real-world connection to the lessons they’ve learned throughout the year, showing them the possibilities of sustainable farming—even in the challenging climate of Pahrump.
