Profiles of WYCEC Readers  

Chasidy Chiantaretto 

Chasidy Chiantaretto is the Western Yavapai Conservation Education Center (WYCEC) reader for the Yavapai County rural schools of Bagdad, Hillside, Kirkland, Yarnell/Peeples Valley and Skull Valley. 
 Chasidy grew up working on the family ranch in Bagdad. She enjoyed working cows, riding horses, roping, hunting, hiking, and cooking. Chasidy and her husband Lew-is live and work on the Yolo Ranch at the Barney Well Camp with their three boys Lance, Cole, and Casen. Even with the de-mands of ranch and family life Chasidy finds time for agricultural education in the rural schools. Keeping a close connection with teachers, students and the community has been a key to her continued success for WYCEC.  When asked how she accomplished the demands on her time, Chasidy responded, “Having the blessing of such a wonderful lifestyle has provid-ed me with firsthand knowledge of the im-portance of agriculture,”  
This spring as schools were closing due to COVID-19, WYCEC had scheduled one last presentation for the local students throughout   Yavapai County.  After teachers had to regretfully cancel in        person classes, Chasidy quickly adapted to the de-mands of online learning by developing videos for the students. She invited students, teachers, and families to take an intimate glance into her lifestyle, even going so far as to guide them through her personal garden and cattle operation. Partnered with her faithful sidekick Casen, she has shown how valuable the relationship between rural schools and agricultural education is. Chasi-dy commented, “I am eager to further educate the children of these rural communities on the signifi-cance of agriculture.” 
 WYCEC and the rural schools of Yavapai County are extremely  
fortunate to have Chasidy Chiantaretto as a guide through food and fiber production in  
Arizona.