The Nevada Department of Agriculture recently decided to dissolve its organic certification program, which will officially end next year. Now, producers who were certified though the state will have to find another option or risk losing organic status. That's why a group has banded together to form a new in-state organic organization, but they have their work cut out for them and it's not clear if they'll be ready on time.
 

Rob Holley, who snacks on green leafy produce and root vegetables in Dayton, is one of only about 80 organic producers in Nevada. Of these, roughly half, including Holley, are licensed through the Nevada Department of Agriculture. But in March of next of year, that will change when the NDA ends this program. Low numbers mean low returns. It brought in roughly $50,000 in annual revenue, but it cost about $120,000 to run. To cover this deficit, the department was moving money from other areas. The state's organic certification fees were relatively cheap and this contributed to low revenues. But this was also why the program was so attractive to farmers like Rob Holley. Fees are based on production and the NDA's scale slides between $300 and $3,000.
 

Basin and Range Organics is a brand new non-profit. Its goals include: providing and expanding USDA organic certifications, as well as training and supporting new organic farmers in Nevada and neighboring states.
 

Officials say the next step is to find funding to hire a USDA certified inspector. From there, it's making sure all their ducks are in a row as they stare down next year's deadline. 

For more information: http://knpr.org/knpr/2015-08/nevada-organic-producers-rush-find-new-certifier

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