PRODUCE PIONEER
The Mewaldts set the standard
for growing organically in Nevada.
WRITTEN BY JANA VANDERHAAR, PHOTO BY JAMIE J. CLARK
Northern Nevada has a wonderful community of farmers who supply our local food market with fresh produce. You may have tried melons from Fallon, onions from Smith Valley, or herbs from Stagecoach. By demanding fresh produce, our community is encouraging an ever-expanding market for our local farmers. This is the first of a regular edible Reno-Tahoe column on local growers.
Bill Mewaldt, along with his wife, Korena, owns Mewaldt’s Organic Produce in Fallon (about 60 miles east of Reno). In the summer, their farm typically has more than 600 heirloom tomato plants growing in their fields, along with a wide offering of other organic fruits and vegetables. The Mewaldts grow certified organic produce for 15 families in Fallon through their weekly community-supported agriculture (CSA) program (where people pay a fee to receive a weekly food basket). Throughout the growing season, they also supply fine local restaurants, the Great Basin Community Food Co-op, and, occasionally, the Great Basin Basket CSA.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
It all started when, in the early 1980s, Bill set off to find a piece of land to follow his dream: To create a self-sustaining food production system “My ultimate goal was to grow food without the need for outside input,” Bill says.
He found the perfect spot in 1984 when he bought a 10-acre parcel off McLean Road.What made this spot so desirable were the layout of the land, the soil conditions, and the availability of water. The upper 3-acre terrace had loamy sand, and housed horses and cows in paddocks. This meant great soil and good drainage. The old Carson River flowed through the lower 7 acres, which had a pond and had been used as pasture land.
Armed with a doctorate in biology and a lifelong love of gardening, Bill started building his farm with sustainability in mind. First he set up an irrigation system to water his fields. He installed a solar-powered pump in his pond to supply the drip lines. These watered the windbreaks he planted on the western and northern edges of his fields on the upper terrace. He also developed a partnership with his neighboring cattle farmer to dump cow manure on his fields every fall to build the soil. The southern portion of the upper terrace had an existing canopy of mature trees that offered protection from sun and wind. This was a natural spot for Bill to build his passive-solar-heated house, which gets full solar exposure in the winter and is shaded by deciduous trees in summer. The lower 7 acres of his land, housing the pond, remained pastureland.
After five years of soil building, Bill was ready to begin selling his organically grown produce from the farm. This was in the late 1980s, when farmers’ markets did not exist in Northern Nevada. So he took periodic trips to the El Rancho Flea Market in Sparks to sell his goods. He also sold his vegetables at Lattin Farms’ stand across the street. It would take another five years before the windbreak on the northern portion of Bill’s land was large enough, and the organic matter built up sufficiently, for production. That was in 1992, the year of our region’s first farmers’ market, held in Sparks.
EDIBLE EDUCATION
Korena joined Bill in 1994 and together they quickly expanded the scope of their operation to include education. Bill had developed his passion for growing without the use of chemicals from his grandparents, who showed him their organic gardening methods. Korena was a master gardener and loved to teach. They made a perfect pair, working hard on the farm to build a sustainable system. They pursued projects such as perfecting their watering system, building hoop houses, incorporating chickens and turkeys into their farming operation, and creating their extraordinary heirloom tomato, herb, and flower selection that is adapted to the high-desert climate.
Over the next decade, Bill and Korena team-taught organic gardening classes throughWestern Nevada College and established a 4-H group for young organic gardeners in Fallon.
“We wanted to share our experiences and show what works,” Bill says. By providing their produce at competitive prices to good-quality local restaurants –– such as 4th St. Bistro in Reno –– awareness of organic produce spread to those who love to eat good food.
“Our goal was to always provide competitive prices to really good restaurants,” Bill says.
Through these experiences, the Mewaldts saw the need and helped lobby for a state-run organic-certification process. Both served on the original steering committee that established the Organic Certification Program at the Nevada Department of Agriculture.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Living in an agricultural area where most farmers use conventional techniques, Bill and Korena were demonstrating that organic farming is affordable, because no money is spent on chemical fertilizers and weed killers. At farmers’ markets, neighbor farmer Rick Lattin was astonished to see customers consistently select Bill’s heirloom tomatoes for their taste. Lattin would visit Bill’s farm weekly to see how organic farming worked. Since then Lattin Farms has converted the majority of its farm operations to organic, and has shown a consistent yearly increase in yield using these methods.
Today, the Mewaldts are living their dream of having a self-sufficient food production system at their farm. They are proving that the highest quality food available anywhere can be grown in a sustainable manner, right here in Northern Nevada.
Next time you visit a farmers’ market, choose a restaurant for dinner, or shop at your local food store, think about the choices you have.Why not give thanks to the work of our local farmers, such as the Mewaldts? They are leading the way for future generations.
For more information on the Mewaldts, visit Mewaldtorganics.com. You can buy the Mewaldts’ produce at Great Basin Community Food Co-op at 542½ Plumas St., Reno. For details, visit Greatbasinfood.coop or call 775-324-6133.
Jana Vanderhaar is a landscape architect in training, working for local design-build firm Interpretive Gardens. She teaches organic gardening classes and canning workshops at the River School, and is involved in various local food groups in town. Together with her husband, Tom, and son, Tristen, she is creating a full-spectrum farm on a third of an acre lot in Reno.
