Mewaldt Organics

Bill and Korena Mewaldt own and operate Mewaldt's organic farm in Fallon, Nevada. They are providing locally grown produce to families in Fallon, to the Great Basin Food Co-Op and to upscale restaurants in Reno, among others. Natalie Sellers and Carol Wilson, from the 4Th St. Bistro in Reno NV, helped us develop our network of contacts in the Reno area. In 1984, Bill Mewaldt purchased 10 acres of land near Fallon (about 60 miles east of Reno) with a dream of farming sustainably. The land includes 7 acres of pasture in the old Carson River bed and 3 acres of the sandy bluff to the East. Armed with a doctorate in biology and a love of gardening, Bill set out to prove to a very conservative group of farmers in Fallon that organic methods work better than the standard chemical/industrial model. He immediately began improving the soil , planting windbreaks, excavating ponds and setting up watering systems. Bill began selling organically grown produce from the farm on periodic trips to the El Rancho Flea Market in Sparks and through Lattin�¢ï¿½?�?s stand in the late 1980�¢ï¿½?�?s. He joined the first modern Sparks farmer�¢ï¿½?�?s market at its inception in 1992. Korena (a master gardener) joined him in 1994 and together they quickly expanded the scope of their operation to include public education as well as production. For many years they taught organic gardening classes through the local community college and established a 4-H group in Fallon for young organic gardeners. They saw the need and lobbied for a state run organic certification process in Nevada and both sat on the original state steering committee that established the program as we know it today. Their efforts have served to motivate other local farmers to grow fresh produce and to do so organically. They are proving that the highest quality food available anywhere can be grown in a sustainable manner, right here in Northern Nevada. Partly through their efforts, much of the fresh food now grown in the Lahontan Valley today is now done by embracing nature rather than fighting it. In summer we typically have over 600 tomato plants along with a wide offering of other organic fruit and vegetables. Over the years we have built watering systems, hoop houses, shade structures and other infrastructure to fine tune our operation. In season, we offer a CSA to about 15 families a week in Fallon and supply fine restaurants in Northern Nevada as well as selling through the Great Basin Basket Co. and the Great Basin Co-op. We are happy to be selling seeds adapted to the high desert on our new webstore. We also teach periodic gardening related classes at the Flower Tree Nursery in Fallon, NV and give farm tours to groups interested in sustainable agriculture. Bill still teaches life science classes as an adjunct faculty at the local college. On the side we are distributers of Sun Ovens. Products �¢ï¿½?�? Vegetables, berries, flowers, herbs, seeds and seedlings (and sun ovens too).