Governor Steve Sisolak, the Nevada Department of Agriculture and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Foundation announce the selection of 10 Nevada women for the Farm2Food Accelerator program, which began on Nov. 3, 2021.
This workforce development program is designed to help women farmers and entrepreneurs with food or beverage products, or product ideas, expand into new markets.
Within the selection, local businesses Jazi’s Greenz of Carson City, and Dayton’s Rural Health and Nutrition Initiative were selected to participate in this project.
Carson City’s Teri and Megan Harasha of Jazi’s Greenz were selected for the program. Jazi’s Greenz is a premium speciality crop farm located in Carson City, growing products from edible succulents and flowers to “Sea Beanz, Sea Stix, Sproutz,” and more. You can see all of their products by clicking here.
Cortney Bloomer of Dayton’s Rural Health and Nutrition Initiative was also selected for the program. The Initiative came to life in Feb. 2021 after the Healthy Communities Coalition agreed to lease the former Dayton Valley Aquaponics greenhouse, and completely renovated the 30,000 square foot facility to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for local food pantries, farmers markets, local restaurants and more. You can find out more about the Initiative, as well as how to volunteer with the program, by clicking here.
Stacy Fisk of Fallon’s Fisk Farm Herbs was also selected to participate in the program. Fisk Farm Herbs is a one-acre mini farm located on the Carson River in Fallon, producing over 50 varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs along with a 6-hive apiary, a cottage apothecary and plans that include a future orchard.
You can learn more about them by visiting https://www.fiskfarmherbs.com/
This is a new and exciting program for Nevada agriculture and a way to provide women entrepreneurs with the tools and training they need to take their businesses to the next level, according to the press release.
“The women selected come from all over the state, producing a variety of specialty crops used to make products such as jams, dried culinary herbs, mushroom jerky, hot sauce and wine,” said NDA Director Jennifer Ott. “This program will support these women running small businesses to grow their operations, develop new business strategies and increase their chance of success.”
Selected participants will join women from Oregon and Washington for a 15-week online program at no cost, thanks to funds made available through the Nevada Specialty Crop Block Grant program. The program will provide women with the opportunity to:
— Gain knowledge and tools related to food safety, product development, marketing and more
— Connect with a community of women farmers, food entrepreneurs and food experts to exchange ideas and meet peers in other states
— Launch a new value-added food or beverage product or enhance an existing product.
“Workforce development opportunities are important for every industry and sector, but especially for those that are underrepresented, like women in farming,” said Governor Steve Sisolak. “We are excited see the impact of this program on our food and beverage industries and hope to bring a larger program like this to Nevada.”
The Farm2Food Accelerator program focuses on supporting women farmers who grow specialty crops of a value-added food or beverage product or those who source specialty crop ingredients in the products they make. The USDA definition of specialty crops includes fruits, vegetables honey, tree nuts, dried fruits, culinary herbs and spices, and a value-added product is defined as a product that has changed in its physical state or form, such as milling wheat or flour or making strawberries into jam.
Applicants accepted into 2022 program include:
· Cortney Bloomer, Rural Health & Nutrition Initiative, Dayton, Nev.
· Stacy Fisk, Fisk Farm Herbs, Fallon, Nev.
· Teri & Megan Harasha, Jazi’s Greenz, Carson City, Nev.
· Lyndsey T. Langsdale, Reno Food Systems, Reno, Nev.
· Crystal Leon, The Radish Hotel, Sparks, Nev.
· Leslie Lotspeich, Lotspeich Family Farm, Deeth, Nev.
· Eva Sara Luna, Desert Moon Farms, LLC, N. Las Vegas, Nev.
· Sara Thomas, NO BS Farm, Fernley, Nev.
· Evelynn Thompson, Zoot Poultry Company, Spring Creek, Nev.
· Betsy L. Whipple, River Ranch Vineyard, Hiko, Nev.
Visit https://f2faccelerator.org/nv-program to learn more about the program or to watch for information on future programs.
About the Nevada Department of Agriculture
The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) mission is to preserve, protect and promote Nevada’s agriculture. The department has 150 dedicated employees providing services in its five divisions, Administration, Animal Industry, Consumer Equitability, Food and Nutrition, and Plant Industry. The department’s $232 million budget facilitates regulatory and administrative work in agriculture and food manufacturing industries, protecting public and environmental health and worker safety, and providing food distribution and oversight for the United States Department of Agriculture’s school and community nutrition programs.
