Governor’s Conference on Agriculture Held in Fallon

After a five-year lag since the last conference, Director J.J. Goicoechea welcomed the Nevada agriculture community to Fallon last week for the Governor’s Conference on Agriculture.  

Goicoechea heads up the Nevada Department of Agriculture and, along with his staff and board of directors, presented the 2024 Economic Outlook for Nevada Food and Agriculture, which will be launched online in January. There were also three separate educational sessions and a Taste of Nevada luncheon prior to the kickoff of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Convention, which was held after the conference.

In welcoming remarks, Goicoechea encouraged producers to complete their USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) surveys. He said that the number of EID tags (Electronic Identification) delivered to the state and available to producers was based on the survey data collected by USDA. Since Nevada producers are reluctant to provide data to the federal agency, there are not enough EID tags to meet the new program's requirements. 

Several milestones were celebrated as Goicoechea reviewed the department's achievements, including the Home Feeds Nevada program, providing a steady market for local producers and food security to needy communities. There are ongoing discussions to streamline the meat and poultry inspection process that will be announced shortly, as well as a program to replace and upgrade the “rolling stock” of the department. Goicoechea reported on NDA Senior Trade Officer Dillon Davidson’s initiative of exporting lamb to Canada, which has received great acclaim.

Davidson presented the Economic Outlook, reiterating the importance of producers completing the surveys and providing accurate data. One discrepancy caused by the lack of response was found when comparing the State of Nevada Head Tax to the USDA survey data. According to Davidson, the Head Tax shows 370,000 animals, compared to the USDA survey data, which shows 248,000.

According to Davidson, Nevada had an economic output of $5.5 billion in 2021, with ranging and farming contributing $996.6 million and food and beverage manufacturing contributing $4.5 billion. That total rose to $6.5 billion in 2022. 

The food and agriculture sector provides 19,466 direct jobs and over $1 billion in wages.

During the Business Resources session, Brad Scribner from Made in Nevada and Kelli Kelly of the Nevada Small Business Development Center joined Catrinna Schulz, the education and information officer, Tanner Lewis, the Home Feeds Nevada program lead, and Ciara Ressel, the public information officer to discuss various resources available to assist crop and food producers.

According to Scribner, four of the top ten sellers on the Made in Nevada Shop online are agriculture producers. Together, these small business initiatives focus on working with NDA to help make the agriculture ecosystem stronger.

Session two saw NDA regulatory staff address the requirements, licenses, certifications, permits, and fees mandated by the department over Plant Health and Compliance, Animal Industry, Measurement Standards, Food and Nutrition, and Administrative Services.

In a fireside chat, session three opened the floor to the pressing questions of the ag industry, including topics ranging from bird flu, the Sage Grouse EIS process, increasing the number of meat processing facilities, the trade deficit, and the upcoming legislative session. There was an extensive discussion of the workforce shortage and brand inspection requirements.

The 2024 Economic Output study will be available online in January and contains output information for each county in addition to statewide data.