Dink Getty, owner of Great Basin Organics provides a tour of his compost operation to USDA officials and community members.
A Minden landscaping and compost business is planning to build a biochar facility with the help of a loan from Heritage Bank backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.
Duncan Getty owns both Genoa Trees, a large tree nursery, and Great Basin Organics LLC, which makes compost out of trees, manure and coffee from the nearby Starbucks’ roasting facility.
Getty also owns a 45-acre site next to his business off U.S. 395 near Airport Road where he plans to build a plant for making biochar – a material made from carbonized biomass that can be used as a soil amendment.
“It’s basically taking waste wood and turning it into charcoal,” says Getty. “It’s putting carbon in the ground instead of in the air. And it lasts longer than compost.”
Getty says he will use the $671,000 loan to refinance two loans with balloon payments on the property.
Getty is also talking with the Nevada Division of Foresty about working on biochar pilot programs managed by the department.
The loan was announced last week during a visit by Patrice Kunesh, deputy undersecretary for USDA rural development.
