Blane Merkley is a proud Nevadan serving as Industry and Global Trade Coordinator for the Nevada Department of Agriculture, where he oversees the Nevada Craft Beverage Passport program, and Nevada’s domestic and international agribusiness marketing and promotion. Prior to joining NDA, he worked on agricultural trade policy with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service and managed the international trade activity reimbursement program for the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association.

Before beginning his career in trade, Blane served with the U.S. Peace Corps as a sustainable agriculture specialist in Senegal, West Africa. He then joined the USDA Farm Service Agency in Southeastern Nevada, where he managed offices in Ely and Las Vegas and supported Nevada’s farms and ranches through federal disaster and market disruption programs.

Blane holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science and Economics from the University of Nevada, Reno. He lives in his hometown of Fallon, where he spends his spare time experimenting with a small olive tree grove and taking in Nevada’s beauty.