Venus - the wonder dog...

Owl cam in action

Our barn owls sleep all day in the "Hoostel" while the seed cleaning machines make so much noise. By dusk though, they begin to stir, hanging out in the Hoostel for a short time then checking for mice in the barn before they head out. They keep a supply of dead mice on the floor of the Hoostel and leave behind a soft carpet of fur. Soon, they will leave a clutch of eggs on the "carpet" and we hope for a successful hatching. Stay tuned. Ed

Comstock Seed's 9 kilowatt photovoltaic solar system

Hi folks;

A year ago November, we turned on our new photovoltaic solar system. We spent a year preparing for the system which included getting a rebate lined up with NV Energy and obtaining a USDA Rural Development grant from the Federal Department of Agriculture. These two funding sources paid 1/2 of the $82,000 cost of the system. We calculated that 9000 watts would adequately supply our business (Comstock Seed), our farm, and our home needs.

We are now keeping monitoring records to see how close the system performance meets our design criteria. Thanks to Leslie Ames at Tahoe Solar Design for helping with the design, construction, and grant assistance. Stay tuned.

Visit our booth at Eagles & Agriculture 2010

On Friday February 19th and Saturday February 20th we will have a booth at the Eagles & Agriculture event at the Carson Valley Inn in Minden, Nevada.

Visit the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce website for details on this and all of the other activities for the weekend:

http://www.visitcarsonvalley.org/

The "Owl Prowl" on Saturday is your chance to visit the "Hoostel" located in the seed cleaning barn at Comstock Seed. Ed is working on a live webcam in side the "Hoostel". Check back for updates!

Baby desert tortoise

In 2009, 3 baby desert tortoises were hatched. Eggs were laid on the 4th of July, and hatched between September 18th and the 20th. They are amazing time wasters. You can waste an entire day just watching them roam around their terrarium.