Paul NelsonChannel 2 News
Farming is usually an industry that thrives during the summertime but one farmer, in Lovelock, is showing us that you can grow vegetables in the middle of winter by using the sun.
"To have tomatoes in January, in February, we're very excited about the whole concept," Doubletree Ranch Owner John Shank said.
In our climate, most farmers can only have one harvest per year, but thanks to solar water heaters, Shank is farming, year-round.
"They're in the sun and they heat water," Shank said. "Now, we're not making electricity. We're just doing water."
The heated water is circulated through a system of pipes and hoses that go under the soil, keeping it the right temperature to grow plants, and because his greenhouse has a system that manages soil temperature, water usage, humidity, and other variables, growing vegetables, in the winter, is now a reality.
"We've got an opportunity, here, to really change the whole production of food," SunScience Corporation President Dick Kelsey said. "We're going to be able to deliver distributed food products, globally, because if we can do it here, in northern Nevada, we can do it anywhere in the world."
Kelsey says this is just the beginning of what this technology can do and says it could help areas of the world that already have a food shortage.
"People are saying 'when can we have your technology? How do we get it to the Middle East? How do we get it to Africa? how do we get it to South America?'" Kelsey said. "That's what's going to happen with our technology here."
For now, they're focusing on the local market.
Shank already sells produce at farmer's markets and to local restaurants and stores, but he thinks he can do even better, and it starts with green energy.
"I think this goes beyond green," Shank said. "I think this goes on to nutrition. I think one of the things we need to do, I think the key is having fruits and vegetables for our markets, and so forth, for our better health."
To do that, Shank says he has to do things efficiently enough to compete with produce imported from California and Mexico and he says this is a good start.
"I can grow these, if I heat it with that thing up there (pointing to a heat source) for $600 to $800 a month," Shank said. "We can grow these tomatoes for less than $200 a month."
The guys say the marriage of these two companies will also trickle down in the economy.
"It's going to create a lot of jobs," Kelsey said. "I mean a lot of jobs, here. Jobs in agriculture, here. It's going to create jobs in energy production. It's going to create jobs in technology and in manufacturing, here."
Shank's ultimate goal is to fill one of his hoop houses with tomatoes by next winter. Along with agriculture, this technology also could be used for golf courses, wineries, and even the military.
