From swords to plowshares, Hawthorne sets its new direction

A community garden at Hawthorne this summer produced hundreds of pounds of fresh food for the community.

It also was a step toward producing a fresh economic future for the community as it works toward diversification of an economy that's heavily dependent on military spending.

The Hawthorne Army Depot directly employs between 500 and 600 people and accounts for about 75 percent of the economic activity in sparsely populated Mineral County, says Shelley Hartman, executive director of the Mineral County Economic Development Authority.

The depot, operated by Philadelphia-based Day and Zimmerman for the Defense Department, houses slow-moving ammunition stocks, handles long-term storage for military industrial equipment and provides high-desert training for military units.

And nobody feels entirely certain about its future.

The Defense Department in 2005 announced plans to close Hawthorne Army Depot, but stepped back in the face of widespread opposition.

"It was one of those times that the whole state stood up and showed up," says Hartman.

The closure scare put new impetus into efforts to diversify the economic base of Hawthorne a community of 3,330 people.

Which, in a roundabout fashion, led to the creation of the community garden this summer.

As community leaders and economic consultants took a close look at the army depot, they saw a large swath of land some 147,000 acres or nearly 230 square miles as well as large industrial buildings that are available for conversion to civilian uses with the help of government incentives.

The county government, meanwhile, has accumulated water rights to support economic development.

The combination of land, water and buildings, Hartman says, is opening the door to potential development of agriculture-related industries on the base and in the town.

Water supplies are sufficient to support hydroponic farming inside redeveloped warehouse and storage buildings on the depot, says Hartman, and several potential users are taking a close look at the possibilities.

At the same time, Mineral County leaders are working with agriculture researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, as well as the University of California, Davis, to gauge interest in development of programs to use Hawthorne-area land for studies of high-desert agriculture.

That's promising, Hartman says, because the climate of Nevada's high desert is similar to that in war-torn nations such as Afghanistan. The knowledge that researchers gain about agriculture in Mineral County can help international assistance agencies rebuild agricultural economies around the world.

There's also been some conversation, Hartman says, about the capabilities of Mineral County's resources to provide support for the dairy industry in neighboring Churchill County.

Dairies, as well as the farms that produce feed for dairy herds, are expected to grow rapidly with completion next year of an $85 million dry-milk production facility under development in Fallon by Dairy Farmers of America.

But the 70-mile haul between the Hawthorne area and Fallon might too expensive, Hartman says.

Mineral County officials believe, too, that otherwise-untapped renewable energy sources may play a role in economic development.

Geothermal resources as well as a 10,000-acre area designated for a solar farm have remained undeveloped because transmission lines aren't available to transport power from the region to the markets of California, Hartman says.

But those resources might be developed to meet the needs of technology-heavy agricultural production.

While they have their eye on the big prize creation of new jobs and diversification of the local economy Mineral County officials also recognize that they need to take one step at a time to get there.

This summer's community garden, Hartman says, built community spirit and helped bring crop-production to the attention of people who have made a living with ammunition and heavy equipment.

Even the recent opening of a dollar store in town helped support long-term development efforts, she says, as it helps create shopping opportunities that are important to researchers and managers who might relocate to Hawthorne.

Now leaders of the economic development agency are working to build entrepreneurial skills among residents who are interested in creating new retail stores and other businesses.