Making green from orange

The 300-acre Corley Ranch in Douglas County takes a proactive stance toward putting the profit back into ranching.

Concerts and weddings, club meetings and conferences now share the irrigated acreage with Texas Longhorns and Scottish Highlanders, quarter horses, paints and of course, hay.

"Due to the cost of running the ranch, we decided to branch out further," says Paula Corley.

This year the Corley family rolls out a month-long harvest festival to further diversify its agri-tourism efforts.

In preparation, the ranch planted two acres in corn and carved it into a corn maze.

It planted 5,000 pumpkins, plus gourds and melons, sunflowers and calico corn all for sale to the public during the Harvest Festival from 11 a.m.

to 6 p.m.

on weekends through October.

Festival draws include a kiddie play land, gold panning, pumpkin carving, pig races, petting zoo, hayride and train ride along with live entertainment, crafts and refreshments.

"If we do well, or at least break even, we'll grow the festival next year," says Corley."We may double the size of the corn maze."

Many commercial corn mazes are designed by consultants using a global positioning system but consultants charge $5,000, says Corley.

So her husband Jon designed and cut the course in the shape of a wagon wheel..

While flood irrigation keeps the Carson Valley green, pumpkins don't like wet bottoms.

So again Jon stepped in and devised a separate irrigation system for the orange orbs.

"People said we could not grow pumpkins in the valley," says Corley."They said the corn would never get above 5 feet at most.

It's 10 feet tall."

She attributes the success to liquid fertilizer and good weather.

She also credits a retired seed scientist who worked at Northrup King Seeds before starting Shamrock Seeds in Salinas, Calif.

Now living in Genoa, John and Georgia Howell came out of retirement to help the Corleys plant the pumpkin patch.

The harvest festival isn't the family's only bid to widen the ranch revenues.

For instance, the Corley Ranch has hosted up to 450 people for a church service.

Amenities include a grassy swale, an 1870s barn, and an indoor arena used for team roping and barrel racing events.

Reno Rodeo performers stay at the Corley Ranch to practice prior to the show.

The Corley family bought the ranch in 1997.

It is part of the original 20,000-acre Danberg Ranch, purchased in 1903 by Wallace Park of Park Cattle Company.