Amador County – A new company that sells “rodent control, nature’s way,” has opened and is looking to bring jobs to Amador County, via its Fiddletown workshop.

Austin F. Ford Junior has opened Amador Barn Owl Box Company, which pledges to be a help against gopher problems, and is a new business that employs Amador County people, and embraces sustainable agriculture.

Ford, a long-time Fiddletown resident, announced the opening of his new business, saying it was originally conceived to create jobs, and the company also aims to reduce the use of pesticides and increase farming yield with affordable nesting boxes for Barn Owls. He said since “a single Barn Owl family will consume up to 3,000 rodents in one year, our job is to get them working for you.”

The “Amador Barn Owl Box is made of locally available wood and was designed with assistance from Dr. Martin Cody, UCLA Professor Emeritus, an expert in owls and a resident of Amador County,” Ford said. Careful attention has been paid to materials, box configuration, size and position of hole, predator defense, venting, and clean out ease.

“The box is suitable for mounting on a pole, recessing into a structure, or hanging in a tree,” Ford said, and “pole mounting brackets are available.”

All work is done locally and installers are ready to assist with location and to install the boxes in vineyards or gardens. One box for every ten acres is the norm, Ford said, but overlap is recommended for larger areas. The birds start nesting right now thru January. This is the time to put up the box.

The company has three models to choose from, all fully assembled and ready to mount. They are a “Basic Box,” painted white; a Basic Box with a cedar roof; and a Cedar Box. Sides and roof are cedar, giving a real barn look to the box. For information, call (209) 245-6090.

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