LAKE COUNTY — The gross value of agriculture in Lake County decreased nearly $900,000 last year, a nearly 2-percent drop compared to the overall county gross value for 2009, according to the 2010 Crop Report.
The gross values of the wine grape, nursery and cattle/calf industries declined while the pear and walnut industries saw increases in 2010. Those were the county”s top five commodities last year.
Lake County Agricultural Commissioner Steven Hajik presented the report during Tuesday”s regular meeting of the Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS).
The figures in the report were based on gross agricultural receipts during the year and do not reflect production costs or producers” net incomes, Hajik told the BOS.
The overall gross value for county agriculture in 2010 was $64,272,494.
The wine grape value was a little more than $35.6 million, a drop of more than $2.8 million. A 9-percent drop in per-ton price primarily accounted for the decline because wine grape acreage and production did show slight increases.
Pears on the other hand increased in gross value by nearly $2.3 million because of increased returns. Pear production decreased by 9 percent but the overall price per ton increased by 25 percent, helping the industry”s gross value reach nearly $19.1 million.
The nursery industry represented the third highest-valued commodity at more than $2.9 million despite a $571,955 drop because of reduced demand. Walnut gross value rose $477,200 to more than $2.8 million because of increased production and returns. The cattle/calf industry decreased 10 percent to $1.7 million.
Miscellaneous fruit, vegetable, livestock/poultry products and forestry products all saw increases.
Interested people will be able to access the report online in a few weeks, once the Agriculture Department”s new homepage becomes active on the county”s website.
In other business, the BOS approved a rental agreement with SolarBee for one of the company”s solar-powered circulation systems to help with matted algae near the Clearlake Keys.
Water Resources Director Scott De Leon brought the proposed contract before the BOS as an extra item because his department was notified of the rental unit”s availability after the posting of Tuesday”s agenda and immediate deployment could be the most effective.
The BOS voted unanimously to take up the extra item before discussing the proposal in detail.
The circulator would be used near the Island Drive Bridge in the Clearlake Keys because matted algae have negatively impacted residences and a nearby campground, De Leon said.
District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown said he”d like to see the circulator used to address the algae problems in Soda Bay. “I want to see some (more) activity in Soda Bay,” he said.
The BOS addressed Brown”s concern by authorizing De Leon to look into renting a second SolarBee unit if available and deemed appropriate. The BOS approved the nearly $14,000 rental agreement for the first unit for use in the Clearlake Keys.
The rental unit was deployed to the bridge area Tuesday, according to De Leon. The county could consider purchasing one of the circulators if the trial with the rental unit is successful.
Later in the meeting, the BOS scheduled a date during which it will hear grievance appeals submitted by lawyers representing the Lake County Correctional Officers” Association (LCCOA) and the Lake County Deputy Sheriffs” Association (LCDSA).
The LCCOA filed a Level 4 Grievance and the LCDSA filed a Level 5 Grievance regarding what their attorneys called a “unilateral change” to the Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) sick leave policy.
The LCCOA also filed a Level 4 Grievance about a shift swap between two correctional aides that attorneys said was “denied without consideration.” The LCCOA filed another Level 4 Grievance, which concerned what its lawyers called “the Sheriff Department”s unilateral change to eight-hour shifts for correctional officers.”
The BOS approved a motion that scheduled the hearings for the Sept. 13 regular meeting but also extended an option to all parties to have the hearings instead conducted during a special meeting on Aug. 22. All parties would have to agree to the special meeting date.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
