LAKE COUNTY — AgVenture program coordinator Annette Hopkins herded a half-dozen people onto a bus driven by Ron Quick for a Lake County adventure. It was all about agriculture. On that particular day, it was all about pears.
The group of 12 was selected to participate in the AgVenture program, designed to educate community leaders about the agricultural industry.
AgVenture is organized by the Lake County Chapter of California Women for Agriculture.
The first of three daylong educational sessions took place on Aug. 19. and began promptly at 8:30 a.m. at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro in Kelseyville with a series of expert speakers, including Deputy County Administrative Officer for Economic Development, Debra Sommerfield, Vice President and Commercial Relationship Manager for Umpqua Bank, Paula Bryant; Manager of the National Affairs Division of the California Farm Bureau, Jack King; Diane Henderson of Henderson Orchards; Toni Scully of Scully Packing Co.; the Pear Doctor, Broc Zoller; and General Manager of Scully Packing, Pat Scully.
Speakers provided detailed information and answered questions about immigration law, pear disease, pear history, marketing, exporting, farm finance, sustainability and labor.
The program is in its second year. Two more sessions will take place, one this month and the final session in October. Each session focuses on a major commercial crop grown in Lake County featuring speakers and site visits.
Program participants selected are Gaye Allen of the Lake County Land Trust; Lake County Supervisor Jim Comstock; Lisa Davey-Bates of the Lake County Area Planning Council; Elizabeth Davis, real estate agent; Lake County Special Districts Administrator, Mark Dellinger; Assistant Director of Lake County Department of Public Works, Lars Ewing; Brock Falkenberg of Lake County Office of Education; Managing Editor of the Lake County Record-Bee, Mandy Feder; Lake County Administrative Analyst, Alan Flora; Lorrie Gray of Lake County Hunger Task Force; Executive Assistant to Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Patty Schapiro; and Lakeport City Manager, Margaret Silveira.
Participants are professionals in many fields who may potentially promote the agricultural industry in Lake County.
Those invited to speak cover all aspects of the Lake County agricultural industry.
Sponsors of the program include, Scully Packing Company, Lake County Pear Association Adobe Creek Packing, Kelseyville Pear Festival Committee, Umpqua Bank, Lake County Farm Bureau, the Pear Doctor, Saw Shop Gallery Bistro, the Lake County Marketing Program, Bengard Marketing, Lake County Winery Association, Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon, Gregory Graham Winery, Lake County Winegrape Commission and Vigilance Vineyards.
The program coordinator is Annette Hopkins. Members of the steering committee are Toni Scully, Wilda Shock, Paula Bryant, Terry Dereniuk, Margaret Eutenier, Shannon Gunier and Diane Henderson.
Transportation for the sessions is provided by the Lake County Military Funeral Honors Team.
More information may be obtained by contacting: California Women for Agriculture, P.O. Box 279, Finley, CA., 95435.
