LAKE COUNTY — A dozen community leaders from a range of positions have been selected to participate in the fourth annual AgVenture program.
AgVenture is a concept in agricultural education designed for non-farming community leaders who want to understand the workings of the agricultural industry, according to Terry Dereniuk, AgVenture program coordinator and a graduate of the 2010 AgVenture program.
Members of the 2013 class include: Lianne Campodonico, nonprofit administrator; Elly Fairclough, deputy district director for the office of Congressman John Garamendi (D?Fairfield); Bill Groody, owner, Groody River Films; Kevin Ingram, principal planner, Community Development Department, Lake County.
Other notable community members include: Jack Long, economic development manager, Lake County; Berenice Quirino, assistant editor, Lake County Record-Bee; Joey Luiz, councilman for the City of Clearlake and marketing / hospitality consultant; Siri Nelson, chief administrative officer, Sutter Lakeside Hospital; Gabriele O”Neill, program representative for U.C. Davis; Stephanie Tuft, field representative for Assemblymember Marc Levine (D?San Rafael); Jeff Tyrrell, district representative for Senator Noreen Evans (D?Santa Rosa) and Marilyn Waits, president, Redbud Audubon Society, Dereniuk stated.
Members of the class were selected based on interest in the program, professional position in the community and ability to help maintain a viable agricultural industry in Lake County, Dereniuk stated.
The sessions will cover economics, labor, history, marketing, water and land use, agri-tourism and sustainability. The program is designed to give class members knowledge about agriculture and farming in general and more specifically about the heritage, culture, economy, and business of agriculture in the surrounding area.
The first session on Friday will focus on the pear industry in Lake County with orchard and packing house tours. Speakers will include Alan Flora, deputy administrative officer for Lake County and a graduate of AgVenture 2011; Broc Zoller, owner of The Pear Doctor Inc.; Myron Holdenried, owner of Holdenried Ranches; Pat Scully, general manager at Scully Packing Company and Brian Little, director of labor affairs, California Farm Bureau Federation and chief operating officer for Farm Employers Labor Service.
Diane Henderson, of Henderson Orchards in Kelseyville, will provide a tour and discuss cultural practices, integrated pest management and sustainability, regulatory compliance and the challenges faced by pear growers, Dereniuk stated.
Toni Scully of Scully Packing Company in Finley, will talk about issues faced within the pear industry and provide an escorted tour of a packing house in full operation.
The second session on Sept. 20 will focus on the winegrape industry and will include presentations by Scott DeLeon, director of Lake County Department of Public Works and Claudia Street, executive director of Lake County Farm Bureau; Glenn McGourty, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor for Lake and Mendocino counties; Eric Seely, county administrative officer ?special projects; Randy Krag, viticulturist with Beckstoffer Vineyards and Debra Sommerfield, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission.
The day will include a luncheon at Vigilance Vineyards and a tour of the Gregory Graham Winery to demonstrate a small winery operation and compliance with regulations, Dereniuk stated.
The third session will be on Oct. 18 and will focus on the walnut industry in Lake County. Speakers will include Katherine Blyleven, agricultural biologist and weights and measures inspector, Lake County Department of Agriculture; Paula Bryant, vice president, commercial relationship manager, Umpqua Bank; Marc Hooper, pest control advisor at AgUnlimited; Rick Coel, Lake County Community Development director and Sky Hoyt, retail vegetable grower and instructor at Mendocino College.
A tour of the Suchan Farm and Nursery in Upper Lake, and an overview of the walnut industry, including nursery, orchards, and dehydrator operations by Alex Suchan, will conclude the day”s session.
The final AgVenture session will be held on Nov. 8. Brian Leahy, director of California Department of Pesticide Regulation will speak to the class on the state perspective on pesticide regulation and invasive pests, Dereniuk stated.
Other presenters for this session will include Emilo dela Cruz, mill master for Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill in Kelseyville, and Heather Conlin, director of Lake County Winery Association.
A new session is being added this year with a panel discussion on Lake County agriculture from the farm worker perspective, moderated by Diane Henderson.
The fourth day will conclude with a graduation presentation by each class member sharing the experiences that they will remember from the program, Dereniuk stated.
Sponsors for the seminars include the Lake County Winegrape Commission, the Kelseyville Olive Festival, Bengard Marketing, Stokes Ladders, Lakeport Tire & Auto, Scully Packing Company, Umpqua Bank, the Lake County Farm Bureau, the Lake County Winery Association and the Lake County Marketing and Economic Development Program.
Support was also provided by the Saw Shop Gallery and Bistro, Tallman Hotel, Gregory Graham Winery, Chacewater Wine and Olive Mill, Vigilance Vineyards, Suchan Farm and Nursery, Beckstoffer Vineyards and Henderson Orchards.
Transportation for the field trips and site visits is being provided by the Military Funeral Honors Team van.
The AgVenture commitee is led by Dereniuk and members are Annette Hopkins, president of the Lake County Chapter of California Women for Agriculture (CWA), Bryant, Scully, Henderson and Street.
Information is available by writing to P.O. Box 279, Finley, CA 95435, visiting www.lakecountycwa.org or its Facebook at Lake County California Women for Agriculture.
