Staff reports
LAKEPORT >> Twelve community leaders attended session four of AgVenture on Nov. 13, the final session of the program. The day showcased Lake County olives, olive oil, and farm labor issues and marked the close of the sixth year of the AgVenture program.
Created by the Lake County Chapter of the California Women for Agriculture, AgVenture is an agricultural educational program devised for non-farming community leaders who aspire to understand the vital role that agriculture plays in the local economy. Class members acquire knowledge about agriculture and farming in general, and more specifically about the heritage, culture, economy and business of Lake County agriculture during the program.
“I will never downplay Lake County. This program made me proud of our county. I now appreciate what I’m seeing when I drive from Lower Lake to Kelseyville,” Jan Coppinger, Lake County Special Districts Utility Systems compliance manager and 2015 class member remarked upon graduating from the AgVenture program.
Class members are selected yearly through an application process. Selection into the program is based on the applicant’s interest in the program, their professional position in the community and their ability to help maintain a viable agricultural industry in Lake County. Program acceptance is competitive.
Members of the 2015 class included: Barbara Ehr, clinical supervisor with the Lake County Office of Education; Brenna Sullivan, executive director, Lake County Farm Bureau; Danielle Matthews Seperas, manager, government and community affairs, Calpine; Jim Steele, District 3 supervisor, Lake County; Coppinger; Dr. Karen Tait, health officer, Lake County, Health Services Department; Rick Hamilton, commercial Realtor and owner of RAH; Kerrie Lindecker, district representative, Lake and Mendocino counties, Sen. Mike McGuire; Tiffany Ortega, assistant administrator, Sutter Lakeside Hospital; Andrew March, constituent service representative, office of Congressman John Garamendi; Terre Logsdon, farm-to-school coordinator, North Coast Opportunities; and Lisa Wilson, general manager, Shady Acres Campground and Mobile Home Park.
“This program demonstrates that today’s farmers have to be businesspeople to keep up with regulations, pay attention to science, and be extremely competent and talented in order to be successful,” said Sullivan, 2016’s AgVenture coordinator.
Class sessions took place on Aug. 7, Sept. 11, Oct. 16 and Nov. 13. The sessions focused on the pear industry; the winegrape industry; walnuts; and olives and labor. Class members heard from a variety of industry experts and specialists including: “The Pear Doctor” Broc Zoller, PhD; Frances Spivy-Weber, vice chair of the State Water Resources Control Board; and Cecilia Chi-Ham, PhD, director of Global Strategy and Innovation, HM.CLAUSE among many others. AgVenture participants also toured local a pear orchard, an olive mill, a walnut orchard and several wineries.
The AgVenture program Steering Committee, all CWA members, are Annette Hopkins, Paula Bryant, Toni Scully, Diane Henderson, Terry Dereniuk, Debra Sommerfield, Sharron Zoller and Rebecca Southwick.
To learn more about the Lake County Chapter of California Women for Agriculture, visit their website at www.lakecountycwa.org.
