Class photo: L to R: Brian Fisher, Jill Jensen, Mary Claybon, Lisa Wittke-Schaffner, Serena Onate, Matthew Rothstein, Elizabeth Lincoln, Luis Santana, Jessica Johns, Jennie Lane
On August 7th, ten community leaders participating in this year’s AgVenture class dug into the pear industry with special presentations, a visit to Panella Orchards during harvest, and a tour of Scully Packing Company in Finley.
“Farming is a lifestyle” was an oft-repeated theme throughout the day by the generations of farmers who presented. Diane Henderson, who is the fourth generation of her family to farm pears in Kelseyville, told her family’s story of arriving in Lake County and planting their first pear trees in 1891. She turned over the podium to her nephew Greg Panella, a fourth-generation farmer himself, whose family is the current steward of the former Henderson Ranch, now known as Panella Orchards.
Greg took the class to tour one of his orchards, where workers were skillfully picking and his 13-year-old daughter, Audrey, was forklifting the fruit for transport to the packing shed. He pointed out the difference between the younger trees interplanted among the older ones, the integrated pest management tools currently in use, and why pears are picked green rather than ripe.
Moving on to Scully Packing Company, a family-owned business with three generations working together, founders Phil and Toni Scully, sons Pat and Andy, both co-owners and company managers, and granddaughter Hanna Keithly, on their sales team, welcomed the group for an in-depth tour of their shed viewing the start to end cycle of pears from bin to the sorting tables to packing to palletizing and into the cold storage before being shipped to stores and markets across North America.
Each family member spoke, highlighting their specialty within the company, covering the history of the pear industry to date, current marketing conditions, including the impacts of imported pears from Argentina, and labor, highlighting the shed’s innovative program that allows them to hire 16–18-year-old high school students.
After lunch, Broc Zoller, PhD, aka The Pear Doctor, presented his agricultural research and the specific issues in pest management when growing pears.
Pear and wine grape farmer Myron Holdenried (fifth-generation farmer), and his grandson, Carson Holdenried (seventh-generation farmer), gave an historical overview of how agriculture developed in Lake County, how land grants shaped the ownership of farms, and how programs like 4-H and FFA enhance youth learning and prepare them for working in agriculture.
Lake County Agricultural Commissioner Katherine VanDerWall highlighted how her office provides support and regulatory functions for Lake County residents and how they partner with and help farmers.
Class members loved learning the many layers of bringing pears from orchard to consumer: from pests in the field and labor management in both the field and packing shed to the vagaries of market forces that influence wholesale prices, which in turn affect what the farmer receives at the end of harvest. They felt like they came away with a greater appreciation of the complexity of farming. As in previous AgVenture years, the shed tour was a highlight.
The next AgVenture seminar will be in September focusing on Lake County’s wine grape industry.
Launched in 2010, AgVenture is an innovative educational program presented by the Lake County Chapter of California Women for Agriculture. It is for non-farming community members and others who wish to understand the vital contributions of agriculture to Lake County’s quality of life and economy. The program’s steering committee includes Katy Evans, Rebecca Harper, Stephanie Holdenried, Colleen Rentsch, Monica Rosenthal, Toni Scully, Bonnie Sears, Katherine VanDerWall, and Sharron Zoller.
AgVenture is made possible with funding from individual donors and program sponsors.
About California Women for Agriculture (CWA)
CWA is the most active, all-volunteer agricultural organization in the state. The state’s 1,300 members represent farmers, ranchers, bankers, lawyers, accountants, marketing professionals, support services, consumers, and other stakeholders in the agricultural industry in an increasingly urbanized California. Local chapters advocate for the economic sustainability of California’s diverse agricultural community so that future generations can continue to produce a safe and healthy food supply. The 20 chapters range from Butte County to California’s southern border.
Lake County’s CWA chapter promotes leadership within its local community, advocacy on key local, state, and federal issues, public service and outreach, agricultural literacy in schools, and promotional initiatives to preserve and educate those living in Lake County.
