FINLEY, Calif. – Thousands of pears scooting by on conveyor belts, workers sorting fruit, packing it and getting it ready for market locations around the globe.

It's another busy summer at Scully Packing Co. in Finley, which once again this year finds itself at the very center of California's pear industry.

Overseeing the fast-paced but highly organized operations at the pear packing facility is Toni Scully. She and husband Phil moved to Lake County in 1974, and in 1984 founded their company.

California has three primary pear producing areas: the Sacramento Valley's “river” area, Mendocino County and, of course, Lake County, which for decades has been famed for its Bartlett pears.

Lake County's pears go all over the world, Scully said, and are used for a variety of products – from the fresh market to canning.

This year's crop – which is early – is expected to be up 20 percent over last year, which had a short crop, according to the California Pear Advisory Board.

California Pear Advisory Board Executive Director Chris Zanobini said the statewide estimates for this year's harvest have the Sacramento River region's pears with total tonnage of 98,000, followed by Lake with 37,000 tons and Mendocino with 24,500 tons.

Total Bartlett tonnage for this year is expected to come in at 159,500, with 10,697 tons from other pear varieties, for a total harvest tonnage of 170,197, according to Zanobini.

Of Lake's overall tonnage, 36 percent is anticipated to go to the fresh market, compared for 24 percent of the River pears and 18 percent of the Mendocino pears, based on the numbers Zanobini provided.

In addition to the Scully facilities, there are six pear packing sheds in the Sacramento area, Zanobini said.

Trucks carrying tons of pears are rolling in and out of the Scully facilities in Finley – where all lines are open – and Scotts Valley, where so far just one line is at work, Scully said.

She estimated about 25 truck and trailer load equivalents are making their way to the sheds daily when they are going at full-speed production.

The Sacramento pears typically arrive first, as has been the case this year, said Scully.

The advisory board's daily packout report for Thursday showed that more than 57,000 tons of River pears have been packed or processed so far this season.

Those are followed by the Mendocino County pears, which first began arriving earlier this week, Scully said.

She said they packed a few Lake County red pears last week. More Lake County Bartletts may be coming into the sheds by week's end, with Scully anticipating that the county's Bartlett harvest should be well under way by Monday.

The packout report showed that 80 tons of Lake County pears and 293 tons of Mendocino pears so far have been processed, illustrating that the work on those pears has barely begun.

Other pear varieties – like bosc and comice – tend to come after the Bartletts. Scully said the Mendocino boscs will come over before Lake County's Bartletts, and then Lake County's bosc will arrive about a week after the local Bartletts are done, she said.

“They all kind of overlap,” she said.

The 2015 crop is a very good one, said Scully.

“This year's crop is expected to be heavier than last year's,” she said.

The Lake County Department of Agriculture does not yet have the 2014 crop figures ready for release, but according to the 2013 report pears were the No. 2 crop in the county – after winegrapes – with a value of $21.7 million.

That year, there were a little over 2,000 planted pear acres in the county, the report showed.

“All these pears we so lovingly pack come from about 30 family farms,” said Scully. “Most of these ranches have been in the same family for two or three generations. One is a fifth generation farm. That's sustainability.”

Scully said her business has about about 450 employees for this summer, which is an average summer workforce.

“Packing house labor has been a little tighter than usual, and I don’t know why that is,” she said.

Part of it, however, could be due to a shift to an earlier harvest.

“We started so early this year. It’s a very early year. We’re two weeks ahead,” Scully said, with the earlier bloom a matter of the weather.

Many people usually wander in, looking for a job, but they tend to come slightly later in the season, she said.

Scully said there are still plenty of jobs available. “We are going to need packing house help, that’s for sure.”

She said applicants – from teens to adults – are asked to come and apply in person. Lots of different jobs are available, and after an in-person meeting, Scully's crew can place new employees where they will be the most successful.

Once the local harvest is fully under way, Scully anticipates the labor demand going up at the packing house.

“We're going to have very big days until the end,” she said. “We’re going to start early and get done early.”

Scully expects that the summer pear packing could be wrapping up the last week of August – after about seven weeks – which offers plenty of time for area high school and college students to get in some summertime work before classes start for the fall.

Scully gives high praise to the people who keep the pear shed operating.

“They’re wonderful workers. They all care about doing a good job,” she said, explaining that the workers are one of the reasons why Lake County puts out such a good product.

“We just feel very, very humble and fortunate to have every employee that we have,” she said.

For more information about Scully Packing visit the company's Web site, http://www.scullypacking.com/ .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Wildhurst Vineyards and Kelseyville Pharmacy again sponsor singin’ cowboy Dave Stamey to perform in the Wildhurst Tasting Room Courtyard on Friday, Sept. 25.

The Kelseyville Pear Festival celebrates its 23rd year with this popular kickoff concert and dinner under the stars.
 
Cowboys and Indians Magazine has called Stamey “the Charley Russell of Western Music.”

Western Horseman Magazine has declared his “Vaquero Song” to be one of the greatest Western songs of all time.

In 2010 and 2011 True West Magazine named him Best Living Western Solo Musician and in 2013 for Best Western Entertainer.
 
Dave Stamey has been a cowboy, a mule packer, a dude wrangler and is now one of the most popular Western entertainers working today.  

Stamey has delighted audiences in twenty states, and finds that he prefers this to being stomped by angry horses.  
 
Opening musicians for Stamey will be Lake County’s own Uncorked.
 
The kickoff event opens with a reception at 5 p.m., with a prime rib dinner served by Running Creek Casino at 6 p.m. and the concert under the stars starts at 7 p.m. The all-inclusive ticket costs $50 per person.
 
Tickets are will be available Monday, July 20, in the Wildhurst Tasting Room, 3855 Main St, Kelseyville or you can call 1-800-595 WINE to provide a credit card number and have your tickets placed in will call.

For more information about the festival visit www.kelseyvillepearfestival.com .

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The MendoLake Food Hub is accepting orders and delivering local produce to local restaurants and retailers. 

Hundreds of food hubs have sprung up around the country in an effort to meet the growing demand for locally produced food. 

“Our local farmers are struggling to compete with industrial-scale producers who ship massive quantities of cheap produce from afar,” said MendoLake Food Hub Coordinator John Bailey. “We know the community wants to support local farmers. The Food Hub is working to foster local relationships, reduce marketing and distribution expenses, and provide assistance to help our farmers build and grow their businesses. After months of work we’re excited to be up and running.”

The MendoLake Food Hub is a project initiated by North Coast Opportunities and is funded by a three-year USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant. 

A specialty crop is defined as fruits, vegetables, herbs, tree nuts, honey, olives and olive oil and nursery plants, in contrast to commodity crops like grains, soybeans, and sugar beets. 

These USDA grants are designed to help specialty crop producers be more competitive in their local markets. 

The MendoLake Food Hub aims to connect local buyers – like restaurants, grocery stores, schools, and buying clubs– with specialty crop farmers in the area.

The food hub manages aggregation, storage and distribution for local farms by acting as hub between producer and consumer. 

Many small farmers and ranchers are challenged by the lack of distribution – especially in counties as geographically large as Mendocino and Lake. 

Addressing distribution helps open markets for producers – and it allows local stores and restaurants to carry more local produce. 

Via a Web-based system, food producers upload the produce they have available for sale. Buyers then select from the available crops and place their order. 

After receiving the order, farmers drop their produce at their closest available cold storage “node.” These refrigerated containers are strategically placed throughout Mendocino and Lake counties including locations in Ukiah, Willits, the Coast, Lakeport and Anderson Valley. 

A partnership with Mendocino Coast Produce, a Fort Bragg-based distribution company, has been forged. They pick up the produce from the nodes and are reserving space for 100 cases of produce on each truck, piggybacking on the company’s existing distribution network.

Local farmers participating include Lovin’ Mama, Covelo Organic, Irene’s Garden, Sky Hoyt, Fortunate Farm, Black Dog and Seely’s Farm Stand, and more are being added every week. 

Buyers so far include Harvest Market in both Fort Bragg and Mendocino, Ukiah Co-op, Taste Buds, Saucy and Patrona. 

In addition, Lake County Public Health is purchasing through the Hub for their Harvest of the Month program.  

The number of producers and buyers is expected to climb in the coming weeks.

If you are interested in participating in the food hub as a farmer, a business who wants to purchase local crops or an individual who wants to organize a group to purchase in bulk quantities, please visit www.MendoLakeFoodHub.com , or contact John Bailey at 707-467-3238 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .