KELSEYVILLE – The Lake County Farm Bureau will present “Lake County Champagne to Port with a Great Taste of Humor” on Saturday, June 19.

The event will be held from from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Moore Family Winery, 11990 Bottle Rock Road, Kelseyville.

Join the Farm Bureau for an evening of fun and good humor while learning about wine.

Learn how to sip, sample, savor, swirl, sniff, slurp, smell and spit like a pro with GM “Pooch” Pucilowski, the chief judge for the California State Fair Wine Competition.

“Pooch” will put a fun and educational spin on wine tasting. Learn how Jelly Bellies can assist with determining flavors in wine. Get all of your wine questions answered without the snobbery and intimidation of the “wine experts” and much more.

Taste select Lake County wines while enjoying the beautiful views from the Moore Family Winery.

There also will be a silent auction and hors d'oeuvres.

Space is limited, so call or stop by today for your tickets.

The Lake county Farm Bureau is located at 65 Soda Bay Road, Lakeport, telephone 707-263-0911, or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Chance Crail drives the forklift on his family's Kelseyville, Calif., pear farm during the summer harvest of 2009. Photo by Maile Field.

LAKE COUNTY – The county's pear season is fast approaching, with thousands of trees around the county shortly to be covered with the ripening fruit.

It's a hopeful time for the county's pear growers, who last year enjoyed a strong season thanks to Mother Nature delivering a near-perfect blooming period. The only down side was smaller pears, according to Chris Zanobini, executive director of the California Pear Advisory Board.

“We had a nice bloom, good growing weather and no labor issues, said Zanobini. “The biggest concern was fruit size; it was not as good this time. Small fruit just doesn’t have a widespread market, doesn’t return on the dollar.”

A majority of the 215,686 tons of pears produced in California in 2009 were mostly Bartlett. According to the pack out report, the Mountain District – composed of Lake, Mendocino and El Dorado counties – produced 52,858 tons of Bartlett Pears for 2009.

Those numbers are not yet final as more data will be reported, said Zanobini. It is expected that 25 to 30 percent of those pears will have come from the Mountain District.

The Mountain District also is referred to as the “late” district because of the August harvest season. The region is known for producing sweet, fresh pears packed full of nutrients.

“I honesty don’t think any other area grows a better pear that here,” said Toni Scully of Scully Packing. “We have a very vibrant industry here and a good market for our product.”

She said 2009 was a big crop and the perfect blooming period led to many small pears.

“Those little pears all grew and they didn’t grow as large to support more. They didn’t size because there were too many of them,” said Scully.

Labor was not an issue since many industries slowed and many people needed work. Plus, since pears are agricultural products, the recession hasn’t affected the market too badly, Scully said.

“Everybody has to eat,” she said.

“I would agree with Toni that, everyone has to eat, but I think agricultural producers have fared much better, people are wasting less, buying more sensibly,” said Rachel Elkins, University of California Farm advisor for pomology in Lake and Mendocino counties.

“I think the key is that we have to continue to produce a high-quality product to send to the market so consumers have confidence,” Elkins said.

Lake County did not fare as badly as the surrounding districts as far as too much small fruit, said Elkins, pointing to small fruit in Mendocino County and on the Sacramento Delta.

Pear production rounded to the nearest 100 tons: A comparison of Lake County to the state of California. Bar graph by Tera DeVroede, data from Rachel Elkins and Chris Zanobini.

The sugar content of the pears coming from Lake County was very good, she added.

A lot of small fruit is not a very good thing, especially when a major market for that size of fruit is imposing new tariffs, Elkins said. In March of 2009, Mexico imposed a 20-percent increased tariff on 90 different U.S. Products, pears included.

According to the 2009 US Department of Agriculture Global Agriculture Information Network’s Report, known as the GAIN report, Mexico is the sixth largest market for U.S. fruit and vegetable juices. Pear is a main ingredient in many fruit drink mixtures.

The Mexican government imposed this huge tariff in retaliation over the U.S. neglect of a treaty provision from NAFTA, which would have allowed more Mexican trucks to import goods into the country, according to the report. The ban on Mexican trucks did have the potential to cost produce farmers money.

“There was not a viable market for small fruit and the prices for small fruit were terrible,” said Elkins. “Bigger pears made decent money for the most part, but overall prices were negatively affected by the glut of small fruit. The canneries did not want the small fruit – either they were diverted to the fresh market or dumped. The tariff on Mexican shipments eliminated a large market for small sizes.”

“That really hurt,” said Scully about the 20-percent Mexican tariff. “And here we are with a lot of small pears.”

Added Zanobini, “Since we collect statistics on what went to market – fresh, cannery or other – we do not have any idea on what was dumped. I believe if more small fruit was not harvested or sent to market then overall growers would have had better returns.”

Elkins explained that the cost to pick, transport, pack and store the pears is much higher than the fruit ends up being worth.

However, when it came to pricing for last year's pears, local organic farmer Maile Field reported having another “fantastic year,” with organic prices holding strong despite the weak economy.

“Lake County prices were higher than prices on the river because our quality was better,” she said. “Both Albertson's and Safeway were demanding our fruit specifically because of this and we were getting $6 to $8 a box more than Sacramento,” Field said.

As far as the upcoming pear season goes, Mother Nature makes the call.

Zanobini said the pear regions have had a pretty good winter, including high quality cold hours.

“After last year’s small pears, maybe they will prune better – it is really hard to tell at this point,” he said. “I’d hate to forecast on something we have no clue about.”

Regardless of what the season ends up being like, Scully is proud to be a major component in the economic health of Lake County.

“Many pear growers in the community have lived on their land for three or four generations – we are all family farmers,” said Scully. “We toil hard, but we love the life we have.”

For more information, visit www.calpear.com , www.scullypacking.com and http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu .

E-mail Tera deVroede at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

The 2009 Lake County, Calif., pear crop was a good one except for an abundance of small fruit. But organic growers like Maile Field and Lars Crail had good returns on their fruit. Photo by Maile Field.

SACRAMENTO – The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will address federal and state water delivery allocations at its upcoming meeting on March 24.

The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 ‘N’ St., main auditorium, Sacramento.

Regional Director Donald R. Glaser, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, will provide remarks.

“California’s water challenges continue despite recent winter weather,” said CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura. “Farmers need to hear from federal and state officials on the future water outlook and the proactive steps government agencies are taking to assist during this difficult time.”

The meeting will also include presentations by Thomas Birmingham, general manager, Westlands Water District; and Daniel Nelson, executive director, San Luis and Delta Mendota Water Authority.

The board also will continue its dialogue with Australian Water Officials from the State of Victoria with presentations by David Downie, Department of Sustainability and Environment, and Murray Smith, Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project.

“Misperceptions continue to dominate the headlines,” said Al Montna, president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. “The crisis is real. Farmers are going bankrupt and farm workers are losing their jobs – we need action by federal and state water agencies.”

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture advises the governor and secretary of food and agriculture of findings as they impact agriculture and consumer needs. The board conducts forums that bring together local, state, and federal government officials, agricultural representatives, and citizens to discuss current issues of concern to California agriculture.

All California State Board of Food and Agriculture meetings are open to the media and general public.

LAKE COUNTY – Most Lake County residents have seen the popular bumper sticker, “Lake County, CA – We love it!”, and may have paused for a moment to nod in agreement.

The reasons to love Lake County are many, but one of the most obvious ones is the rural charm it has retained. This is largely due to the fact that Lake County was, and still is, a significant agricultural center. This is most apparent each spring when the pear blossoms line local roads in Big Valley, Scotts Valley and Upper Lake.

Few people are aware that one of the historical backbones of our local economy, the pear industry, needs all of our cooperation to remain viable. Fresh and canned pears from outside of Lake County are available at local supermarkets year round for the same price as local ones, and most people never think of the far reaching effects of their shopping decisions. If we as consumers make a conscious effort to support our local agriculture, pear orchards will continue to be a part of Lake County.

Besides purchasing local fruit and fruit products, and encouraging others to do so as well, we can learn what is required to grow a crop of tasty, sun kissed Lake County pears.

In response to public concerns about the use of pesticides, the pear industry and public granting agencies have invested nearly half a million dollars to date on research and education to reduce pesticide use and is committed to ongoing funding toward that goal. These efforts have resulted in a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Stewardship Award to the California pear industry in the 1990s and two California Department of Pesticide Regulation Integrated Pest Management Innovator Awards to Lake County pear growers in the 2000s.

The result of this investment is that pear growers have implemented nonchemical approaches to pest control. A major example is mating disruption for codling moth, the main pest in pear orchards that causes “wormy” fruit. This technique uses the female insect’s own scent, which is diffused through the orchard to confuse the males and prevent them from finding the females.

Mating disruption has been highly successful in Lake County for nearly 20 years, but it will not continue to work where codling moth “havens” build up in adjacent unmanaged backyard trees or abandoned orchards. Female moths that are already mated fly into mating disrupted orchards from these unmanaged trees and lay hundreds of eggs. This makes a big percentage of the fruit unfit for sale or results in a return to reliance on the pesticide approach to control the pests.

While codling moth is the major insect pest in pear orchards, it is by no means the only one. Pears are subject to many pests, such as blister mite, rust mite, pear psylla, oriental fruit moth and to fungal and bacterial diseases, such as pear scab and fire blight. All of these problems reduce quantity and quality of marketable fruit.

As long as there are unmanaged pear and apple trees near commercial orchards that serve as pest hosts, non chemical (“soft”) pest management techniques such as mating disruption fail and orchardists must use pesticides to save the crop.

As concerned citizens of Lake County, especially those who own property near commercial orchards, it is important to be proactive and do our part to lessen the need for pesticides by being responsible owners of our own fruit trees. In fact, it is not just the right thing to do as a responsible member of our community, it is the law.

Realizing that the very survival of the local pear industry was at stake, the Lake County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance in March 2009 mandating that all pear and apple trees within a quarter mile of commercial orchards be managed regarding pest control, or they can be removed at the owner’s expense.

While the ordinance gives the agricultural commissioner the option of ordering trees removed, the County is willing to make every effort to help home owners in the vicinity of orchards comply, realizing its ultimate goal is to protect the pear industry and to encourage more environmentally friendly farm practices at the same time. This is certainly in everyone’s best interest.

The new ordinance defines “unmanaged” as being “unpruned prior to the end of full bloom and having had no effective pest management activity employed.” Proof of management includes paid invoices documenting pest management activities, such as to control codling moth, oriental fruit moth, fire blight, pear scab, pear rust mites, and pear blister mites It includes entire trees, as well as re-growth from previously cut trees.

In order to educate residents about the ordinance and to promote voluntary cooperation and support for its goals, The Unmanaged Apple and Pear Tree Outreach Program (UAPTOP) has been launched to encourage residents with unmanaged apple and pear trees within one-quarter mile of commercial pear orchards to remove these trees, perhaps replacing them with other types of fruit or shade trees.

To show their thanks for voluntary cooperation, local pear shippers have offered to provide affected residents one box of pears for each tree removed up to two trees.

For residents who would like to keep their trees, the UAPTOP team will also be providing education on how to safely and effectively control pests to keep their trees from being a nuisance to neighboring orchards and to improve the quality of their fruit. Stay tuned for more information on the program as it develops.

By participating in the UAPTOP you will learn how to properly care for your own apple or pear tree and help Lake County’s pear growers survive and preserve a way of life that is such an important part of Lake County ambiance and history.

For more information about the new Unmanaged Apple and Pear Tree Outreach Program, or for help with caring for your apple and pear trees, contact UC Cooperative Extension for the free Agricultural and Natural Resources Publication #7258, Apples and Pears; Calendar of Operations for Home Gardeners, or speak with your local UC Master Gardener at 707- 263- 6838, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . More information on the program will also be available soon on the website: http://celake.ucdavis.edu .

Rachel Elkins is pomology farm advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension, Lake and Mendocino Counties, and Gabriele O’Neill is the UAPTOP program representative.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Local foods movements are becoming more popular across the country as people return to a desire to eat healthier and know where their food is grown.

The Monday event, held at the Lake County Fairgrounds, featured discussions about the nutritional benefits of buying and using locally grown goods in catering, restaurants and schools, as well as an exploration of how to develop relationships between the farmers, restaurants, schools, and the local distributors and transportation sources needed to get the goods to these outlets.

California Secretary of Agriculture A.G. Kawamura made a special appearance at the event and offered the opening remarks.

He pointed out that locally grown and consumed produce is both economically and environmentally more viable than mass production and shipping goods long distances.

When asked about what he sees as problems for the future of agriculture, Kawamura pointed to water, invasive pests and labor issues.

Dr. Shermain Hardesty, director of the University of California Small Farm Program, explained how that, while most farmers did some sort of wholesale, retail or farmers markets, there also are options for farm-to-institution and farm-to-Internet marketing.

Susan Jen, director of the Health Leadership Network – the group that coordinated the forum – discussed how more children are becoming obese and staying obese throughout life. Once called adult onset diabetes, type two diabetes is now becoming a childhood disease.

During an afternoon roundtable discussion on grower and buyer needs, several local growers spoke of the history of Lake County Agriculture and gave personal anecdotes about growing and working in the county.

Nearly all of the crops in Lake County are specialty crops – for example, walnuts, pears and grapes – and the county has received a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant to promote their production.

The grant is designed to benefit Lake County residents and farmers, and was awarded to Lake County Public Health on behalf of the Health Leadership Network.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Sean Carney and the Carney Band will visit Upper Lake on Monday, March 22, 2010. Courtesy photo.

UPPER LAKE – Sean Carney and his band, based in Ohio but touring internationally, start a West Coast tour on Monday, March 22, with a “Monday Blues” appearance at the Blue Wing Saloon and Café in Upper Lake.

The well-known blues harmonica virtuoso Phil Berkowitz will join the band for this appearance and throughout the west coast tour.

Following their appearance in Upper Lake, the band will be featured at popular venues from San Diego to San Francisco to Tacoma before heading for Florida and then a two month European tour.

“It’s a mark of progress for Lake County on the blues music scene that a band of this stature looks forward to making an appearance here,” said Blue Wing owner Bernie Butcher.

Blues Review Magazine has called Sean Carney “a one-man ambassador for the blues” who has jammed with many of the greats and taken his band all over the world to wide acclaim.

“He plays a mean hollow-bodied guitar, too,” the magazine added.

In 2010, Carney and his band will perform in twelve countries, including debut concerts in Mexico and the Czech Republic as well as return engagements in France and Switzerland.

With four CDs to his credit, Phil Berkowitz is a master of the blues harmonica and an accomplished vocalist who has been energizing the San Francisco Bay Area blues scene for more than a decade.

Phil founded the High Rollers in 1996 and plays regularly in clubs and blues jams throughout the area. His love of the blues has also taken him to New Orleans, Memphis, and other cities where he has jammed with some of the best players in those cities.

The Carney Band and Berkowitz will be performing from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, March 22.

As always, there is no cover charge at the Blue Wing Monday Blues, but dinner reservations are suggested at 707-275-2233 for this special date.