LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Aug. 15, 14 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. 

The “Next Generation” is the theme for farming families in this year’s program. Diane Henderson, who is the fourth-generation of her family to farm pears in Kelseyville, ran through the history of her family’s orchard with its 134-year-old trees.

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. 

Panella took the class to one of his orchards that was being skillfully picked by workers and forklifted by his 12-year-old daughter, Audrey, for transport to the packing shed. 

At Scully Packing Co., founders Phil and Toni Scully, sons Pat and Andy, both co-owners and company managers, and granddaughter Hanna, the newest addition to their sales team, welcomed the group for an in-depth tour of their shed in full operation. 

For most in the group, it was their first time seeing the start to end cycle of the pears from 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 history of the pear industry to date, current marketing conditions and challenges, and labor, including the shed’s innovative program that allows them to hire 16- to 18-year-old high school students. 

Deputy Lake County Agricultural Commissioner Sam Upton began the afternoon presentations highlighting his office’s regulatory functions and ways they partner with and help farmers.

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 and how programs like 4-H and FFA enhance youth learning and prepare them for working in agriculture. 

He added his personal insights into ranching with family seven days a week.

Broc Zoller, PhD, aka The Pear Doctor, highlighted his agricultural research and integrated pest management (IPM) in pears. Son Zach Zoller also spoke on solar farms and aiming towards becoming a full-time farmer. 

Recurring themes with the next generation were sustainability, food safety, worker safety, regulatory issues, and the difficulty of farming pears.

Class members appreciated getting a full scope of the pear market and the many impacts on it, from the pests in the field to the vagaries of market forces influencing wholesale prices which in turn affect what the farmer receives at the end of harvest. The shed tour and the many intricacies of managing it was a highlight. 

Class participant Margaux Kambara summed up the day with, “I liked getting the big picture of why pears are so unique, and I can see that the families involved make it special.”

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, Colleen Rentsch, Toni Scully, Bonnie Sears, Katherine VanDerWall, and Sharron Zoller.

AgVenture is made possible with funding from individual donors and program sponsors like Bella Vista Farming Company, who provides van transport for program tours.

The next AgVenture seminar will be in September focusing on Lake County’s wine grape industry.