LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County’s chapter of California Women for Agriculture, or CWA, wrapped another successful AgVenture class series with a morning visit to Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill to learn about olive growing from pruning to harvest. 

Proprietor Paul Manuel greeted the participants and led them through the groves explaining the cultivation of the different varieties followed by Emilio de la Cruz, mill master, giving an in-depth tour of the milling process. The visit finished with an olive oil tasting. 
 
After transferring to the Finley Grange Hall, Lake County Agricultural Commissioner Katherine Vanderwall opened the rest of the program, explaining the importance of agriculture in Lake County’s economy. 

Kaela Cooper, from Trans Ova Genetics, followed, captivating all with how modern biotechnology is improving genetics in beef and dairy cows, thus increasing food production.  

An immigration and ag labor panel comprised of Bryan Little, chief operating officer of Farm Employers Labor Service; David Weiss, farm labor contractor and owner/operator of Bella Vista Farming Co.; Bonnie Sears, office manager at Beckstoffer Vineyards Red Hills; and Robert Irwin, owner/operator of Kaos Sheep Outfit gave an overview of seasonal guest worker programs and regulatory challenges, and the ongoing need for skilled agricultural workers in California.  

Farm labor panel members Octavio Jimenez, a foreman at Scully Packing Co.; Juan Cardenas, a supervisor at Beckstoffer Vineyards Red Hills; and Enrique Arroyo, a supervisor at Scully Packing Co., shared their journeys to the US and their road to legality as well as how they each worked their way up in their companies to positions of leadership and great responsibility.  

Recurring themes throughout the day were the increasingly restrictive regulatory environment and the misconception that farm work is not skilled labor, when in fact farms and ranches rely on able, experienced help to produce food for the state and nation.  
  
CWA said feedback from this year’s participants for the entire program was universal: all gained a broader perspective of the scope of Lake County’s agriculture industry and of its economic importance. Many will be applying their new knowledge in their own departments or spheres of influence and to interact with farmers and ranchers more effectively. 

“The AgVenture Program helped me understand the challenges in agriculture; I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” said Becky Salato, superintendent of the Konocti Unified School District.

Participation in AgVenture is by application and invitation. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to be put on a waitlist if you are interested in receiving an application and being considered. 

The planning process will begin in March of 2026.