Miranda Wanzer and her sheep are preparing for the Lake County Fair. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Hi, my name is Miranda Wanzer. I am 14 years old and this is my sixth year in the Scotts Valley 4-H Club.

I am taking a market swine and lamb to the Lake County Fair along with my breeding ewe and my dog, Brody.

Like all of Lake County’s 4-Hers, I have been working extremely hard this summer to make my market animals the best meat quality that they can be.

The 4-H program helps youth achieve and understand the importance of developing responsibility, life skills, ability to work with others, and to grow into a well-rounded person.

It offers a wide variety of projects and ways to achieve their goals to be a more responsible and a better individual.

One of these projects includes the animal projects. The animal species that they raise can vary between rabbits and poultry to sheep, swine, goats, and steer.

Through the ups and downs in raising our projects, us 4-Hers strive to make our animals the best that they can be for your convenience.

I, on behalf of my fellow 4-hers, would like to invite you to the Lake County Junior Livestock Auction on Sept. 4. A free buyer’s luncheon will be held at 10:30 a.m. and the auction starts at 1 p.m.

Please come and support local hard working 4-Hers and purchase high quality meat.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Vehicle Amnesty Days will be held around Lake County starting Friday, Sept. 10.

This program is available for the unincorporated areas of Lake County and both cities.

This is an excellent opportunity to get rid of those junk cars and parts, and help Keep Lake County beautiful.

Extra motors (without oil), vehicle parts and batteries can also be brought to the amnesty sites for free disposal. However, the vehicle cannot have extra tires or garbage and no motor homes, school busses or travel trailers will be accepted.

The Vehicle Amnesty Days begin on Friday, Sept. 10, and Saturday, Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Middletown Towing and Vehicle Dismantlers, located at 15970 Polk Ave. off Highway 53 in Clearlake. Middletown Towing will accept large trucks and school buses.

The second Vehicle Amnesty Days event will be held on Friday, Oct. 1, and Saturday, Oct. 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Last Mile Auto Dismantlers on 1205 West Highway 20 in Upper Lake.

The final Vehicle Amnesty Days event will be held Friday, Nov 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kelseyville Auto Salvage on 7666 Highway 29 west of Kit’s Corner in Kelseyville.

If you do not have a title for the vehicle, that’s OK. They will take it anyway. If your vehicle is not registered the Department of Motor Vehicles in Lakeport will provide a no-fee one trip permit per vehicle for the amnesty day you choose.

Last Mile Auto Dismantlers, north of Upper Lake on Highway 20, has agreed to provide discount tows for this event in their area. Call 707-275-2259 to set your appointment.

The Lake County Code Enforcement Division and the California Highway Patrol are coordinating the event. If you have questions, call Lake County Code Enforcement at 707-263-2309.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Hunger Task Force will offer canning lessons on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

The canning of fruits and vegetables will be taught at the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church, located at the corner of Third and Church.

The session will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Preregistration is required and the class size is limited to 12.

The cost is $20, of which $10 will be refunded the day of the class. Please call 707-277-9227 to register.

Pears and tomatoes will be featured, as those are the most abundant crops in Lake County at this time of year.

The Hunger Task Force feels that canning is one of the best ways to take advantage of the abundance of crops, but is becoming a lost art.

All participants should come dressed for a hands-on experience in each step of the process.

Please do not wear sandals, and remove all rings prior to arrival.

Upon completion of the lessons, each participating household will be given a water bath canner, a book, and a jar lifter, unless they are repeating the class.

Please, no children.

Please call as soon as possible to register.

Corey Thomas shows off the turkeys he's raised in 4-H. Courtesy photo.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Hello, my name is Corey Thomas, age 15, sophomore at Kelseyville High School. I’m in Kelseyville 4-H and participating in the poultry project where I raise turkeys, two of which will be going to the Lake County Fair for showmanship and auction.

This was my first year in 4-H and my first time raising turkeys.

With the help of my group leader, Karen Hayes, I purchased my first turkeys and raised them from week-old poults.

My family and I also decided that besides raising the popular broad-breasted birds that we all eat at Thanksgiving, we should start a couple of flocks of rare American heritage turkey breeds whose existence is threatened because they are no longer grown commercially.

We now have a flock each of Narragansetts and Bourbon Reds. These birds grow more slowly than broad-breasted turkeys and if our flocks breed successfully, some of these beautiful birds may be available next year.

Diane Henderson, third from left, speaks to the inaugural AgVenture class on Friday, Aug. 13, 2010. Photo by Paula Bryant.

LAKE COUNTY – Twelve community leaders from a wide range of leadership positions in Lake County have been selected to participate in a new public program.

AgVenture, an innovative concept in agricultural education designed for non-farming community leaders who wish to understand more fully the workings of the local agricultural industry, has been launched by the Lake County Chapter of California Women for Agriculture.

Members of the first class include Jackie Armstrong, Health Leadership Network; Scott DeLeon, director of the Lake County Water Resources department; Terry Dereniuk, owner of Cat’s Paw Vineyard, Kelseyville; Anthony Farrington, Lake County Supervisor; Ted Herrera, president of the LAVA Center, Nice; and Wally Holbrook, Lake County Superintendent of Schools-elect.

Also taking part are Cathy Koehler, executive director of the Lake County Land Trust and co-director of the UC Davis McLaughlin Reserve; Elizabeth Larson, editor and publisher of Lake County News; Fiona Ma, California assemblywoman, representing the 12th district (San Francisco); Ray Ruminski, director of the Lake County Environmental Health department; Debra Sommerfield, deputy county administrator for marketing and economic development; and Ruth Valenzuela, field representative for Assemblyman Wes Chesbro in Lake and Mendocino counties.

Modeled after long-standing and successful programs in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, the AgVenture program in its initial year will consist of once-a-month, day-long seminars held over a period of three months. Each day’s session will focus on a different major commercial crop grown in Lake County and feature speakers and site visits.

The sessions will cover such topics as economics, labor, history, marketing, water and land use, ag tourism and sustainability. Class members will gain a broad knowledge about agriculture and farming in general, and more specifically about the heritage, culture, economy and business of local agriculture.

Community leaders were invited to participate and the members of the first class were selected based on their interest in the program and being in a professional position to help maintain a viable agricultural industry in Lake County.

The first in the series of seminars, held Aug. 13, focused on the pear industry in Lake County, with orchard and packing house tours. Speakers included Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown, who gave an overview of agriculture and its importance to the Lake County economy, with a discussion of pears, winegrapes and walnuts and other commercial crops.

Rep. Mike Thompson discussed invasive pest legislation, international trade issues, food safety and immigration. Rachel Elkins, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor, covered cultural practices, the abandoned tree ordinance and water issues. Jim Bengard of Bengard Marketing informed the class about the marketing of pears, how the grower and packer derive their income, and working with foreign markets.

Diane Henderson of Henderson Orchards, Kelseyville, provided a tour and discuss cultural practices, integrated pest management and sustainability, regulatory compliance and the challenges faced by pear growers.

Toni Scully of Scully Packing, Finley, talked about issues faced within the pear industry and provide an escorted tour of a packing house in full operation.

The second session will focus on water and watershed issues and the winegrape industry, while presentations during the third seminar will discuss the walnut industry, farmers markets and the evolution of crops grown in Lake County.

Generous sponsors for the 2010 series of seminars include the Lake County Winegrape Commission, Adobe Creek Packing, Umpqua Bank, Lake County Winery Association, Woody’s Café, Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon, and Scully Packing. Additional support has been donated by Gregory Graham Winery, Lake County Wine Studio, Bengard Marketing, Lake County Pear Association, Kelseyville Pear Festival Committee, and Elizabeth Davis, Realtor.

Transportation for the field trips and site visits is being provided by the Military Funeral Honors Team van with support from the Lake County Farm Bureau.

The AgVenture program coordinator is Annette Hopkins, a graduate of the Santa Cruz Farm Bureau’s “Focus Agriculture” program.

Members of her steering committee are Toni Scully, president of Lake County CWA, Paula Bryant, Janine Grothe, Shannon Gunier, and Diane Henderson. Other members are Michelle Scully, Margaret Eutenier, and Wilda Shock, all past presidents of the Lake County Chapter of CWA.

More information about California Women for Agriculture is available by writing to P.O. Box 279, Finley, CA 95435.

Erin Evans shows her market lambs. Courtesy photo.

ANDERSON MARCH, Calif. – Hi my name is Erin Evans. I live in Lower Lake. I am 9 years old.

I have been in the Anderson Marsh 4-H Club for three years now, and this is my first year in the sheep project. I am taking two market lambs, two breeding sheep, four pictures and one baked thing, probably cookies.

The projects I take are sheep, goats, dog care, cooking, graphic design, arts and crafts, and horse.

I am the fourth generation in my family to show at the Lake County Fair. Going to the fair is one of my favorite things to do, especially if I can show my animals.

My two market lambs are Davis and Denis and my breeding sheep are Aggie and Rosie. I got Aggie and Davis from UC Davis. Denis and Rosie I raised from birth.

What I like about sheep is how cute they are when they are baby lambs. Some of the things I have learned about sheep are how they digest food, cuts of meat, they don’t like to eat when it is hot and how to care for newborn lambs. I feed my lambs twice a day and walk them daily.

I also care for my horse Cleo and my goat Nibbles. In my spare time I like to read, swim, play basketball, and go camping and skiing.

In the future, I would like to go Cow Palace and the state fair with my sheep. I would like to go to U.C. Davis College to be a pediatric nurse.