LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Chapter of California Women for Agriculture is pleased to announce its 2019 AgVenture class.

Twelve community leaders from a range of positions were selected to participate in the tenth anniversary year of this popular program.

Members of the 2019 class include: Lake County Planner Byron Turner; city of Lakeport Finance Director Nicholas Walker; Lake County Tax Administrator Patrick Sullivan; retired Lake County Fair Chief Executive Officer Debbie Strickler; Hope Rising Lake County Executive Director Allison Panella; Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Executive Director Eliot Hurwitz; Deputy County Administrative Officer Susan Parker; Twin Pine Casino Hotel Director Larry Galupe; Beth Hampson of the Lake County Office of Education; Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Conservationist Ut Huynh; and Jessica Pyska, who serves as the chair of economic development for the Cobb Area Council and works as a garden educator for the Middletown Unified School District.

AgVenture is an innovative concept in agricultural education designed for non-farming community leaders and others who wish to understand the vital role that local agriculture plays in Lake County’s economy.

AgVenture sessions cover topics including labor, history, marketing, water and land use, regulations, pest management and sustainability.

Students will learn about the pear industry on Aug. 9, the winegrape industry on Sept. 13, walnuts and livestock on Oct. 11, and olives and labor on Nov. 8.

AgVenture participants will tour a local pear orchard, a packing shed, an olive mill, a walnut orchard, a livestock operation, vineyards and wineries.

The Steering Committee hopes AgVenture participants will gain a broad yet locally oriented understanding of the agricultural industry.

The AgVenture program Steering Committee, all CWA members, are Annette Hopkins, Toni Scully, Diane Henderson, Terry Dereniuk and Brenna Sullivan.