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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Aug. 16, the first day of this year’s AgVenture Program, community leaders were given a deep dive into the pear industry with tours of a local pear orchard and a working pear packing facility.
Gregory Panella provided an overview of pear farming, including cultural practices, integrated pest management (or IPM), sustainability and regulatory compliance. He proudly carries on the pioneering Henderson and Stokes families’ pear farming tradition, being the fifth generation to farm orchards that Lewis Henderson began planting in 1891.
Panella, with daughter Audrey alongside, gave a tour of his original orchard where class members had the rare opportunity to watch skilled pear pickers up close as they deftly moved up and down ladders with large picking bags over their shoulders.
After departing the orchard, the class headed to Scully Packing Co. for a guided tour of a local pear shed abuzz with activity. Scully family members Phil, Toni, Pat, Andy and Hannah each shared insights into pear harvest and what it takes to successfully run a pear packing operation, then guided class members up along catwalks to watch the hive of conveyors, packing lines, and forklifts.
The tour ended in a huge cold storage room where palletized boxes are precooled for shipment to markets across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
After the tour, Pat Scully explained a range of sales and marketing strategies for fresh pears, noting Scully Packing Co. ships 40% of the state’s Bartlett pear crop destined for the fresh market — retailers, wholesalers and brokers.
Overall, Lake County grows 25% of all California pears.
At the end of the day, Broc Zoller PhD, a plant pathologist and licensed pest control adviser, provided class members an opportunity to examine a comprehensive collection of examples of the damage pests and diseases can do to pears and pear trees.
Zoller explained how the pear industry leverages private- and government-funded research, integrated pest management techniques, and cultural practices to control these threats.
The class also heard about the history of farming in Lake County from Myron Holdenried of the pioneering farming family, as well as the vital role commercial agriculture plays in Lake County’s economy today from Agricultural Commissioner Katherine VanDerWall.
Launched in 2010, AgVenture is an innovative agricultural educational program designed for non-farming community members and others who wish to understand the vital contributions of agriculture to Lake County’s quality of life.
The program’s steering committee, which includes Katy Evans, Rebecca Harper, Colleen Rentsch, Toni Scully, Bonnie Sears, Debra Sommerfield, Katherine VanDerWall and Sharron Zoller, wishes to thank all program sponsors who make AgVenture possible, with special recognition to Bella Vista Farming Co. for providing transportation for all of the tours.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Over the past week, cooler temperatures have prevailed in Lake County. There were even small showers during that time.
While temperatures are forecast to be warmer this week, they will not reach the levels seen in July.
In an update on the holiday weekend weather, AccuWeather expert meteorologists said to expect temperatures that run up to 10 degrees above the historical average.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Grady Gilman says some areas are experiencing a 35-degree temperature swing in the span of one week.
The warm pattern follows cool conditions that affected much of the region this past weekend, which included some snow for the high country of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades, Accuweather reported.
“An unusually strong storm brought unseasonably cool weather to much of the West coast late last week,” explained Gilman. “Temperatures were 20-25 degrees below historical averages and even set daily record low maximums.”
The high temperature in Sacramento failed to reach 80 degrees on Friday, marking one of the coolest August days on record, Accuweather reported.
“A noticeable warmup will begin early in the new week and peak midweek as an area of high pressure builds in,” said Gilman. “Some locales can see an increase in afternoon high temperatures of up to 35 degrees in just a handful of days.”
The National Weather Service reported that conditions this week will peak in the low 90s during the day and the low 60s at night.
By Labor Day, daytime temperatures will drop into the low to mid 80s and the high 50s at night.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
California is the first state in the nation to own, operate, and deploy a C-130 Hercules airtanker to fight wildfires and protect communities, the first of seven aircraft that the state is retrofitting and deploying.
Capable of flying 800 miles with a payload of 4,000 gallons of fire retardant, the C-130H now has the greatest speed and range of CAL FIRE’s airborne fleet.
“The climate crisis has made wildfires more destructive, and we need to match these threats with new resources. This aircraft will beef up Cal Fires’ ability to hit fires earlier and harder, better protecting Californians,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “It’s part of our overall strategy that adds more boots on the ground and state-of-the-art technologies to Cal Fire’s world-leading capabilities, along with our huge ramp up in forest management.”
Newsom — in partnership with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Representative Ken Calvert — spearheaded this initiative for California to take on ownership of these aircraft, speed up the time to have them flying firefighting operations in California, and expand Cal Fire’s firefighting capabilities.
“With the completed transfer of federal airtankers to Cal Fire, we are equipping California’s firefighters with significant new capabilities to protect our communities and save lives,” said Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA). “Since entering the Senate, I’ve made pushing the Air Force to complete this transfer a top priority, and I passed legislation to get it done as quickly as possible. Now, California will be able to respond to wildfires more quickly and effectively as we face drier conditions and increasingly devastating fires.”
The journey to bring C-130H aircraft into service as Cal Fire airtankers began in 2018 when California secured approval to acquire seven from the United States Coast Guard. After lengthy delays, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act on Dec. 14, 2023, enabling the transfer of aircraft from the federal government to California, where Cal Fire will instead complete the aircraft’s retrofitting.
“As wildfire frequency and severity increase across California, the introduction of this aircraft will undoubtedly play a crucial role in helping us achieve our initial attack goals, particularly in our efforts to keep 95% of fires at 10 acres or less,” said Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler.
The United States Air Force and the United States Coast Guard played a crucial role in maintaining these aircraft, including the replacement of the inner and outer wing boxes and providing essential spare parts.
Once at Cal Fire’s Aviation Management Unit, the aircraft underwent significant modifications, including the installation of a 4,000-gallon tank and a specialized retardant delivery system.
Even before this, California had built up the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world. These new C-130Hs will be strategically located throughout the state at Cal Fire bases to mobilize when needed, adding to the helicopters, other aircraft, and firefighters ready to protect Californians.
This follows California’s leadership in utilizing innovation and technology to fight fires smarter, leveraging artificial intelligence, satellites and more.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
“We all know the seriousness of the wildfire threat in California,” Sen. Dodd said. “We must do everything in our power to prevent and prepare for them. That includes having the best tools in our toolbox to attack the problem. This proposal will help our communities become safer and more resilient. I thank Assembly members for their support. ”
Under Sen. Dodd’s proposal, Senate Bill 310, the process for tribal governments to participate in the time-tested wildfire prevention technique would be streamlined.
Instead of seeking separate approval from the state for each individual burn, the Secretary of Natural Resources would be authorized to reach agreements with California Native American tribes to waive state permitting and regulatory requirements related to cultural burning within the tribe’s ancestral territories.
Senate Bill 310 is supported by the Karuk Tribe and the California Farm Bureau, among many others. It passed the Assembly by unanimous vote and heads next to Gov. Gavin Newsom for a signature following a Senate concurrence vote.
“Native Americans have been conducting controlled burns with great success for thousands of years,” Sen. Dodd said. “My bill will help tribes participate in this time-tested form of wildfire prevention on tribal lands. It is an important piece of the puzzle for keeping California safe.”
Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Yolo, Sonoma, Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties.