AGRICULTURE

HERNANDEZ NAMED TO FAIR BOARD

Herman Hernandez, a Russian River-area business leader, has been appointed

to the Sonoma County Fair Board, filling the position held by Cam Parry, who

resigned after serving for seven years.

Supervisor Mike Reilly appointed Hernandez to the 15-member board that sets

policy and guidelines for the annual summer fair and the 185-acre fairgrounds

in Santa Rosa.

Hernandez was raised in San Francisco and graduated from Sacred Heart High

School before becoming a full-time resident of the Russian River area in 1970.

He earned an associate of science degree from Santa Rosa Junior College before

going into business with his father. Together they started Hernandez Realty in

1972, which continues today as Frank Howard Allen Realtors.

Hernandez is a former director of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce,

past president of the Guerneville Rotary Club, a director of the Russian River

Recreation and Park District, treasurer of the El Molino Little League,

director of the El Molino High School Booster Club and president of the

Russian River Realtor Chapter.

ORGANIC OLIVE RAISING COURSE IN SR

A one-day course in organic olive production will be held May 27 at the

Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa.

The UC Cooperative Extension, UC Sustainable Agriculture Program and Santa

Rosa Junior College are sponsoring the educational program, which is open to

anyone interested in growing olive trees.

The course will cover a number of different topics and feature speakers who

are experts in the field. The topics range from site selection for an olive

orchard to controlling the most common insects and diseases in olives.

Speakers include Sonoma County horticulture adviser Paul Vossen; Laura Mendes,

sustainable agriculture instructor at SRJC; and Shari DeJoseph, manager of the

McEvoy olive orchards in Petaluma.

The session at the Burbank Center will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Then

participants will travel to SRJC's Shone Farm to visit the farm's high-density

organic olive orchard.

The course registration fee is $60. Advanced registration is requested.

Checks payable to UC Regents should be mailed to Organic Olive Production

Short Course, UC Cooperative Extension, 133 Aviation Boulevard, Suite 109,

Santa Rosa 95403.

Further information is available from Vossen at 565-2621.

KUNDES TO BE HONORED AT BENEFIT

Two of the Russian River Valley's most prominent grape growers, Richard and

Saralee Kunde, will be toasted at a June 11 benefit for the Warren G. Dutton

Jr. Agricultural Pavilion, under construction at Santa Rosa Junior College's

Shone Farm near Forestville.

The goal is to raise $1 million to furnish and equip the Dutton Pavilion,

an integrated facility for agriculture, winemaking, culinary arts and natural

resources at the 365-acre farm on Eastside Road near Forestville.

The AgStravaganza, open to the public, will be held at the Kunde family's

Richard's Grove and Saralee's Vineyard, a private vineyard estate on Slusser

Road near Windsor. The cost is $65. For tickets call the SRJC Foundation at

527-4348.

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