The Good Stuff – Future Farmers Of America

In this episode of The Good Stuff presented by the Sonoma County Winegrowers, hosts Virginie Boone and Karissa Kruse talk to Emily Lokka, Agriculture Teacher at Analy High School, Bailey Cassady, North Coast FFA Region President, member of the AHS Grapevine Pruning team and Harlyn Menendez, Analy High School student, FFA member, member of the AHS Grapevine Pruning Team about Future Farmers of America!

About Emily Lokka

Emily Lokka is currently an agriculture teacher at Analy High School, and has deep roots in ag and education. Growing up in Oregon on a sheep and grass hay farm, she is a proud product of 4-H and FFA programs. Emily fell in love with showing and judging large animal livestock at a competitive level, which she continued throughout her childhood and into college at Chico State. After moving to Sonoma County with her husband, Sonoma County native, Riggs Lokka, Emily reflected on her passions and began teaching at El Molino High School. In the years since, Emily has worked with colleagues to form the new Sebastopol-Analy Ag Program and strengthen ag pathway classes. She coaches students to show animals and compete in livestock judging and public speaking. This past February, she led the students of Sebastopol FFA to a state championship in the 2025 FFA Grapevine Pruning Championship, held at Fresno State. She recently received the Outstanding Leader in Agricultural Education award from the Sonoma County Harvest Fair in 2025!

About Bailey Cassidy

Bailey is a senior who is currently serving as the North Coast FFA Region President and is an officer (student advisor) in Sebastopol FFA. She's a key member of the pruning team and has done many public speaking contests and completed leadership conferences at high levels (state and national). She shows market hogs at the Sonoma County Fair and has interned with SRJC Shone Farm for her student SAE projects.

About Harlyn Menendez

Harlyn is a Sophomore student who is extremely active in our chapter in many ways. She just won the Saralee Sonoma County Pruning Contest. She won the Ulises Valdez Sr Award for the top overall pruner and won the very first Kirk Lokka Memorial Award for having the highest quality vines. Outside of pruning, she is a key member on our livestock judging team, competes in public speaking contests, and attends almost all of our chapter events and volunteer work. For her SAE project, she has a job at Sonoma Equine Rescue Rehab & Adoption, works with her mom at Farmer's Markets, and volunteers at the Humane Society Youth Program.

About Future Farmers of America (FFA)

FFA is a national youth organization dedicated to preparing students for leadership and careers in agriculture. Through hands-on learning, classroom instruction, and real-world experiences, FFA helps students develop skills in agriculture, science, business, and public speaking while fostering personal growth, responsibility, and a strong connection to their communities.

And finally, Virginie and Karissa share their Tuesday Night wine picks!

 

At The Table – All Things Chocolate

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Host Clark Wolf talks with Jeff & Susan Mall, Co-Owners of Volo Chocolate, about what they did before they got into making chocolate, how they got into the chocolate business, their style and the inspiration behind it. They also talk about the changes in the chocolate economy, other chocolate producing scandals, their "Chocolate Holiday" offerings and where you can find all of their products!

 

Ask The Expert: Raise The Roof with Letitia Hanke – Women’s History Month

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In today’s episode, Letitia Hanke, CEO of ARS Roofing and Founder and Executive Director of The LIME Foundation talks about Women’s History Month!

Did you know Women’s History Month has roots right here in Sonoma County? It was women in Santa Rosa who helped spark what would become a national movement. In 1978, local leaders organized one of the first Women’s History Week celebrations, creating a space to honor the contributions of women in our community. That local effort grew, gained national attention, and by 1987 Congress officially declared March as Women’s History Month. It’s powerful to remember that something that now impacts the entire country began with women right here in Santa Rosa choosing to make history visible. That’s the power of community. That’s the power of women.”

  • Support woman owned businesses and non profits
  • Commission on the status of Women in Sonoma County 4th district we focus on advancing the rights and well-being of women and girls in the community
  • Become a mentor for young girls
  • Celebrate Women every day not just this month
  • LIME Foundation world-Applications are open for our June cohort for Nextgen Trades Academy. www.thelimefoundation.org
  • Believe in the Dream Gala Sept 10th at the Luther Burbank Center-Featured Sept 10th Called Lasso the Dream-Thank you to Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Gaitan accounting, Fondare Finish Construction & ARS Roofing. believelime.com for more information.

*Roofing Tip of the Month*

Insurance companies cancelling policies due to drones--Here are some tips that you can do to be more proactive:

Do a Ground-Level Inspection First

As we head into spring, walk around your home and look up. You don’t need to climb on the roof.

  • Missing or lifted shingles
  • Dark streaks or moss growth
  • Sagging areas
  • Debris sitting in valleys or in your gutters
  • Overhanging branches and trees touching the roof

Some simple maintenance can fix that and ARS has a dedicated crew for maintenance work. Maintenance work also prolongs the life of your roof.

Check Your Attic

Most homeowners never look in their attic. Spring is the perfect time.

  • Daylight coming through the roof boards
  • Dark stains on wood
  • Damp insulation

We had a client call to say they could smell mustiness in a certain room but didn’t see any stains. When we did the inspection and checked the attack space, we could see that she had been having a leak and it had soaked up in her wood members and insulation but had not made it down to her sheetrock yet.

Don’t Pressure Wash Your Roof

This is a big one.

If you see dark streaks or moss, do NOT pressure wash your roof. High pressure can:

  • Strip protective granules
  • Cause more leakage and damage
  • Shorten the life of your shingles

Instead hire a licensed roofing profession like ARS Roofing to give you a free estimate to do the treatment properly. MENTION Raise the Roof when you call us at 707-584-5900 A little roof prevention now can save you $1000’s of dollars later.

In the second half of the show, Saunda McDaniel, Owner of the local Mr. Rooter Plumbing here in Sonoma County, talks with Letitia about what it's like to be a woman in a male dominated industry, mentoring the NextGen Trades Academy, winning "Best Places To Work" for 16 years and 3 important tips for all homeowners!

 

STEVE AND DAVE…HOUR 2…ENDING FEB

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9-11 EVERY SATURDAY

Call 707-636-1350

EMail steve@ksro.com

Or do both...Email pictures and actually can Email 24-7 to get questions answered each Saturday...