Chris Sayer 🥑

If we can talk about this one fruit in a more adult way, maybe we can have better conversations about the crops at the center of the American plate. saticoyroots.wordpress.com/2019/06/23/how…

Hey, @CaCitrusMutual , you should be aware that most people seeing this tweet won't know that "white land growers" refers to farms on land outside a water district. Maybe phrase it differently if you don't want some unwelcome blowback.

Covercrop: grown with the winter rain protects against the summer sun (even if both rain and sun show up in spring)

People often ask me if I'm worried about the growth of avocado acreage in Ventura County. And I am.. a bit. But the fact that our water is only 20-25% the cost of San Diego area water has meant that pretty much every acre added here has been offset by a lost acre down there.

@agronomistag We started our program 20 years ago with erosion/ topsoil preservation as our primary goals. Now I see the most benefit in water infiltration and retention. Our soil organic matter is great, but much of that is due to mulch. Can't say conclusively that we are gaining nutrients

If cover crops don’t grow much biomass, they won’t boost soil health, and they can seem like a waste of money. But not every goal needs big growth. Erosion control, for example, takes far less biomass. csanr.wsu.edu/cover-crop-ben…

Monday morning in the #avocado orchard.

Seeing the new spring growth on the avocados is always a joy. This time of year is full of unknowns: prices, production, weather all TBD. But strong growth always suggests that success lies ahead and I appreciate the reassurance.

@cookiesinheaven 10 minutes with enough lime juice.

🤣 @pettyranch

@cookiesinheaven Thank you! They do great work.

@pettyranch I volunteered for them up in SB!

Our friends from Food Forward came by the Santa Paula ranch this morning and are leaving with about 1000 pounds of citrus for our community. We appreciate their volunteer crew that gave a part of their weekend for others.

@laderafrutal He's a good model

@pettyranch This is a great pic!

When a big dog tries to fit in the shade of a small tree. Pack leader Ello has spent enough time in the avocado 🥑 orchard that he knows to minimize effort on a warm day.

Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.

Crop rotation? It's valuable, but how to achieve it in an orchard that's expected to remain for 40+ years? Rotating covercrops! Allows us to have multiple plant species, even though only one (avocados) are permanent and expected to make money.

Avocado farming is not for the impatient. These trees were planted in 2022, and will give us some fruit for this season. The 2027 season looks promising with lots of bloom. This is considered fast.

The sad irony is that for so many of our misguided actions on Iran in the past, the guiding principle was to deny Russian access/influence. And now we're going to take casualties and further Russian interests.

Today US troops go in harm's way to topple the regime in Tehran. If successful, it will leave a power vacuum to be filled by Moscow, making Iran a Russian satellite. Posting for future reference. Avocado and dog programming to resume shortly.

Testing interpretations of the "don't get on the couch" rule.

Centerpiece of an expanded and more secure dog yard at the Santa Paula ranch is this nicely crafted dog house from @thewooofspot. Now we just need to finish the fencing and add a little basic dog-proof landscaping.

The figs feel that spring is here, and while the calendar may disagree, I'm not sure that I can. Nice morning for a #farmlab field trip with @SEE_AG .

Mowing the covercrop close to the young #avocado trees to reduce competition for water, leaving the row centers to build more biomass. Hope and Roscoe approve.