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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer

@pettyranch.bsky.social
977 followers 1K following 663 posts

Avocado grower in Ventura County, CA. Former Navy P3C pilot, current Farm Bureau member

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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Despite a very warm summer, our practice of infrequent, shallow irrigation and lots of mulch has kept the trees thriving. After 3/4 year, we are on track to have a very low water usage year.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
At our secret upholstery lab in an undisclosed location, the refreshed seats for our 1991 F150 undergo farm dog test and evaluation. Unfortunately, the Anatolian shepherd simulator might not be heavy duty enough for accurate data.
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Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
His brain is completely broken. What the actual fuck is this nonsense
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Doesn't take long for things to go wrong. During the recent 108 degree heat we we applied some water to ease the stress. But the sprinkler under the left tree clogged, causing damage. The tree will survive, but at the cost of nearly all its 2027 and 28 crop.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
These avocado trees will probably outlive me. I'm curious what their world will be if they complete their full productive lives in 2060-2070. (Planted 2023)
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Hope missed having a driver to take her on adventures while I was out of town for a few days. Does she seem happy that I'm back?
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Dingo Jackson @thedingodaily.com · 13/09/2026
"France did not wait for the debate. It already moved all of its gold out of New York. Germany, one of the world's largest holders of gold reserves, is now actively discussing whether to do the same."
thedingodaily.com
Netherlands Just Pulled 86 Tons of Gold Out of America
The Netherlands yanked 86 tons of gold from the US, France already cleared out its reserves, and Norway's sovereign wealth fund is eyeing the exit. America is losing its default status.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
We have been feeding this to our barn cats for months, yet their ability to do even basic tasks (like oil and filter service) remains unimpressive. One star.
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Because it’s make-believe, that’s why!! FFS, people Don’t be stupid
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Irrigation day in Santa Paula, helping the avocados recover from yesterday's 108 degree onslaught. Pleased to see very little damage on the tender young growth that will fruit in 2028.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Even with good starting soil moisture and high humidity, 105 degrees is pretty stressful for avocados. West wind is starting to come in and irrigation is started, but I'll be seeing some damage show up in tbe next few days.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Scattered raindrops and the rumble of distant thunder are unusual for September. And yet tomorrow we might send everyone home early due to expected heat stress.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Looking and feeling tropical after 4/10 inch of rain yesterday. Surprised to see a bump in soil moisture levels as deep as 16" in some spots.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Good morning!
Sunrise in an avocado orchard,  Santa Paula CA
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John Br👻OoOOOoOoo👻ks @johnbrooks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
L'Arc de Participationne
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
"Another dog - mulch - avocado orchard pic? Yawn!" Hope is not into it this morning.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Roscoe and Hope. Ready for another day
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Cool, cool, I have a couple quick questions -- who's in charge of preventing food-induced illnesses right now and how good a job are they doing?
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Dramatic skies in Santa Paula this morning. I guess the summer monsoon is going to be our thing now. Forecast has solid chance of rain next week. Better than Santa Ana winds.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Roscoe and Hope wish all who celebrate a happy #nationaldogday. For those that don't, they wish an infestation of cats.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Selected over thousands of years to protect flocks from lions, bears, and wolves, Anatolian shepherds are a tough breed. But Hope does enjoy sitting in the shade with a pup cup after checking irrigation. (Note muddy paws) 21st century quasi suburban farm dog.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Important to know if you want produce or a hobby. It can be both, but you're going to be much happier if you're honest with yourself about the priorities.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
A break from avocado content: this cake by pastry genius Anastasia Chavez highlights 2 of our legacy crops: Meyer lemons and figs. Picked them Wednesday morning, cake Thursday evening. Great farm dinner by Totally Local VC. Thanks Chef Tim and Kat! Photo: Camarillo Barrel Works
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Occasionally mature avocado trees are heavily cut back to control structure, improve fruit size, and make future harvests safe and economical. Exposed bark is whitewashed with diluted white latex paint. New growth starts to appear quickly, and will yield fruit a couple years from now.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Even in a well planned new planting, a few trees fail. We take the chance to diversify our genetics a bit. This newbie is Hass on Tami rootstock, selected for salinity tolerance. While we only have 2 commercial fruiting cultivars, we have 11 different roostocks.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Came across an old memo book from VP-9 days. I remember this flight well... we suffered a catastrophic turbine failure on #2, which killed #1 as well. Fire light refused to go out. Had the "divert, ditch, or jump" discussion. Ended up at NAS Miramar, after an assist from an S3 from VS-29.
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
This is, bar none, the stupidest fuckung thing I’ve ever heard. And the idea that there’s nobody in the chain of command - civilian or military - with enough courage to say so is a disgrace.
wapo.st
Navy weighs major warship redesign to match Trump’s preferences
The president wants the new fleet of aircraft carriers to more resemble those from World War II. Such a change could cost billions.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Smartphones/texting has replaced one of the foundational kids jobs on the farm: runner/messenger. I learned a lot about irrigation systems from my dad handing me a part with the instructions: "Go find Carlos. I think he's in Block Y. See how many of these we need."
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Hope has engaged weekend mode.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Drippers at the base and microsprinklers to encourage root expansion. Mulch and composed horse stall sweepings to boost the soil a bit, and give these trelissed avocados a good start.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
The dogs love a little experimentation. Here they check out some closely planted Lamb Hass avocados that will be trelissed like grape vines. Goal is maximum production for space/water used, while allowing efficient, safe harvesting.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
You can't grow avocados in a vacuum. Growers are dependent on many businesses to support them. This morning I'm at Brokaw Nursery, our source for the high quality seedlings from which all things flow.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Hope mans the ramparts, ready to repel invaders or mooch treats from the FedEx guy.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Happy #nationalavocadoday to those that observe it. We're working on 2027 already!
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I agree with this assessment, though I'm "gentry" myself. To be sure, greed, envy, abuse of power, excessive pride and self dealing is not exclusive to (or I would argue broadly typical of) the class. But it's certainly not hard to find it there if you look for it, and explains much.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
The humid summer has made for happy avocado trees and potentially a very nice 2027 crop. But it is not fun for the people who work in it. (And unpredictable weather can cut both ways... a few hours too hot, too cold, too windy and the baby avocados return to the soil)
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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
The legacy media sat there while Trump lied about the past elections and "joked" about running again in 2028. They did not boo. They did not walk out. They just sat there and ate their dinner. The journalists in that room will be remembered as the journalists in that room.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Another season wraps up as we conclude our Lamb Hass avocado harvest. Final numbers still pending, but it appears that LH has once again out produced regular Hass (lbs/per acre) and this year without the usual discounted price to the more common variety.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
A few of our avocado trees are getting pruned to fix shaping issues that have held them back. More compact, lower canopies should be more productive, as well as more economical and safe to harvest. These will have some fruit for 2028, full production in 2029. Things happen slowly with avocados 🥑.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Almost finished loading up today's avocados for their journey to a taco, California roll, or toast near you. Just under 48,000 pounds, our biggest day of the season so far.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I mean... go where the clicks are?
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Dovewoman 💙 🇺🇦 💙 @dovewoman.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
This statement alone is cause to remove the POTUS. The President swears to uphold our Constitution. An honest & strong Congress would have removed him when he said “l don’t know”.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Tried this tonight: pretty good. Of course I added my secret ingredient. Ok, so not so secret. A diced avocado. cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020...
cooking.nytimes.com
Spicy Corn and Shishito Salad Recipe • 5★
In this recipe, shishito peppers are sliced, lightly sautéed, then tossed with raw summer corn and a cumin-lime vinaigrette for a summer salad that’s crunchy, smoky and a little spicy. Traditionally u...
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Irrigating today ahead of a warm week. Humid, so that will take some stress off the trees but not the people. 78F and 100% RH as I type at 9:54am. Next season's avocados are happy though.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Maybe poorly vetted political novices shouldn't be Senate candidates? Maybe city council or school board before jumping into the most powerful political body in our federal system? Just spitballin' here...
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Roscoe returning from Sunday morning patrol. Despite the previous night's noise and light in in the sky he has found nothing to report. (Pic taken yesterday morning... he was not missing. )
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Our 2 year old trees are large enough to produce some avocados for 2027. Switching to "adult food": more Potassium and Zinc to support fruit development. Fertilizer is $$ this year, but what we apply now shapes the '27 and '28 seasons. Spending now for a million pound year later.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Rarely seen feral barn cats Toledo (B/W) and Memphis (Orange). They're exceptional mousers, but not really team players. "We're not employees. We do our job when and how we want. You open the cans. That's the deal."- Memphis
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
@patrickwyman.bsky.social Just a shout out and thank you for Tides of History. A few more episodes to listen to. But have thoroughly enjoyed the series (as well as Verge and Lost Worlds). This morning I enjoyed the popular v. academic history episode, esp the discussion of Guns of August intro.
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Petty Ranch / Chris Sayer @pettyranch.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
In the last 15 years I've removed and replaced about 85% of our acreage. Only about 2% of our trees are more than 25 years old. That's how orchards remain orchards. And how we have fruit that customers will want for the next 30 years, not the last 30 years. Same dynamic in winegrapes.
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