Farmers

Pete Serventi
Owner, Farmer, Certified Pommelier

Erin Serventi
Owner, Plant Killer

Jackson Steele Serventi
Kid, Future Race Car Driver

FARMING since 2015
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Welcome to Serventi Ranch. A farm in the midst of a re-birth. A place that seeks to embody sustainability, provide for community engagement, and exude the beauty of a well-managed farmscape.

the Terroir: Sandy clay loam soils. Summertime growing conditions typically consisting of cool morning fog and warm afternoon sun.  A fertile valley floor bordering Green Valley Creek and its wild riparian edge. A terraced hillside. A flat plateau at the hilltop with views of surrounding mountains and valleys. Native oak corridors and borders. Abundant natural springs. Abundant wildlife: hawks, falcons, owls, turkeys, turkey vultures, western bluebirds, barn swallows, crows, chipping sparrows, coyotes, deer, ground squirrels, gophers, and the occasional bobcat, mountain lion, and fox.

the Animals: A dog that wandered onsite during our first harvest. A cat born under a neighbor’s farm-house. Two goats from a neighbors’ herd that we bottle fed during their first three months. Eight hens and one rooster.

the Farmers: Pete came to the farm with zero real farming experience. 10+ years of experience practicing as CPA for Silicon Valley tech companies, backyard gardening as a kid, growing up next to an 80 acre apricot orchard, a hobby restoring classic cars, and hearing stories from Dad’s former days in the Peace Corp helping farmers in Peru did little to prepare him to own and operate a farm. Trial-and-error (in abundance), chatting with local farmhands and farmers, reading books, watching Youtube videos, drafting farm plans, starting a cidery, ripping out trees, replanting trees, travel and tours of other farms, scrapping farm plans, re-drafting farm plans, and nine years of transitioning out of full-time accounting to full-time farming have all shaped Pete into the farmer he is today and given him his vision for the future of the farm. Erin, living her dream as an interior designer, is a self-proclaimed plant killer and at ten years into farm ownership still has no interest in finding out how long it would take her to fill a bin of apples during harvest season. Jackson, at five years old, has decided he wants a beach house and a Lamborghini. Life on this farm is an adventure.

Farming Practices: Trees are minimally irrigated using gravity-flow of stored spring and rainwater. We follow USDA organic practices and our producing trees are certified organic by CCOF. Regular applications of compost and cover cropping help maintain soil health. Hedgerows encourage beneficial natives. Portions of the farm have been to the wild to support native wildlife and the farmscape. Several acres are now fallowed and grazed by a neighbor’s goats for wildfire mitigation. Farm labor and grounds management is completed predominantly by Pete as the sole farmhand during all available hours that Jackson is in school.

Future Visions (not yet realized): A seasonal roadside farmstand where our apples and other farm products can be purchased by the local community. A spirited seasonal Christmas tree u-cut open weekends the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. Walking trails throughout the farm. Developing the farmscape at our hilltop. An event venue for the public to come and enjoy.