News

State Pumps More Money into $30M Effort That Will Cut Ag Water Use, Fund Science

Read the Story

Photo of Ethan Orr

In the News

 From AzFamily.com, September 10

Inflation Reduction Act funding helps Yuma farmers grow sustainably

“We’ve had a number of farms in Pinal County that would be out of business if it wasn’t for this program, and when it goes out of business, you create a fallow field that produces dust,” said Ethan Orr, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension associate director for Agriculture and Natural Resources and Economic Development.

Driven by research, Orr and his team at the University of Arizona work closely with farmers across the state to help them improve farming practices. He said in the Yuma Valley, most farmers already farm at 90% efficiency. “And so the question is do we want to support our farmers, maintain food and a healthy environment or not,” Orr says.

Track the Monsoon

Cooperative Extension scientists have long been at the forefront of climate science in the United States, and now we’ve compiled their work in a monsoon guide.

Image
Photo of lightning and saguaro cactuses

Many parts of southern Arizona get half of their annual rainfall from June – September. Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and frequent lightning sweep across the desert, leaving an explosion of life in their wake.

  • Take a deep dive into what monsoon is and how it works
  • Track rainfall across the state
  • Track the “greenness” of the state as monsoon rains spark plant growth
  • Become a citizen scientist and help RainLog track precipitation in your neighborhood
Photo of a cabbage field

In the News

From Ag Daily, September 13

Does success in agriculture require an academic degree?

In the course of one day a farmer could be working on marketing, finances, insurance, and more. As a farmer we are expected to be proficient in all of these, but each one is a career path in its own right. Which begs the question, is a formal education necessary to be a successful producer?

Dr. Ayman Mostafa with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension doesn’t believe that a disconnect exists between academia and the realities of farming and feels that a formal agricultural education is an important part of modern farming. Based on his experience at Extension, he contends that “almost all successful, long-term and innovative growers and ag professionals are those who have their academic degree.”

Have a Story Idea?

We are always looking for stories that show the impact of Cooperative Extension work. If you have a story you would like to see on this News page, or if you have a comment or suggestion, please contact Brad Poole at bradpoole@arizona.edu.

All Extension news page stories are vetted by the Cooperative Extension communications team and available for journalists to use as they would news releases. Please attribute stories or passages taken from the news page to Arizona Cooperative Extension.

Thank you!