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Mosquito Study Tests Way to Control Bugs That Annoy Us and Can Spread Diseases

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In the News

 From NextAvenue.org, October 1

My Retirement Heaven is Turning into Hell

The Colorado River Basin, which states including Arizona, California and Colorado depend on for their water supply, has experienced a now 23-year drought with no apparent major relief in sight. In 2021, the basin experienced one of its driest periods in recorded history.

"Some people are calling it a megadrought," says Sharon B. Megdal, director of The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC). "The system is stressed."

If you're a retiree considering moving to an area dependent on the Colorado basin, look into your water supplier's drought plans, recommends Megdal. "Ask yourself, am I comfortable with what they're doing in the area to manage the water?"

2023 Monsoon Totals

Check our Extension monsoon guide for season totals for this year's monsoon, which ended September 30.

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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
  • Check monsoon rainfall across the state
  • Check the “greenness” of the state after monsoon rains
  • Be ready for next year - Become a citizen scientist and help RainLog track precipitation in your neighborhood
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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.”

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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.

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