Arizona Farm Bureau

Author Suresh Garimella, President, University of Arizona Suresh Garimella, President, University of Arizona I can picture Frank Gulley on horseback, making his way across the Arizona Territory in the early 1890s. Before there was a state or even a proper campus, Gulley – the University of Arizona’s very first employee and director of our Agricultural Experiment Station – set out to understand the people this institution was meant to serve.

Big news for sustainable fashion: URBN, the folks behind Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, FP Movement, and Nuuly, just teamed up with the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. This move amps up their push for responsibly sourced cotton, with a bold plan to hit 100% responsible cotton and 60% eco-friendly raw materials by 2027. Arizona’s cotton farmers, some of whom are already part of the Trust Protocol, are helping make this happen.

This last Saturday during KTAR’s Rosie on the House cotton was our topic, an agriculture commodity we revisit each year since it is one of Arizona’s 5 C’s and certainly an agriculture crop to be celebrated. Our guest this year on the show was Buckeye farmer, Todd Rovey, an active board member of the Arizona Cotton Growers and member of the Arizona Farm Bureau. While we could have talked for another few hours during the one-hour Farm Fresh segment we covered lots of ground.

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol recently announced that growers can enroll in the initiative and apply for the U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program,presenting a transformative opportunity and offering a range of benefits that go beyond sustainability. This is the second year of the enrollment window transition allowing growers to begin the process before planting and better align with peak cotton marketing dates.

With a 120% increase in grower enrollment since launch, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is pleased to appoint Averum to provide additional Third-Party verification support after seeing the highest number of grower enrollments to date. As a result, the program now requires a significantly higher number of independent verifications. Averum specializes in assisting agricultural companies to assess, manage, and communicate their environmental and social sustainability.

A rule currently pending at the Department of Agriculture would require that all eggs produced and sold in Arizona be from hens housed in cage-free aviaries. In short, this rule would make it illegal to sell anything but a cage-free egg in our state. We need to tell the Department that it is not okay to restrict access to healthy Arizona Ag products based on the wishes of a few out-of-state interests. The Department needs to stand up to animal rights interests and say no to cage-free mandates.

Author Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau Outreach Director Published 1/15/2022 Arizona agriculture always looks for infrastructure and technology innovations to improve farming and ranching practices. The motivation? Preserving Land and resources for the next generation Reducing the cost of production Engaging in the inspiring challenge to improve Ensuring a secure food supply for all Americans! When asked what’s the next “big thing,” Shane C.

Author Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau Outreach Director Published 1/10/2022 A 2019 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study found that only 12.3% of U.S. adults consumed recommended levels of fruits and 10% got the recommended levels of vegetables. Data showed that overall, Hispanic adults had the highest rate of meeting fruit consumption recommendations, while men had the lowest prevalence, and adults ages 51 and older were best at meeting vegetable consumption recommendations.