international spinach conference · 2017-11-02 · 1.43m acres in production . baja california,...
TRANSCRIPT
International Spinach Conference
Kurt D. Nolte University of Arizona
Welcome to the Desert Southwest
• Mild Winters
• Little danger of hard frosts
• More than 350 days of sun per year
• One of the longest growing seasons in the US
• Irrigated via Colorado River Allocations
Baja California, Mexico
Imperial Valley, California
Yuma County, Arizona
Mexico
USA
Mexicali Valley Baja California, Mexico 520,000 Harvested Acres
Imperial Valley, California 570,000 Harvested Acres
Yuma County, Arizona 275,000 Harvested Acres
Mexico
USA San Luis Rio Colorado
Baja California, Mexico 64,000 Harvested Acres
Mexicali Valley Baja California, Mexico 520,000 Harvested Acres
Imperial Valley, California 570,000 Harvested Acres
Yuma County, Arizona 275,000 Harvested Acres
Mexico
USA San Luis Rio Colorado
Baja California, Mexico 64,000 Harvested Acres
1.43M Acres in Production
Baja California, Mexico
Imperial Valley, California
Yuma County, Arizona
Mexico
USA
Yuma Valley
Yuma Mesa
Gila Valley
Mohawk Valley
Dome Valley City of
Yuma
Bard/ Winterhaven
Yuma Area Agriculture… • One of the 4 original Arizona Counties • 3rd largest urban center within Arizona • Colorado River irrigated (7 irrigation districts) • Noted for having rich, deep and fertile river bottom soils • 350 day growing season, sunshine 95% of the time • Fresh produce: 22 coolers, 9 salad plants • Fruit: 2 date and 3 citrus packing facilities
Dome Valley
Colorado River Gila River
2012
1887
1962 125 Years of Yuma Agriculture
Alfalfa
Alfalfa Seed
AZ Sweet Oranges
Artichokes
Asian Greens
Baby Leaf Greens
Barley
Basil
Beet Greens
Bell peppers
Bermuda Grass
Bermuda Grass Seed
Black Eye Peas
Boc Choi
Broccoflower
Broccoli
Broccoli Seed
Broccolini
Butter Lettuce
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chili Pepper
Clementines
Cotton
Date Palms
Dates
Dill
Dried Peas
Eggplant
Endive
Escarole
Fennel
Field Corn
Frisee
Red Mustard
Gourd
Grapefruit
Green Onions
Guayule
Head Lettuce
Hesperaloe
Honeydew
Jojoba
Leaf Lettuce
Leek
Lemon
Lettuce Seed
Lolla Rosa
Mint
Mizuna
Napa Cabbage
Oak Leaf Lettuce
Okra
Olives
Onion Seed
Ornamental Palms
Oro Blanco
Parsley
Pecans
Pima Cotton
Pomegranate
Poppy
Pummelo
Red Chard
Red Mustard
Red Threeawn
Romaine Lettuce
Safflower
Sage
Sorghum
Soybeans
Leaf Spinach
Bunched Spinach
Strawberry
Sugar Beet
Sugar Peas
Sunflower
Sweet Corn
Sweet Sorghum
Swithgrass
Table Beets
Tangelo
Tango Baby Leaf
Thyme
Tomato
Valencia Orange
Vegetable Transplants
Watermelon
Durum Wheat
White Wheat
Red Wheat
Wild Rocket
Yellow Squash
Zuchini
Sudan Grass
Sudan Grass Seed
Mexican Lime
Mini Watermelon
Citrus Trees
Cilantro
Head Lettuce Prices 2014 - 2015
Yuma Harvest November - March
Yuma Harvest Nov. – Mar.
2014 2015
Break Even Price: ~$8.00
Yuma is a Leading US County in Agricultural Sales
Commodity
Yuma’s rank among US counties in sales
Vegetables & Melons Top 0.1%
All Crops Top 0.5%
All Agricultural Products Top 1%
Other Crops & Hay Top 1.2%
Nursery, Greenhouse Top 23%
Grains, Oilseeds, Beans & Peas Top 28%
Yuma is a Leading US County in Crop Acreage
Commodity
Yuma’s rank among US counties in acreage
Vegetables Top 0.1%
Lettuce Top 0.2%
Durum Wheat Top 9%
Forage Top 9%
Reduction in Summer Crops, a Switch to More
Winter Centric Crop Production Systems
• Vegetables now dominate acreage crop and production schemes
• Double cropping on 70+% of acreage is now common
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Other
Utilities
Information
Transportation & warehousing
Other services
Finance and insurance
Administrative services
Accommodation and food services
Wholesale trade
Construction
Professional & scientific services
Manufacturing
Real estate
Retail trade
Health care
Agriculture & supporting services
$ millions
This does NOT include agricultural input industries or food processing industries
Agriculture is the Single Largest Private Sector Contributor to the Yuma Gross Domestic Product (2012)
Measuring an Industry’s Relative Importance: Location Quotients
Location Quotient (LQ): a local industry’s share of local jobs compared to that industry’s share of total, national jobs
Industries with LQs > 1.25 usually considered part of a region’s economic base
LQs are used to identify national centers of certain types of production
Location Quotient (Automotive Example)
Location Quotient (LQ) examples
• Napa Wine & Spirit Merchant Wholesalers
LQ = 13.3
• Silicon Valley Computer & Electronics Manufacturing
LQ = 13.4
• Detroit Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
LQ = 16.31
Combining crop, livestock & agricultural support sectors ...
• … Combining sectors, Yuma’s LQ = 24.5
• Yuma is to agriculture what …
– Napa is to wine
– Detroit is to cars
– Silicon Valley is to computer technology
Yuma Vegetable & Fruit Crops Arizona: #2 State in Lettuce
90 - 95% of Winter US Lettuce
Winter Salad Bowl: Nov - Mar
2011 Yuma Ag Production*:
Iceberg lettuce: 35,000 acres
Romaine & Leaf: 27,000 acres
‘Baby Greens’: 6,000 acres
Spinach: 7,000 acres
Broccoli, Cauliflower: 13,500 acres
Citrus & Dates: 15,000 acres
*National Ag Stats Service, 2012
Iceberg Lettuce
Spinach
~5 - 10% of Yuma County
Agriculture is
Certified Organic
• Spinach is planted at depths ranging from ¼ to ½ inch depth at 21 to 48 seed lines per 84-inch beds
• High seed densities result in about 3.5 million plants/acre
• Spinach is harvested in the Yuma area 21 to 50 days after planting • Yuma spinach is grown for fresh market (bunched or packaged)
Bagged Spinach is Mechanically Harvested Using a Machine with a Front Mounted Cutting Bar
After Harvest, Spinach is Typically Cooled to 34ºF at Centralized Cooling Facilities and Transported to the Processing Plant
• Safe and sustainable spinach production is of paramount importance in Arizona
• Materials and methods aim to reduce the risk of pathogen presence on all produce crops
University of Arizona Fresh Produce Safety http://cals.arizona.edu/fps/
Have a Great Meeting!