Tending pistachio groves in Arizona is about as different from raising corn and soybeans in Iowa as farming can be. When fifth–generation farmer Jim Graham began operating Cochise Groves in the high desert of southeastern Arizona, some of the new issues he encountered were water restrictions, bud-time frosts and a crop with the tendency to … Read more
While development continues to gobble up much of Arizona’s farmland, one segment of agriculture is expanding. Six commercial farming operations exist on American Indian land in the state, and a continual focus is on efficient use of the West’s most precious resource: water. Fort McDowell Farm is located east of the McDowell Mountains just outside … Read more
How to prevent your feathered friendsfrom eating your profits Whoever said there was no such thing as a free lunch hasn’t seen a flock of birds feasting on a grower’s fruit trees or berry bushes. In some cases, the damage is limited and a grower can simply ignore the problem, but sometimes birds can cause … Read more
Every year orchards are purchased or planted by people who have no experience in growing apples. For some, an orchard will be a challenge and a source of personal satisfaction and profit. For others, it may be a source of frustration and a bad investment. It’s important to become familiar with the business of producing … Read more
An unmistakable sight of summer is the oval-shaped Athena melon with its yellow-orange flesh and coarse netting skin. Millions of the melons are successfully grown each year at Spring Hill Produce, a division of Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton, Georgia, and one of the largest privately owned vegetable and greenhouse operations in the Southeast. On … Read more