Arizona Ag Facts
The southern half of the state is mainly desert and is good for year round crop growth in irrigated areas. Arizona is on the western end of the Rocky Mountain chain and the northern half of the state is very mountainous.
Arizona Ag Facts
Capitol: Phoenix
Population: 7.276 million (2021)
Founded: February 14, 1912 (48th)
State Bird: Cactus Wren
State Tree: Palo Verde
State Flower: Saguaro Cactus Bloom
Number of Counties: 15
Largest City: Phoenix - 1.625 million
Nickname: Grand Canyon State
Number of Farms: 18,800
Average Farm Size: 1,388 acres
Total Farmland: 26.1 million acres
Climate & Soil
• The southern half of the state is mainly desert and is good for year-round crop growth in irrigated areas. Arizona is on the western end of the Rocky Mountain chain and the northern half of the state is very mountainous. Cattle and sheep are the main agricultural commodities in this region. State elevation ranges from 70 ft. to 12,633 ft.
• With Arizona’s diverse topography, the temperature average for southern Arizona, including the Phoenix metropolitan area, is lows of 30°F in the winter to over 100°F in the summer. In the northern portion of the state, the temperature fluctuates from 20°F to 95°F. The highest temperature recorded was 127°F. The lowest temperature recorded was -40°F.
• A major climate feature of the Southwest is the North American monsoon (a distinct seasonal change in wind direction of at least 120°). Arizona receives a majority of it’s rainfall during this late summer period. On average, there are 197 clear, sunny days with an average rainfall of 13.6” a year giving Arizona a very low humidity.
• Most Arizona soils have very low levels of organic matter, usually less than 1% by weight.
• Our top soils around the state average only about one-half inch.
• Most of the state’s farming occurs in the alluvial basins of the Colorado, Salt, Verde and Agua Fria rivers. Massive irrigation projects with dams for water storage in lakes and reservoirs provide a large portion of the water for farming. Arizona has one of the most efficient irrigation networks in the world.
Crops & Livestock
• The top agricultural commodities in Arizona are milk, lettuce and cattle.
• Agricultural receipts for milk were at $1.199 billion and accounted for 23.1% of Arizona's total receipts
• Lettuce production represents 18.6% of the state’s total farm receipts.
• Yuma, Arizona is the winter lettuce capitol of the world.
• The top agricultural crop exports are vegetables, hay, cotton, and cottonseed.
• Arizona ranks 2nd nationally in it’s production of cantaloupe & honeydew melons, head & leaf lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and lemons.
• Cattle & calves and dairy goods are Arizona’s most valuable farm products, with cattle & calves representing 16.6% of total farm receipts and dairy products 23.1%.
• There are approximately 960,000 head of cattle & calves and 195,000 milk cows in the state with a yearly milk production of 24,223 pounds per cow.
• Today, agriculture in Arizona contributes more than $23.3 billion to the state’s economy. One study puts the number of jobs supported by agriculture at approximately 138,000, and the number of workers employed at 162,000.
• Arizona agriculture exports vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, wheat, hay, cotton, eggs, beef and milk to 70 countries and across the U.S.
• Arizona has 147,000 hogs, and 90,000 head of sheep and lambs.
• The state has, on average, 1,600,000 laying hens which produce over 5.8 billion eggs a year.
General
• Agriculture is a $9.2 billion industry for the state of Arizona.
• Arizona’s land ownership is 48% federal and state, 28% Native American, and 24% private.
• The state has the largest contiguous stand of Ponderosa pine forest in the world.
• The state’s land grant university is the University of Arizona in Tucson. http://cals.arizona.edu
ABOUT AgHank...
AgHank is a beloved children's book series that revolves around the life of Henry "AgHank" Jennings, a 52-year-old widower residing in Valentine, Nebraska. Living with him on their farm are his 12-year-old son, Tripp, his adopted son, Rey "Raffa" Morales, and two extraordinary animal companions—TED, the smartest CALF in the world, and Jacker, a duck who comically believes he is a cow. The Jennings family has deep roots in Cherry County, a region often recognized as the cow capital of the world. MORE...
