Arizona Agriculture and Farmers Market thread (Phoenix: houses, residential, land)

[Champ le monstre du lac]

This thread is about all things agriculture in the state of Arizona. Some discussion points.....

-Production and lucrative crops
-Availability of agricultural land and residential development takeover
-Water supply and balancing water distribution between residential and agriculture
-Identifying what crops are raised and harvested in Arizona and the seasonal production
-Identifying GMO and Non-GMO raised crops

and also....

The best Farmers Markets in Arizona. Where are the best farmers markets in terms of variety and having the best access to locally grown food?

[6.7traveler]

I don't know if this relates 100% to your question but I find the amount of alfalfa hay production in the higher elevations a bit excessive. I know there is a strong western ranching heritage here and I am just a newcomer but at the end of the day Arizona is a desert with a water shortage. For as much as the government subsidizes, say corn for example, if one one hundredth of those funds were used to import hay from other places with more water I think Arizona would be better off for it. Maybe there could be a grant to give alfalfa growers greenhouses if they grow aquaponic vegetables instead. In Alaska they have or at least had a greenhouse grant type deal. I know at least one town up there that took advantage of the program and had amazing farmers markets as a result. I am sure I,ll catch flak for this and rightfully so, I am usually against government spending myself, but you have to agree there are plenty more absurd things the state blows money on. Or we can stick to our guns and keep all the crazy agriculture practices until we are out of water. Aquaponics on a small scale looks promising and should be encouraged. Less cattle grazing and hay fields and more local vegetables, just saying.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Phoenix Public Market - YouTube

[fengxg]

I love agriculture however not an expert. I would think crops and vegetables etc. would need a lot of water to grow. However about fruit trees? Can fruit trees grow on desert highland in area like northern Yavapai with 15 inches of rain annually? Of course trees need water when they are young. However when they grow big, they might be able to survive with their deep roots. If we can grow cherry in desert I would guess they will be delicious.