Because of our 300-plus days of sunshine, Arizona agriculture is planting and harvesting 12 months out of the year. This means our desert state’s agriculture is never idle. So, we can grow and raise anything. Well, except soybeans. We’re told the pods pop prematurely under Arizona’s sun.

But everything else is fair game for our farmers and ranchers.

Below is a list of some of the amazing agriculture we produce in Arizona.

  1. Alpacas and Llamas: A handful of local farmers raise these unique animals for the wool and mohair these animals produce.
  2. Date Palms: Large scale in Yuma but also some boutique groves around the state. For example, Arizona Farm Bureau member James Badman owns a small urban farm in Mesa where he has a small, boutique grove of date palms with 26 different varieties. Many of these varieties have cultural significance, as do some of the lulavs (unopened, or closed fronds) from several of the varieties that are used in the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. In addition, the Badmans send hundreds of pounds of the different varieties of dates that they harvest to his sister, Charleen Badman’s restaurant, FnB in Scottsdale.  Charleen is a James Beard Award-winning chef, known to many as the “veggie whisperer” and her farm-to-table work with local farmers. Chef Charleen uses the dates to make dishes from desserts, to complimenting main dishes, to breakfast-type granola.
  3. Garlic: We have several farmers that specialize in growing garlic here in Arizona.
  4. Gourds: A wildly unique plant, one farm family the Wuertz family, has taken this market by storm. The Wuertz Family has been farming in the Coolidge/Casa Grande area since 1929.  Waylon Wuertz (a fourth-generation farmer) started growing gourds as a young boy.  He enjoyed watching them grow.  After attending the University of Arizona, he wanted to farm but didn't know what would be profitable.  After a hay customer asked if he sold any gourds that he had, Waylon started thinking.  He started small, growing a few rows in his first year.  Those few rows grew into a half-acre, then 3 acres and eventually grew into 35 acres.
  5. Guayule: This plant is a perennial woody shrub native to the rangeland area of the Chihuahuan Desert, including the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Natural rubber, non-toxic adhesives, and other specialty chemicals can be extracted from guayule, causing it to increasingly gain more and more attention. An alternative source of latex that is hypoallergenic can also be extracted and draws attention to guayule from major tire companies such as Bridgestone. As a result, we have a few farmers in Arizona experimenting with this crop. 
  6. Herbs: Herbs continue to hold a strong place in our food and culinary culture and Arizona’s climate is well-suited for a variety of herbs.
  7. Hops: While we’re not at a commercial scale yet, some of our farmers are experimenting with Hops as our local breweries would love to tap into our own local crop.
  8. Lavander: Arizona has a handful of lavender farms located throughout the state.
  9. Leafy Greens: During the winter, Yuma is known as the lettuce bowl of the country from mid-November to early April.
  10. Mushrooms: As more and more are learned about the health of mushrooms, some of Arizona’s retail farmers are growing for the Farmers’ Market markets.
  11. Roses: So many of the large box home improvement stores, like Home Depot and Lowes, depend on Arizona farmers for commercial rose plants.
  12. Tepary Beans: An ancient high-protein content bean grown by American Indians in Arizona for centuries, the Tepary Bean has become popular with chefs wanting to preserve some of our ancient culinary traditions.
  13. Wine Grapes: Not often recognized in Arizona, but we produce award-winning wine grapes in our state.

This past Saturday the Rosie on the House guest was Waylon Wuertz explaining the genesis of his gourd farm and the unique customers he draws. The full show is below.