Yuma County Cooperative Extension

If you're in need of any last minute CEUs before the end of the year check out our offerings at www.yumaextension.com. We charge for the courses, but if you aren't expensing the cost to your company and instead paying out of pocket, just email masson@arizona.edu for free enrollment.

The University of Arizona, Yuma County Cooperative Extension has developed a new Field Scale Steam Applicator for Soil Disinfestation. The project is headed up by Dr. Mark Siemens UArizona Biosystems Engineering, Specialist and Professor. The project is funded in part by the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC), Arizona Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and Arizona Iceberg Lettuce Research Council.

Citrus and Date Palm educational seminar. Yuma: Dec 3rd; Maricopa: Dec 4th. Learn about local cultivation and crop protection updates about these two important crops in southwest agriculture. Yuma RSVP Link: https://lnkd.in/g_NvKsiC Maricopa RSVP Link: https://lnkd.in/giSwfCGd

Join us in Yuma on Dec 3rd for a Fusarium Wilt of Lettuce (FWoL) field day and on Dec 4th for a FWoL seminar. https://lnkd.in/g7MgSwKz

Yuma County Lettuce Yuma County is known as America's winter salad bowl and is a major producer of lettuce in Arizona.  Approximately 45,000-55,000 acres of lettuce are grown in Arizona, 95% of which is produced in the lower Colorado River and Gila River Valleys of Yuma County where elevation is below 100 feet. The climate in this region is ideal for growing lettuce, with average summer temperatures of 87°F and winter temperatures of 55°F. Farmers in Yuma grow several different lettuce varieties, including Iceberg lettuce, Romaine lettuce, Green leaf lettuce, Red leaf lettuce, and Spring mix and more. Planting begins as early as late August and continues into the middle of December. Plantings prior to October 15 are considered to be fall lettuce, and later plantings are considered spring lettuce. Harvesting takes place primarily from November through March. Optimum germination and growing temperatures vary depending upon the variety planted. Lettuce is seed planted in raised beds, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Celery are germinated in greenhouses and then transplanted onto raised beds.

One of the greatest threats to leafy green production are the migrating insect pests that move in and damage yield and quality. The University of Arizona, Cooperative Extension, maintains a network of 16 insect trapping stations around the Yuma area, from Texas Hill to San Luis and Bard. Under the supervision of Dr. John Palumbo, Professor and Extension Entomologist Specialist, the adult life stage of many pests are monitored as they migrate into the region. This time of year the lepidoptera butterflies and moths are of primary concern, primarily beet armyworm and cabbage looper, which fly into the fields en masse and lay eggs on crops, which hatch into hungry caterpillars that dine on tender leaf material. Trapping stations aren’t necessarily used to manage pests directly, but are used as a migration indicator to help understand movement into and through the region. For specific field by field diagnosis, Dr. Palumbo famously says, “when in doubt, scout”, touting the philosophy that it is best to examine each field individually and develop a custom response for each situation. Dr. Palumbo recommends growers keep careful watch for areas near powerlines that might not be covered by aerial sprays, or dirt kicked up by the road that might cover leaves resulting in reducing efficacy of sprays.

Join us on November 13 & 14, 2024, for The Desert Difference, a two-day AgTech conference hosted by the University of Arizona’s Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yuma Agricultural Center, and the Office of Research Innovation & Impact, in partnership with Western Growers. This event unites Ag professionals, AgTech innovators, and leaders to explore cutting-edge desert farming tech. Enjoy hands-on demos, expert talks, and networking for a sustainable future in agriculture. Nov. 13 – Field demos at Yuma Ag Center Nov. 14 – Conference at Yuma Civic Center Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, strategize, and lead in the next era of AgTech!

Yuma County Cooperative Extension offers convenient online, on-demand courses for continuing education credits! Perfect for Agricultural Professionals looking to expand their knowledge and stay up to date with their CEUs goals, these courses provide flexibility and accessible learning opportunities. Take advantage of this great resource today at www.YumaExtension.com

Crop Protection: Our Yuma farmers work hard to keep America fed with wholesome fruits and vegetables. In a perfect world it would be easy, plant seeds, watch them grow, harvest, and sell at the market. In the real world there are many external pressures that limit yield and quality. Most limiting factors can be cared for by planning and providing what for crop needs at specific growth stages: water, nutrition, healthy soil, and climate are planned from the start then fine-tuned as the season progresses. A more difficult factor to manage is pest control, as weeds, disease, and insect pressure fluctuate from season to season, requiring different levels of response based on severity of outbreak. The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) industry is dedicated to supplying the grower with proper defenses customized for each situation. IPM strategies have evolved over time away from broad spectrum treatments, with modes of action that act indiscriminately, to more targeted ‘selective chemistries’ that may only affect a specific pest at a specific life stage, while not affecting other life in the field needed to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Commercially, crops are often sprayed with ground rigs or aerially with helicopters and crop-duster planes. Pest Control Advisors (PCAs) scout the field and provide spray recommendations to applicators, logging each app with the Arizona Department of Agriculture or California Department of Pesticide Regulation. With aerial application, flaggers on the ground identify hazards, monitor the wind, and making preparations for the sprayer. The chemical mix is loaded on the aircraft and applied with different sized nozzles to create larger or smaller droplets to maximize surface contact, via flow-control systems that automatically change discharge rates based on flight speed.

UArizona Yuma Cooperative Extension offers Online On-Demand Continuing Education Courses for agricultural professionals. These courses are accredited by the Arizona Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit www.YumaExtension.com to view the library of available courses.