Yuma Agricultural Center
Serving America's Salad Bowl.
Providing a platform for precision agriculture in the desert.
Located near the borders of Mexico and California, our Yuma operations serve an agricultural industry that contributes $3.2 billion to Arizona's economy annually and is responsible for over 90% of North American-grown leafy greens during the winter.
About
The Yuma Agricultural Center has two sites: a Valley Farm four miles west of Yuma and a Mesa Farm four miles south of the city.
The 274-acre Valley Farm serves as the headquarters for the Yuma Agricultural Center and supports investigations for diversified range of crops, including cotton, small grains, and vegetables, such as lettuce and broccoli.
The 240-acre Mesa Farm has been primarily focused on citrus production throughout its history, and more recently, has provided a testing ground for commercial soil amendment technologies designed to support soil health and reduce water-use.
Together, these two properties host several research and Extension programs surrounding:
- plant physiology
- crop production
- insect biology and control
- disease biology and control
- weed ecology
- soil and water management
- fate and transport of environmental contaminants
- food safety
- agricultural mechanization
Many of our programs support the high-value vegetable and citrus industries in the lower Colorado River region. The Yuma Agricultural Center provides 470 irrigable acres, a 10,500 ft2 greenhouse, 8,800 ft2 of shop space, and two meeting rooms.
Lighting up the field for precision agriculture
The Yuma Agricultural Center and Cyber Experiment Station recently launched 10GB/s internet service – as part of a National Research Education Network project with Western Arizona College, UA Yuma Near You Network, Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, and Sun Corridor. The project infrastructure provides corner-to-corner in-field wireless internet and positions our Yuma operations to be the hub for precision agriculture’s big data throughput to support arid-environment sustainability experimentation.
Realizing the vision: A proposal for expansion
Yuma is a global leader in precision agriculture and we need to expand our facilities and infrastructure to support new research in big data, water conservation, soil health, emerging pests and pathogens, plant-soil interactions, and farming system design. Learn how you can support the effort.
