I buy frozen fruits and veggies for the kids.  They like to make smoothies, and frozen veggies are easy.

For me, I like fresh veggies.  I've taken to buying sliced apples and already prepared veggies at Trader Joes which makes it really easy to prepare and eat.

...and by the way, Arizona Farm Bureau has just written an article on how healthy eating does not have to be difficult! We give tips on ways to make preparing fruits and veggies for easy access a way of life. Check out the article here: http://bit.ly/92kIT5

Arizona Farm Bureau wants to hear your story of how you economically feed your family and provide a good and abundant mix of fruits and veggies. Some contend that fresh fruits and veggies are too expensive for families. Is this true?

Ag equipment continues to ramp up its technical sophistication. If you ever visit an equipment dealer ask them to show you some of their modern precision agriculture technology.

Speaking of agriculture, one young aggie I spoke with said that while farmers and ranchers may not always be up on information technology, they are some of the most advanced users of production technology in agriculture whether that's technology advances in equipment or the use of GPS systems. So, your farmer Dad may not use email but he's the best at using precision agriculture with his equipment. Pretty impressive.

Also, Arizona aggie members watch for this topic in your next issue of Arizona Agriculture.

A Farmer and Farm Equipment Expert Share their opinions and predicitons on Technology:

Simple and Profound: Biggest Technology Gains in the Last 10 Years
Harold Maxwell, general manager for Booth Machinery, has had a bird’s eye view of changes in machine agriculture technology. “When I think back over the last 10 years, the greatest change that I have seen in agriculture is the need to manage information,” says Maxwell. “Think about the different technologies that have emerged. Biotechnology has shortened the development cycle of new varieties.  Instead of a 10- to 20-year window we are seeing new varieties come to market in two to five years.”

He goes on to say, “Our grandfathers were intimately familiar with their farms. When you farm the same 80 acres for forty years behind a mule you knew every square inch of your ground.   GPS gives us that same ability on thousands of acres but do we need that accuracy? Do we try to fertilize or plant 24 different zones in a field or is 3 or 4 good enough?”

Predictions in Technology Gains in the Next 10 Years
So where is agriculture production machinery heading?  The future seems to be in smart tools. 

“Tractors and implements are being designed as systems that communicate with each other,” says Maxwell. “When a tractor hooks up to a planter for instance, the display in the tractor will change to a controller for the planter. If it is hooked up to a sprayer the display will become a controller for the sprayer. If we hook up to a disk harrow or a sub-soiler, the tractor will know what speed range that specific tool should operate in and select the gear and throttle setting to minimize the cost-per-acre. 

Maxwell goes on to explain that these tasks are great, but the power is in the information. “It’s when we can gather this information and make use of it, that we will see another jump in production and a reduction in cost. Not only will we see smart tools but we will see tractors that don not require an operator. That brings another level of data that needs to be managed.
This is where the equipment distributor of the future is heading. Our role will be to help the producer manage all the information that will be generated by his farming practice.  It will be this information that will allow us to feed 10 billion people worldwide in the next several decades.”

Manager and Partner in Buckeye Sunset Farms Robert Van Hofwegen, Jr. thinks so too. “One of these days we may have one operator in an office running two to three tractors out on the field. I can’t see why not. Though safety will be a concern which will mean a GPS boundary or other fail-safe features, the right system could reduce labor and fuel costs.”

Van Hofwegen is a bit concerned about the cost of such equipment and the learning curves that accompanies them; still he feels this is the way of the future.

In the biotechnology arena, some Arizona farmers are curious about the cross-genetic work of taking desert plants’ drought-resistant genes and crossing them with field crops to produce high yields while using less water. “This is intriguing research especially since water will always be an issue here in Arizona,” says Van Hofwegen.

Dear Chefs of Arizona,

We grow Organic, Chemical-free produce.  We will be planting tomatoes in 2 weeks that should be ready for picking in May or Early June.  We grow up to 13 different varieties depending on the year.

If you are interested please contact us at Debra Turner, PO Box 667, Queen Creek, AZ 85142 or turdewe@yahoo.com.

Thank you.

Debra Turner, Speaker, Instructor, Owner
Desert Hippie Gardens
Specializing in Back to Basics Chemical-Free, Organic Gardening
PO BOX 667, Queen Creek, AZ 85142
turdewe@yahoo.com

Hello!  I am Micaela McGibbon and I grew up and still work on a ranch in Southern Arizona that my Great Grandfather started in the 1880's. My brother, husband and I got together and started a USDA inspected label for our grass fed beef, "Southern Arizona Grassfed Beef" we also can do a natural product but it is more expensive for us to take time to feed the calves a grain ration. We process through the University of Arizona.

We are closer to Tucson than Phoenix but if anyone is interested, we can share a sample of our beef.

Hi, I'm Stephen, I am a rancher in New River, AZ,
Fowler's Food
New River, AZ 85087
Stephen@ToStephen.Com
623-465-0458

Our ranch produces seasonal Heritage Lamb products. We ranch Jacob & Navajo Churro Sheep for ranch gate sales of cuts of Lamb, wool fleece, and sheep skins.
The taste of our lamb is divine and the cuts are very low in fat. Our stock is grass fed resulting in healthy levels of Omega 3 fatty acids.
This project started with a focus on self reliance to feed my family healthy food. We have expanded so we are looking for a few discerning chefs to connect with our edible products. Delivery to Phoenix area businesses should not be a problem.
Please give me a call or drop me an email if you are interested.