Yuma County ranks 13th nationally for total crop sales

University of Arizona Cooperative Extension researchers found that Yuma County agribusiness contributed $4.4 billion to Arizona’s economy in 2022, based on the 2022 Census of Agriculture. 

Yuma-grown produce generated a third of U.S. vegetable, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes sales, ranking 13th in the nation for total crop sales. The study ranked Yuma competitively with California and Washington counties known for high-value specialty crops.

The researchers attribute the growth in Yuma’s crop production value to a transition to producing higher-value specialty crops such as winter vegetables. In total, Yuma County crop industries directly contributed $1.3 billion and livestock contributed $167.3 million in county sales.

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George Frisvold, a university agricultural economics professor, noted that the county uses less than one acre-foot of water per $1,000 of vegetables sold. Researchers also noted that Yuma County ranked first among counties in the Colorado River Basin for irrigated land cash-rental rates, accounting for 18% of crop sales while consuming 8% of the basin’s irrigation water.

José Quintero, an agricultural enterprise analyst at the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, said the study will be a reference for planning and decision-making.