YCEDA Awards $149,290 for Desert Agriculture Research

Aug. 26, 2026

Five University of Arizona projects will address pest management, soil health, water movement and salinity in desert crop production

The Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA) has awarded $149,290.33 to five research projects through the first round of its grants program.

The funded projects address priorities identified by growers, pest control advisers, industry partners and researchers. Areas of study include diamondback moth management, integrated pest management education, soil health, irrigation practices, water movement and salinity mitigation.

Funding decisions followed a comprehensive evaluation process that included scientific peer review, stakeholder scoring and final deliberations by the YCEDA Advisory Board and Research Technical Committees. Stakeholder feedback helped assess each proposal’s industry relevance, practical application and potential impact.

One-year awards

Combining Field and Laboratory Studies to Develop Actionable Diamondback Moth Management Recommendations

Led by University of Arizona principal investigator Rosan Adhikari, this project received $14,965 to support the development of practical diamondback moth management recommendations based on field and laboratory research.

Development of a Diamondback Moth Alternative Host Demonstration Garden for IPM Education and Knowledge Development in Desert Vegetable Systems

Principal investigator Mazin Saber of the University of Arizona received $12,982.10 to establish a demonstration garden supporting integrated pest management education and greater understanding of alternative diamondback moth hosts in desert vegetable production.

Risk-Based Inspection of Brassica Transplants to Prevent Diamondback Moth Introduction into Arizona

University of Arizona principal investigator Macey Keith received $15,000 to examine risk-based inspection practices designed to help prevent diamondback moths from entering Arizona through Brassica transplants.

Evaluating Ozone Nanobubble Irrigation as a Practical Tool to Reduce Root-Zone Salinity

Led by University of Arizona principal investigator Channah Rock, this project received $34,954.40 to evaluate whether ozone nanobubble irrigation can provide growers with a practical method for reducing salinity in the root zone.

Two-year Soil Health Special Initiative award

Soil Structure, Water Movement, and Salinity: Establishing Soil Health Baselines Across Yuma Valley Crop Rotations

University of Arizona principal investigator Joseph Blankinship received a two-year award totaling $71,388.83, or approximately $35,694.42 annually. Running from September 2026 through August 2028, the project will establish soil health baselines across Yuma Valley crop rotations while examining the relationships among soil structure, water movement and salinity.

YCEDA leaders thanked the stakeholders who contributed their time and expertise to the proposal-review process, noting that their industry perspectives were essential to the final funding recommendations.

The center will share updates and findings as the projects progress. Through investments in industry-driven research, YCEDA aims to strengthen the research ecosystem serving arid-region and specialty-crop agriculture.

The Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture is led by Executive Director Tanya Hodges, EdD, who also serves as a lecturer in Agriculture Education and Plant Science at the University of Arizona–Yuma.

News

The Desert Difference: Global Agtech Innovation Summit Date Announced

Aug. 4, 2026

AgTech Field Day & Conference in Yuma, AZ

SAVE THE DATE!

The Desert Difference: Global AgTech Innovation Summit returns to Yuma, Arizona, for its third year on December 9–10, 2026!

Presented by the University of Arizona’s Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, Cooperative Extension, and the Yuma Agricultural Center, this two-day field day and conference will showcase how emerging agricultural technologies are being integrated into real-world farming systems.

Attendees will experience live demonstrations, discover innovations designed for desert agriculture, and connect with growers, researchers, technology developers, investors, and industry leaders working to shape the future of agriculture in arid regions.

Yuma, Arizona

December 9–10, 2026

Mark your calendar and stay tuned, additional event and registration information will be announced soon!Learn more: https://dev-alvsce-desertagsolutions.pantheonsite.io/events/desert-diff…

Reservoir Farms to Launch Yuma AgTech Innovation Hub in October 2026

July 18, 2026

Bringing Agricultural Innovation Into the Field

Reservoir Farms is expanding its on-farm agricultural technology model into Arizona through a new pilot program at the University of Arizona’s Yuma Agricultural Center. Scheduled to become operational on October 1, 2026, the initiative will provide agricultural technology companies with access to approximately 500 acres for testing and refining innovations under real-world desert production conditions.

The Yuma pilot is being developed in collaboration with the University of Arizona’s Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, the Yuma Agricultural Center, Western Growers, John Deere and additional agricultural partners. It will be Reservoir Farms’ first operating location outside California and represents an important step in connecting the agricultural innovation ecosystems of Yuma and California’s Salinas Valley.

Bringing Agricultural Innovation Into the Field

Reservoir Farms operates as an on-farm innovation hub designed to help startups move technologies from early-stage concepts and laboratory prototypes into commercially viable agricultural applications.

Rather than testing equipment only in controlled environments, participating companies work directly in production settings where they can evaluate performance, receive feedback from growers and make modifications based on actual field conditions.

The Yuma location will allow startups to conduct trials in commercial desert vegetable production during the region’s fall and winter growing season. Initial pilot activities are expected to run from October 2026 through March 2027, giving participating companies opportunities to test agricultural robotics, automation systems, sensors, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies across 500 accessible acres at the Yuma Agricultural Center.

The site is also expected to provide access to workspace where companies can meet with customers, modify equipment and continue developing their technologies as field trials progress. Reservoir Farms’ structured model is intended to help innovators more quickly understand the operational, environmental and economic realities of commercial agriculture.

Yuma Offers a Unique Testing Environment

Yuma is one of the nation’s most important specialty-crop production regions, particularly during the winter months. The area produces an estimated 90% of the nation’s leafy greens from November through March, when production shifts south from areas such as California’s Salinas Valley.

This seasonal connection creates an opportunity for startups already working at Reservoir Farms’ Salinas location to continue testing technologies in Yuma. By following crop production from California to Arizona, companies may be able to conduct more field trials, evaluate equipment under different conditions and improve their technologies without lengthy seasonal interruptions.

Yuma’s desert environment also presents challenges that agricultural technologies must be able to address, including heat, water management, dust, connectivity and the operational demands of large-scale winter vegetable production. Technologies that perform successfully under these conditions may be better positioned for adoption across other agricultural regions.

“The Yuma Agricultural Center provides a living laboratory for evaluating emerging technologies under the real production conditions that define desert agriculture,” said Tanya Hodges, executive director of YCEDA.

“This pilot collaboration with Reservoir gives innovators the chance to test and refine tools in specialty crops alongside the growers, researchers and industry partners who know this region best—a region that serves as a critical hub for specialty crop production when many other areas are out of season.”

Supporting Growers and Emerging Companies

The partnership is intended to benefit both technology developers and the agricultural community.

Startups will gain access to fields, growers, researchers and industry professionals who can provide practical feedback throughout the development process. Growers, in turn, will have opportunities to observe and help shape technologies intended to address challenges involving labor availability, production costs, resource efficiency, crop protection and agricultural sustainability.

“Building agricultural robots is one thing; proving they can deliver value in real field conditions is another,” said Éric Lapalme, co-founder and chief product officer of Sami Robotics, one of the companies preparing to participate in the Reservoir Farms environment.

Reservoir Farms’ broader model emphasizes developing technologies that solve practical problems and can operate reliably within the financial and operational realities of commercial farms. Its flagship Salinas facility includes dedicated commercial test fields, collaboration areas and prototyping spaces where startups work alongside growers, investors, researchers and agricultural companies.

Strengthening Yuma’s Agricultural Innovation Ecosystem

For YCEDA and the University of Arizona’s Yuma Agricultural Center, the pilot represents another step toward establishing the region as a destination for agricultural research, technology demonstration and startup development.

In addition to supporting field trials, the initiative could introduce emerging companies to Yuma’s agricultural community, workforce and business environment. Over time, successful startups may identify opportunities to establish longer-term operations, partnerships or manufacturing activities in the region.

The Yuma Agricultural Center has described the collaboration as a pilot project and an early step toward developing a larger smart-farm innovation hub. Reservoir Farms plans to begin operations at the site on October 1, 2026, in time for the start of Yuma’s fall and winter production season.

Sources

Morales, Eduardo. “Reservoir Farms Launches Yuma Ag Tech Hub in 2026.” AgWeb, July 17, 2026.
Reservoir. “Reservoir Farms Launches Pilot in Arizona for Physical AI Innovation in Specialty Crops.” Global Ag Tech Initiative, July 9, 2026.
Growing Produce Staff. “Reservoir Farms Expanding Its Ag Tech Footprint Into Arizona.” Growing Produce, July 9, 2026.
Reservoir. “Reservoir Turns Vision for Specialty Crop AgTech Innovation Center Into Reality.” Reservoir, published April 10, 2026.

USDA Drought Disaster Designation Expands Assistance Eligibility for Yuma County Producers

July 13, 2026

Both primary and contiguous disaster-area designations allow eligible farmers and ranchers to be considered for USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans.

USDA Drought Disaster Designation Expands Assistance Eligibility for Yuma County Producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Yuma County as a primary natural disaster area due to ongoing drought conditions, making eligible agricultural producers in the county able to apply for emergency loan assistance through the USDA Farm Service Agency.

The Yuma County designation was included in the second of two recent federal drought disaster determinations affecting ten Arizona counties. Yuma County was initially identified as a contiguous disaster area in a June 29 designation before being elevated to primary disaster-area status in the subsequent determination.

The designations were based on data from the U.S. Drought Monitor showing that affected counties experienced either severe drought conditions for at least eight consecutive weeks or extreme to exceptional drought during the growing season.

Assistance Available Through the Farm Service Agency

Both primary and contiguous disaster-area designations allow eligible farmers and ranchers to be considered for USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans.

Emergency loan funds may be used to help producers:

Restore or replace essential property and equipment
Pay certain production costs associated with the disaster
Reorganize farming operations
Refinance certain qualifying debts
Address other documented recovery needs

Loan applications are evaluated based on the producer’s losses, available security and ability to repay. Producers generally have eight months from the date of the applicable disaster designation to submit an application.

Farmers and ranchers interested in assistance are encouraged to contact their local USDA Service Center as soon as possible. Farm Service Agency representatives can help producers understand eligibility requirements, identify appropriate programs and prepare the documentation needed to apply.

Producers should also maintain records of drought-related production losses, additional operating expenses and other impacts to their agricultural operations.

Drought Conditions Affect Counties Across Arizona

In addition to Yuma County, the recent USDA determinations include Coconino, Gila, Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal and Yavapai counties as either primary or contiguous disaster areas.

The USDA’s action does not automatically provide direct payments to every producer. Instead, the designation opens access to emergency credit and other potential disaster-recovery resources administered through the Farm Service Agency.

Additional information about USDA disaster assistance, emergency loans and local service centers is available through the USDA Farm Service Agency and Farmers.gov.

Source and attribution: This article is based on reporting by Matthew Holloway for AZ Free News, “USDA Issues Drought Disaster Designations for Ten Arizona Counties,” published July 13, 2026. Additional information was obtained from the USDA Farm Service Agency and the Office of Congressman Eli Crane. Contact Matthew Holloway at Matthew@azfreenews.com

Original reporting: Read the AZ Free News article

Official information: USDA Farm Service Agency disaster assistance resources and Congressman Eli Crane’s announcement regarding the Arizona designations

YCEDA is sharing this information as a resource for Arizona’s agricultural community. Producers should contact the USDA Farm Service Agency directly to confirm eligibility, application deadlines and program requirements.