The University of Arizona’s Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA) and Cooperative Extension hosted a workshop for Yuma growers to assess the soil health needs of the desert Ag industry. This workshop is part of YCEDA’s Desert Ag Soil Health Initiative (DASHI). Presentations focused on soil health, but most importantly, the workshop included discussions among participants with the objective to: Understand growers’ priority questions about soil health. Identify what growers view as “success” when managing on-farm soil health.

This video is a journey through time highlighting YCEDA’s growth, collaborations on applied research, and innovative solutions addressing the real problems of desert agriculture!

In this technical session (9 of 9), researchers discuss their current and past research efforts focused on the industry. Speakers include:

Introductions w/ Dr. Stephanie Slinski, Associate Director for Applied Research & Development, YCEDA

Ethan Orr, Associate Director, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Economic Development, Cooperative Extension, University of Arizona

Joey Blankinship, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona

These 5-minute talks will give you a snapshot of research that could impact desert agriculture. (Session 8 of 9) Presented by:

Betsy Arnold, Professor and Curator, RLG Mycological Herbarium, School of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona

Changbin Chen, Associate Professor, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University

Channah Rock, Water Quality Specialist; Endowed Professor in Extension Fresh Produce Safety, CALS Cooperative Extension, University of Arizona

David Galbraith, Professor and Director of the School of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona

Industry members discuss their production challenges and experiences addressing those challenges. (Session 7 of 9)

Mark Smith, President, Smith Farms Company of Yuma, Inc.

Matt McGuire, Chief Agricultural Officer, JV Smith Companies

Steve Alameda, Co-president, Top Flavor Farms

Hank Auza, Farm Manager, Barkley Ag Enterprises

These 5-minute talks will give you a snapshot of research in desert agriculture. (Session 6 of 9) Speakers:

Dr. Diaa Elshikha, Assistant Irrigation Specialist, Biosystems Engineering Department, University of Arizona

Dr. Glenn Wright, Associate Extension Specialist, School of Plant Sciences, Yuma Agricultural Center

Samuel Discua Duerte, Postdoctoral Research Associate I, Entomology, University of Arizona

Dr. Matt Halldorson, Yavapai County Director, Associate Agent - Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Arizona

Russ Engel, Director of the University of Arizona's Yuma County Cooperative Extension, moderates this session discussing resources for Desert Ag Research. Panelists include:

Ed Martin, Interim Director, Arizona Cooperative Extension, University of Arizona

Jairo Diaz, Director, Desert Research and Extension Center, University of California

Humberto Hernandez, Director, Yuma Agricultural Center, University of Arizona

Robert Masson, Agricultural Agent, Yuma Co. Cooperative Extension, University of Arizona

Tanya Hodges, Regional Coordinator, UA Yuma

Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, Executive Director of the Center for Produce Safety, and Lisa James, Grants Program Manager for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, share information on what makes a successful research proposal from the perspective of funding agencies. (Session 4 of 9)