Yuma Arizona

We arrived here about noon Saturday, overlooking all the fields of red, green, butter, and Romaine lettuce, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and more. The agricultural industry produces 48 % of the revenues in Yuma County. I'm sure that's due to the fact that they get 339 days of sunshine per year.

 Food safety is one of the most important concerns for the growers of the winter vegetables. A few fields are fenced, dirt roads watered to keep the dust down, equipment is sanitized daily, workers wear hairnets, gloves, aprons, protective gear. If an animal ( dog) print is found in a field,  a mandatory buffer circle 5' all around from the print, cannot be harvested. If animals graze in an adjacent field, the buffer is 30 feet between fields, and if the field is downwind of animals the buffer can be as much as 400 feet. If animal droppings are brought into the fields, tractors  or workers could contaminate the crop and hundred of pounds of produce would need to be dumped. The average cost to produce an acre of most crops is $3,500 - $4000. The fields have a continual rotation of vegetable and seed crops from now until March.You cannot enter the harvested field because you don't know why some produce was left in the field, you could contaminate it and it is stealing.

                                                 I measured this one, it was actually 14" across.
We had several nice visits and dinner with Myrna and Roger.

We also had a great visit with our friend Vicki.

                                                              

It is pretty watching the birds and they have old wagons and silly driftwood horses around the grounds.