Farm Facts That Feed You

• Yuma, Arizona’s Leafy greens farming annually generates an estimated $3 to $4 billion.November is “Arizona Leafy Greens Month.” It celebrates the kickoff of Arizona’s leafy greens season, with abundant growth, harvest, and shipments of Arizona-grown lettuce throughout the United States and Canada.
• Arizona is the winter lettuce capital of the U.S. contributing 25% of U.S. lettuce production annually; more than 90% of it in the winter.
• Yuma farmers produce 170 million servings of lettuce per day from November to April eaten by Americans and Canadians.
• In Yuma, facilities supporting the growers and packers include 22 coolers and 10 salad plants.
  Daily between Thanksgiving and Easter, 1,500 to 2,000 refrigerated semi-truckloads of leafy greens leave Yuma to deliver all over America and Canada so all of us can enjoy our leafy greens even during the wintertime.
• These refrigerated truckloads of vegetables can deliver to New York in approximately 4 days and be on someone’s salad plate at the family dinner table or high-end restaurant fresh and ready to eat.
• In winter and unable to replicate anywhere else in the country, only Arizona’s vegetable production can harness
  • Legal available labor
  • Ideal Climate
  • Quality Water
  • Soil Health
  • Robust Infrastructure.
• Farmers work to protect public health by participating in a food safety program, which cultivates food safety practices, verifies on-farm compliance, utilizes data for improvement, and empowers industry with tools to advance food safety.
• Arizona consistently produces an abundance of nutritious and safe leafy greens.
• The desert southwest is the only place in the USA that can grow these tender crops in the wintertime, providing a fresh, wholesome, home-grown source of veggies.
• Yuma County ranks in the top 1/10th of 1% of U.S. counties in vegetable production.
• Nearly 20% of Arizona’s leafy greens are produced organically and 80% conventionally to meet consumer interest in both.
• Arizona’s 15 leafy greens are covered by the Arizona Leafy Greens Agreement (AZ LGMA) which assures stringent food safety practices:

1. Endive
2. Escarole
3. Spring Mix
4. Cabbage
5. Romaine Lettuce
6. Butter Lettuce
7. Arugula
8. Iceberg Lettuce
9. Green Leaf Lettuce
10. Red Leaf Lettuce
11. Baby Leaf Lettuce
12. Spinach
13. Kale
14. Chard
15. Radicchio

• Yuma County is considered America’s winter salad bowl. But lots of leafy greens are also coming from Arizona’s Maricopa and Pinal Counties.
• Eating more leafy greens is healthy for you! Leafy greens, especially the dark green ones, are packed with phytonutrients, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
• The darker leafy greens are rich in A, C, E and K, and broccoli, Bok choy and mustards are also rich in several B vitamins.
• Kale contains more Vitamin C than oranges.
• Bok Choy, though celery-like in appearance, belongs to the cabbage family.
• Collard greens have been studied for their ability to lower cholesterol.
• Cabbage dates to the 1600s. Some drink juiced cabbage for stomach and intestinal issues.
• The Vitamin K contained in dark leafy vegetables is good for protecting bones from osteoporosis and helping prevent inflammatory diseases.
• The most appealing benefits of dark green leafy vegetables are their low calorie and carbohydrate content and their low glycemic index.
• Romaine lettuce is one of the five lettuce types and an excellent source of folate and vitamin K.
  Spinach is a natural hydrator with raw spinach 91% water. It’s an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K, folate, potassium, and fiber.

WHAT IS THE ARIZONA LEAFY GREENS MARKETING AGREEMENT?

Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (Arizona LGMA) provides rigorous, science-based food safety audits to the Arizona produce industry and is managed by the Arizona Leafy Greens Food Safety Committee. Arizona is the second-largest leafy green producer in the United States. Arizona Leafy Greens members represent 98% of leafy green products grown in Arizona.

Sources: Arizona Farm Bureau, Arizona Department of Agriculture, Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, USDA-NASS, Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association, and our Arizona leafy greens farmers.
Virtual Ag Tour Series: Produce Farming