Friday Food Facts

Arizona farmers grow more food and fiber with less – less land, less labor, less water, less soil erosion, less energy use, less greenhouse gas emissions – but with more efficiency and safety. Our Kerr Family Dairy is just one example of this.

June is Dairy month! Arizona’s 188,000 dairy cows provide us with the freshest milk, cheese and yogurt. On average, a dairy cow will produce 7 gallons of milk each day. Plus, 97% of your milk in the grocery store is coming from our local Arizona Dairies, including mine, Kerr Dairy.

It’s summer! Time to find out if a watermelon is ripe by thumping it and listening for the hollow sound of ripeness. Arizona and California are the largest producers of Watermelon in the U.S. Make this and other melons and berries a centerpiece of your summer family picnics.

Regions of Arizona represent different agriculture water issues. What is Maricopa County’s water issue is not Yavapai County’s. But one thing is common, Arizona’s farmers and ranchers get more crop per drop to grow the food we love.

Ears of corn always have an even number of rows of kernels. And, that annoying silk on the top – each one is responsible for one kernel of corn on the ear. Thanks to Arizona’s climate, our sweet corn season runs from late May to September allowing us to have one of the longer sweet corn seasons.