Researchers at the University of Arizona say vegetable farmers are more concentrated in Yuma County than automobile manufacturing in the Detroit area.

According to their new research, Yuma Agriculture and affiliates provided Arizona with $4.4 billion in economic activity in 2022.

Professor George Frisbold said the perfect climate, water and availability of labor makes Yuma unique. The region supplies lush vegetables for about half of the year.

“But really, Yuma controls lettuce shipments in the United States from Veterans Day until the end of April. It’s much longer than winter months,” Frisbold said at UA’s Faculty of Agricultural Research and Economics. I did.

Frisbold said Yuma Produce generated around $275 million in sales in Arizona alone.

He said Yuma will use about two-thirds of water to sell $1,000 worth of vegetables.

“The average across the Colorado Basin, the lower and upper reaches is more than twice as much as Yuma uses,” Frisbord said.

This study was paid in part by a public-private partnership between UA scientists and Yuma’s agricultural industry.