Arizona

Agriculture

Arizona's agricultural output (including livestock products) was valued at $2.5 billion in 2001 (29th in the US). Cash receipts from crops alone amounted to $1.4 billion.

In 2002 there were about 7,300 farms covering 26.5 million acres (10.7 million hectares), or about 39% of the state's total area, but only 1,961,000 acres (389,000 hectares), or 1.3% of the state, were actually farmed for crops. Arizona's farmed cropland is intensely cultivated and highly productive. In 2002, Arizona was 2nd among all states in cotton yield per acre (1,262 lb per acre). About 95% of all farmland is dependent on irrigation provided by dams and water projects.

Cotton is the leading cash crop in Arizona. In 2002 the state produced 560,000 bales of Upland cotton on 215,000 acres (87,000 hectares), with a total value of $131,443,000. Arizona also produced 16,000 bales of American-Pima cotton on 4,900 acres (1,980 hectares) valued at $6,359,000. Vegetables, especially head lettuce, accounted for a value of $705,701,000 in 2001. Hay is also an important item; total hay production was 2,034,000 tons in 2002, for a value of $202,289,000. Other crops are wheat, sorghum, barley, grapes, and citrus fruits.