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Adia Barnes on Teamwork and Motherhood.

Also on Arizona Spotlight:Can new technology save water on farms? Plus Chris Dashiell remembers Peter Bogdanovich, and a short story read by author Michelle Ross.
Precision-cut rows of broccoli grow on a laser-leveled field in Yuma, Arizona. Technological developments in agriculture are helping the industry use water more efficiently, but research shows that some methods are not helping save water on a basin-wide scale.

As the Colorado River shrinks, can new technology save water on farms? The answer is complicated

Agriculture uses about 80% of the water in the Colorado River basin.
Jazz guitarist, composer & educator Dave Stryker.

The Dave Stryker Quartet kicks off the 2022 Tucson Jazz Festival.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The Cocopah Indian Tribe work to restore the Colorado River Delta; How Maryanne Chisholm's artistic vision guided her through difficult times; and the Sonoran Plein Air Painters share "A Brush with the Desert".

Researcher: More could be done to protect farmworkers from COVID-19

For the study, more than 30 farm workers in Sonora and Baja California were interviewed from mid- to late-2020.
A sprawling swath of the West is in drought, with more than 20 years of dryness in the Colorado River basin. Researchers say nearly every indicator of drought is heading in the wrong direction.

Drought monitors paint a bleak picture for the Colorado River

Four metrics are used to track drought, and they paint a bleak picture
Farmers Investment Co. president Dick Walden walks through his company's pecan farm.

Company to close pecan harvesting plant in southern Arizona

Farmers Investment Co. said processing pecans at the Sahuarita plant wasn't sustainable due to tariffs, low-cost competition from Mexican processors and financial impacts of COVID-19.
Will Thelander, of Tempe Farming Company, grows crops such as cotton and alfalfa but is also experimenting with guayule, a desert native plant that is being studied for the natural rubber it produces.

Arizona farmers prepare for water cuts

A third-generation farmer fears for the long-term sustainability of farming in Arizona.
Border patrol searches through tomatoes at port of entry.

Mexican tomato importers worry rule interpretation could raise prices

"This might add up to 20% to 25% of the Nogales shipping cost of tomatoes," industry group says
From the "Good Food Finder" webpage: "Good food is all about taste and freshness. But choosing local means more than delicious and more nutritious food! Local food builds vibrant communities, supports farmers and food entrepreneurs, protects the environment, and fosters a robust local economy."

"Good Food Finder" wants to build roots between growers and consumers.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Visit a place in the desert with more than a century of aviation history; current Tucson Museum of Art exhibition "4 x 4" celebrates Willie J. Bonner; more entries by 5th graders from The NPR Student Podcast Challenge.
Grape vines at a vineyard in Willcox, Arizona, 2018.

No movement on groundwater protection bills

This year's efforts to bring more regulation to Arizona's groundwater use have failed in the state legislature.
Lake Mead, 2016.

As more move to Arizona, what “smart growth” looks like

A discussion with Arizona Republic digital opinions editor Joanna Allhands.
A farm in Arizona.

Arizona changes 'use it or lose it' water law

A bill signed last week allows water users to voluntarily conserve water without risking loss of the rights to it.

Health workers worry about COVID-19 impact on Cochise County farmworkers

Older adults and some frontline workers are getting vaccinated in Arizona, but essential sectors like farms still have a wait ahead
Eighteen plots are laid out on the hillside on Brian Mealor’s property in Sheridan County, Wyo. Mealor is studying how differing amounts of herbicide sprayed at different times of year can be used to manage invasive species.

In grasslands plagued by invasives and drought, wildfires fuel calls for new solutions

Invasive plants and climate change are changing the relationship between vast rangelands, drought and wildfire.
The Colorado River, the source of the Grand Valley’s irrigation water, flows through Debeque Canyon.

Western Colorado water purchases stir up worries about the future of farming

An investment trend based on the potential value of water has rekindled fears about the future of water in the West.
Workers harvest greens alongside farm equipment in the Yuma area in this file photo.

Coronavirus cases surge in Arizona's border counties

Two Arizona counties along the border have experienced dramatic upticks in the last month.

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