Agriculture

The federal Bureau of Reclamation late last week released a draft Environmental Impact Statement outlining options for how to deal with the Colorado River going forward.

Environmental groups are sounding the alarm on various issues going into this year’s legislative session, and holding out hope for one area of potential bipartisanship.

Republican state lawmakers are concerned about the management of state trust land following an unfavorable audit of the state land department. They accuse Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs of “demonizing” certain industries seeking land lease.

According to the agriculture research group Farm Flavor, the cotton industry has lost more than $1 billion nationwide this year as exports have plummeted by nearly 90%.

Eighteen cattle ranchers in the Mountain West region are partnering with a carbon credit company to make their land healthier and get extra revenue.

The Gila River Indian Community has strict rules about accessing the abandoned 16,500-acre site, originally known as the Rivers Relocation Center. Now, it’s more commonly called Gila River, and the camp’s location is mainly off-limits.

Hundreds showed up for this year’s pilgrimage in late October, which began with a ceremony to honor those who died at the Japanese American internment camp known as the Colorado River Relocation Center — more commonly called Poston.

In Arizona, funding will specifically help agricultural producers who are struggling to budget for 2026.

Farmers, ranchers and farm workers are three-and-a-half times more likely to die by suicide compared to the general population.

The Arizona Board of Regents has approved a $3 million Regents’ Grant to strengthen Arizona’s agriculture industry and advance sustainable farming practices.