Home Grown: Yuma provides valuable ag education

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The University of Arizona Yuma campus equips students with firsthand experience in agriculture.

Unlike the main campus in Tucson, students in Yuma get to work with local industries in the Desert Southwest to practice analyzing data, operating machinery, controlling pesticides and chemicals, harvesting, and running technology.

Tanya Hodges, regional academic programs director with U of A Yuma lists opportunities industries give to students in an exchange effort for learning and working.

"We have them working in seed companies, doing breeding programs, working in the harvesting, the lettuce and the cold crops: broccoli, cauliflower; working on the machinery that's doing the harvesting or the cutting or the wedding or the thinning," Hodges detailed about the programs. "They work with chemical companies. Possibly some of them want to become chemical advisers or pest advisers."

With the Desert Southwest being a hot spot for agriculture, Hodges agrees there are many reasons why Yuma is a favorite spot to get an education in agriculture.

"I think agriculture is important to the world. And because it's important, particularly to the United States, we got to eat, and Yuma has this wonderful environment: great growing conditions in the wintertime, we're the sunniest place on earth, we've got the Colorado River soil and water," Hodges said in reference to the prime weather conditions and amenities.

The University of Arizona Yuma campus plans to start up the fall semester on August 24.