Since 1911, the Pima County Fair has been a central focus for the UArizona Pima County Cooperative Extension (PCCE) 4-H Club Program. Every year, club members raise animals or create projects for exhibitions at the Fair, usually held each April. From market hogs to leatherworking, and western horseback riding to pigeon showmanship, 4-H members work all year to get the chance to exhibit outcomes and win recognition. The Pima County Junior Livestock Sales, Inc., created in 1986, manages the annual Livestock Auction, which happens on the last Saturday of the Fair. This organization not only provides youth scholarships but also promotes and supports the livestock and small stock programs of PCCE 4-H. 

Although last year’s Pima County Fair and Livestock Sale was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 4-H agents and Pima County Junior Livestock Sales Board members have been pivoting programs toward safer alternatives. For example, a well-orchestrated virtual livestock sale held earlier this year sold 175 large livestock animals and 45 small stock animals for a combined sale total of $487,720. Proceeds were paid directly to 4-H & FFA/Agricultural Education Program members, who most commonly use the money to reinvest in projects or to put into savings for higher education.

What is happening in 2021? We know how important the Fair is to youth and their families in our county. Although the entertainment part of the Fair has been canceled, we are working with Pima County to host a distanced in-person alternative so that youth can still have a rewarding conclusion to their project year. Jackpot shows, virtual livestock sales, and online project presentations are also in the works.

Get 2021 Fair updates on the Pima County Junior Livestock Sales, Inc. website

Here are some fun exercises from the PCCE Community Nutrition Education program to manage your stress and keep your body happy even in front of the computer!

Learn about eye health and find more eye stress-relieving exercises Here

With so many cotton varieties out there, have you ever wondered how growers pick the best cotton for their land? With the average lifespan of a cotton variety being only three to five years, there is a constant flow of unfamiliar varieties entering the market. Cooperative Extension supports our cotton industry by running the upland cotton-variety testing program, which uses trials in multiple locations with variable growing conditions to determine how well commercially available cotton varieties perform in the drastically different production regions of our state. There are multiple testing sites across the state ranging from clay soil at 100 ft elevation in Yuma to loam soil at 4,400 ft in Bonita. Right here in Marana, there is a test site at 1990 ft elevation in loam soil. Cotton Varieties are replicated in large field length strips, six rows wide and managed by growers in commercial production fields. This large plot size and grower management gives the trials more integrity with other growers and provides a larger scale understanding of how varieties perform. When a grower’s favorite variety is no longer available, growers look to these trials to make scientifically-based decisions that will maintain the economic viability of their farming operations.

Article contributed by Blase Evancho, Assistant in Extension (Email)

Have you ever tasted grilled prickly pear pads (nopales) or baked goods made from mesquite flour? While interest in these local foods has been rising, many other desert-adapted plant species could grace your plate, boost food security, and health outcomes in our community, all while taking a smaller toll on the environment and shoring up our local food supply. In partnership with the UArizona’s Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, our PCCE Master Gardener and Garden Kitchen programs are working to develop a “Resilient Food Future.” Thanks to a grant from the Arizona Institutes for Resilience funded by the Technology and Research Initiative Fund, this collaborative effort involves partners from within the University and across the community and seeks to promote desert-adapted foods that are unique to our region and best suited to our climate. Between now and July, we will be producing educational workshops and new materials to teach people how to recognize, cultivate, harvest, and savor local flora. Growing a food-resilient future is up to all of us and requires increased awareness and appreciation for the unique desert plants that have evolved in our landscape. Stay tuned and join us for these informative and inspiring workshops!