Arizona Agriculture: Arizona Farm Bureau, Its Members and Its Farm Economy
Profile updated November 2026
Arizona Agriculture is the member publication of the Arizona Farm Bureau, the grassroots federation that calls itself the Voice of Agriculture in a desert state that grows much of the nation's winter lettuce. It carries Farm Bureau advocacy, member stories and farm news to Arizona's farmers, ranchers and dairy producers.
| Publisher | Arizona Farm Bureau |
|---|---|
| Office | 325 S. Higley Rd., Suite 210, Gilbert, Arizona |
| Early records | 1914-1933, held by University of Arizona Special Collections |
| Mission | Preserving and improving the agriculture industry |
| Consumer outreach | Fill Your Plate website and blog |
| Arizona farm receipts | $3.97 billion in 2021 (USDA NASS) |
| Official website | Arizona Farm Bureau on FillYourPlate.org |
History of Arizona Agriculture
The Arizona Farm Bureau Federation grew out of the same county-agent movement that produced Farm Bureaus nationwide. Its early papers, from 1914 to 1933, are held by University of Arizona Special Collections. They show a federation organized to improve farming in Arizona through education, marketing and local organizations, working with the University of Arizona College of Agriculture, and include draft constitutions, by-laws and records of forming county farm bureaus. S.S. Wallace served as an early president.
Leadership has often run in farm families. In 2012, as Arizona marked its statehood centennial, the Farm Bureau published a series on the state's agricultural history that included a profile of Cecil H. Miller Sr. and Cecil H. Miller Jr., father and son whose Farm Bureau leadership spanned 1941-1943 and 1971-1992.
Arizona Agriculture Today
The Arizona Farm Bureau describes itself as a grassroots group working through member involvement in education, political activity, programs and services. Members cite insurance, member benefits and business resources, along with lobbying in Phoenix and Washington on water, property rights and farm policy.
Programs promoted to members include Ag in the Classroom, Young Farmers and Ranchers, Effective Communications training, a Women's Leadership Boot Camp and Annie's Project risk management education for farm and ranch women. Arizona Agriculture reports on these alongside policy news, while the Fill Your Plate site reaches consumers with recipes and farmer profiles.
What Arizona Agriculture Is Publishing Now
Advocacy and policy
Water, land use, labor and regulation, the issues Arizona members say matter most.
Member and family stories
Profiles of farmers, ranchers and dairy families, many of them multigeneration Farm Bureau households.
Education and leadership
Coverage of Ag in the Classroom, young farmer events and leadership training.
Arizona Agriculture Editors and Staff
The Arizona Farm Bureau's communications are led by its outreach team:
- Julie Murphree - Outreach Director, communications and outreach
- S.S. Wallace - Early president (historical)
Julie Murphree, a journalism graduate of Arizona State University, grew up on a cotton and alfalfa farm in Pinal County and has written widely for the Farm Bureau's outreach channels.
Who Reads Arizona Agriculture
Arizona Agriculture readers farm in a state where USDA NASS counted about 19,000 farms on 26.2 million acres in 2021, an average of 1,379 acres. Cash receipts reached $3.97 billion, led by vegetables and melons at $1.11 billion, milk at $846 million and cattle at $754 million. Arizona ranked second nationally in head lettuce, romaine, cantaloupe and spinach, with Yuma known as the winter lettuce capital.
A University of Arizona study released at the 2017 Arizona Farm Bureau annual meeting found that the state's agribusiness system contributed $23.3 billion in sales and supported 138,000 jobs.
Arizona Agriculture readers know that farming in the Sonoran Desert means every drop of water has a committee and every lettuce field has a calendar. For some shade from the sun, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor about irrigation politics and 115-degree harvest days, plus ranch humor for the cattle country up north. Its farm jokes stay crisp even in Yuma.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
Arizona Agriculture Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- University of Arizona Libraries: Records of the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation - early history, 1914-1933.
- Fill Your Plate: Why Arizona farmers are Farm Bureau members - programs and benefits in members' words.
- USDA NASS: Arizona Annual Statistical Bulletin 2021 - farms, receipts and national rankings.
- Farm Progress: Arizona agribusiness contributes $23.3 billion - University of Arizona economic study.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture - national farm structure data.
Arizona Agriculture FAQ
Who publishes Arizona Agriculture?
The Arizona Farm Bureau, a grassroots farm organization with offices in Gilbert, Arizona.
What does the Arizona Farm Bureau do?
It advocates for farmers and ranchers on issues such as water and property rights and runs education, leadership and member benefit programs.
What are Arizona's top farm products?
Vegetables and melons, milk, cattle and lettuce led 2021 cash receipts, according to USDA NASS.
What is Fill Your Plate?
The Arizona Farm Bureau's consumer website and blog featuring Arizona farmers, food facts and recipes.
In a state where farming depends on careful stewardship of scarce water, Arizona Agriculture keeps Farm Bureau members informed and connected.