As a consultant on the Swette Center team, Mark Lipson is providing support to the farming community in Arizona as they work to establish the state's first organic cooperative.

"This event brought together community partners from ranching, government, academia, and retail to learn what responsible meat production can look like and how to market it successfully."

Read on for an interview with Emily Holleran, Instructor in the School of Sustainability.

"On a sunny December morning, forty-two eager Swette Center students and instructors drove onto Oasis Date, in the middle of the desert of Arizona, a farm lined with date palms as far as the eye could see. The farmer, Claudia, began the tour by telling us about her and Oasis Date’s history."

"Surrounded by the saguaros of Three Points, Arizona, Andrea Carter and Sergio Matias manage Luna De Sonora Farm. Through Andrea’s background in agronomy and connection to Native Seeds, the farm has been committed to growing southwestern crop varieties of their current selection of herbs, root vegetables, and oats."

"In Yuma, Arizona, known as the Winter Lettuce Capital of the U.S. and Canada for producing 90% of the leafy greens consumed during the coldest months, I witnessed this work unfolding across vast commercial fields as my Arizona State University classmates and I drove past to the University of Arizona’s Yuma Agricultural Center."

"On December 4, 2025, our ASU food policy and sustainability cohort had the opportunity to hear from Councilman Jacob Butler, Cultural Resources Director Kelly Washington, and Garden Supervisor Jeff Wilson at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s (SRPMIC) Community Garden, located on their newly renovated cultural campus."

"Manzo Elementary may seem like any other school in Tucson, Arizona, but upon walking through the building’s doors, it is clear that it is a special place."

"With Congress back in session, legislators will take up a set of issues they haven’t comprehensively addressed since 2018 – the year the last farm bill passed."

The Swette Center joined forces last week with the Heartland Health Research Alliance and several food and nutrition experts. Together, we responded to a request for information from the USDA and FDA on how to identify ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

We are thrilled to introduce Arizona State University’s 2025 cohort in the Food Policy & Sustainability Leadership graduate certificate program and Sustainable Food Systems MS program.

The Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems is honored to welcome George Siemon, an accomplished trailblazer in organic agriculture, to the Arizona Transition to Organic Partnership Program.