Everybody needs food: A trip to Desert Premium Farms

On the second morning of our Food and Farm Immersive, our graduate student cohort drove to Desert Premium Farms in Yuma, Arizona.

On the final evening of the Food and Farm Immersion, students, faculty, and staff gathered at ASU’s University Club to celebrate the week with the help of the Director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture, Paul Brierley.

Walking onto the Justice Brothers Ranch, I could feel the Arizona sun beaming down on me, paired with the ongoing noise of airplanes flying over the Waddell area. It had been a long day of farm visits for my Sustainable Food Systems cohort. We had visited all larger, conventional farms earlier in the day, and we were looking forward to learning about what this farmer had to say about his citrus farm.

If you know a thing or two about plants and tree species, you could find a lovely meal on the Arizona State University campus. You walk outside, and foods like oranges, olives, mint, rosemary, and many more surround you. Walking the ASU campus, our tour guide, Deborah Thirkhill, took us on a campus food journey that could be the future for more college campuses.

Over the course of the fall 2023 Food and Farm Immersion, Hayden Flour Mills was one of the sites I was looking forward to visiting the most. The essence of Hayden Flour Mills mission is to shift consumers away from processed grains towards the natural, flavorful, and nutrient-rich products, which they achieve through the art of stone milling and the revival of heritage grains.

Paloma Dairy host and farm owner Robert Van Hofwegen, Sr, begins our tour with a hint of fire and brimstone, “This is not a factory.”

“Green waste” refers to organic waste that is generated from plants and other organic materials. While green waste from some sources, such as kitchen scraps, is easy to compost; other materials, such as tree stumps, branches and other woody yard waste are sizable and take longer to decompose, making their disposal a challenge.

Nestled within the heart of Echo Canyon School in Scottsdale, AZ, there exists a vibrant oasis of greenery and learning—the school garden. On a recent visit to this unique educational sanctuary, our cohort had the pleasure of immersing myself in the beauty of nature, witnessing firsthand the importance of passing down knowledge and cocreating a space with our youth.

In December 2023, our cohort of Sustainable Food Systems graduate students traveled to Camp Verde, Arizona, where we learned firsthand about the multi-sector “farm to growler” collaboration that is Sinagua Malt.

Under the bright glow of the afternoon sun, our motorcade of student-filled SUVs arrived at Nature Betteravia Farms in Yuma, AZ, for the second stop of the day. Our conversation with Mike Pasquinelli, a 3rd generation farmer and Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association President, revealed a peek into the challenges facing many farmers in this region.

During the winter break of 2023, I had the opportunity to visit my hometown, Rio Rico, Arizona, and explore the agricultural program at my former high school. Located just north of the US-Mexico border, the town plays a crucial role in receiving and distributing agricultural products through international ports, contributing to the broader supply chain in the United States.

Amidst the partisan bickering about how to use agriculture to address environmental challenges sits a voice of reason: Yadi Wang, General Manager of Oatman Flats Ranch, owned by Dax Hansen, 30 miles west of Gila Bend, Arizona. Armed with a revolutionary approach to land management, he led our group on the first tour of the 2023 Arizona Farm Immersive.