Pima Cotton, Clark Farms, and Marana AZ History
In the last Community and Regional Update Meeting I attended, sponsored by the Marana Chamber of Commerce, I have to say I got doggone excited over our farming history! Can I say it has something to do with years of dairy farming near Green Bay, WI? I'll never tell - but I did enjoy hearing about the innovative tractors that eliminate all those repeat trips over the same plot of land !!! (once a farmer, always a farmer)
But let me start at the beginning. First of all, these update meetings are free, and open to the public. If you don't mind being somewhere at 7:30 a.m. - this might be a good avenue for you!
Tom Clark was a guest speaker this past month, and he told us stories of the first Cotton gin where MacDonald's sits now near Marana Road and I-10. Shamrock dairy was here, and alfalfa grew nearby to help feed the cows.
We learned through Luke Bayci, a cotton broker, how one machine will now take the work of working a field with a disc twice, plowing, then seeding. One trip versus 4...wow...helpful with the price of gas! Dualing up the wheels, as he called it, eliminates two tires packing down the ground.
So, cotton in our area is very high end. It goes into making shirts, dresses, sheets... Low grade is used for ropes, mid grade--denim, maybe towels.
Currently, we have approximately 6000-7000 acres of cotton in production. This will produce about 10 million dress shirts - WOW!
Even more amazing, this farming footprint for cotton alone, translates to 20-30 million dollars in economic impact.
Phew!
So now you know your cotton trivia for today.
And yes, we have different subjects every month. We've plenty about the future growth plans, the Twin Peaks Premium Outlet Malls, the Sun Corridor and more.
Come join us, and say hello.
Celebrate our history on October 10, 2015. Marana Cotton Festival - Free!
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