In this farm edition of Arizona Agriculture Connection, Clint Gladden of Gladden Farms and Saddle Mountain Dairy shares the history and structure of his fourth-generation family operation in Buckeye/Palo Verde, where they milk about 4,000 cows and farm 3,000 acres growing alfalfa, corn, sorghum, triticale, and wheat for silage. Clint manages the farm side while his older brother Josh manages the dairy, and he discusses the challenges of working with family and the importance of detailed crop tracking and organization for nutrition and field decisions.

He describes impacts from rapid urbanization, traffic, obstacles for equipment, trash in fields, and uncertainty around leased land and future development. Clint explains why he engages with Farm Bureau: to ensure producers tell their story, inform policy decisions, and address issues like high diesel costs, Colorado River water, air quality, and development, while staying focused on long-term sustainability for future generations.

Learn more and get involved with Maricopa County Farm Bureau at https://www.maricopacountyfb.org/

00:10 Meet Clint Gladden

01:07 Brothers Split Roles

01:59 Family Business Dynamics

03:48 Vertical Integration Story

06:04 Crops Grown for Feed

07:19 Tracking and Organization

10:27 Land Ownership and Leasing

10:46 Urbanization Pressures

16:11 Advocacy and Farm Bureau

22:04 Big Issues Facing Arizona

22:51 Hope for Next Generation

25:46 Why Farming Matters

This week’s Arizona Agriculture Connection reports that wheat futures falling after Russian media said Russia is taking steps to protect grain vessels amid the war with Ukraine; Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter with USDA estimating 46 million metric tons expected to ship. President Trump announced an executive order allowing 300,000 metric tons of ground beef imports under lowered tariffs for 90 days, drawing pushback as U.S. beef herds are at a 50-year low and imports are already at record levels, potentially rising nearly 60% over the period; Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall warned of long-term impacts.

Mexican feeder cattle crossed into the U.S. for the first time in over a year via Douglas, Arizona, as New World screw worm cases remain mostly inactive and Mexico increases sterile fly releases. The Bureau of Reclamation finalized Colorado River plans requiring a 1.25 million acre-feet cut shared by AZ, CA, and NV, with Arizona taking 760,000 plus at least 300,000 voluntary savings, implying a 14% municipal pool shortage for CAP.

For more news and local happening on Arizona Agriculture, check out https://www.maricopacountyfb.org/

In this episode of Arizona Agriculture Connection, Nicole Clements talks with Noel Carter, General Manager of the Buckeye Water Conservation and Drainage Districts, and Stan Barnes, President of Copper State Consulting Group, about water management challenges and developments in Arizona. The conversation delves into the complexities of water policy, including different types of water sources, historical water rights, and the impact of ongoing droughts. They discuss recent legislative efforts to manage urbanization and agricultural water needs, specifically focusing on the Ag to Urban transition and its implications for future growth. They also touch upon the transfer of water to Queen Creek, the intricacies of water law, and the importance of collective efforts and historical foresight in sustaining Arizona's water supply amid rapid urban development.

This episode congratulates Sine Kerr on her nomination to Biggs’ ticket for Arizona’s inaugural lieutenant governor position, noting her long-time support of agriculture, current role as director of the Arizona Farm Service Agency, and Farm Bureau leadership training that helped her move from the dairy farm to the Arizona Senate. Federally, the farm bill stalled in the Senate Ag Committee on a 10–11 vote. The bill will be up for continued discussion and a possible revote in September, with major disagreement over timing for state SNAP cost-share responsibility (Republicans favor one year, Democrats two) and Senator Mitch McConnell absent, leaving an 11–11 split. If advanced, the Senate bill must be reconciled with the House bill, and the current extension expires September 30. Locally, primary elections set the November 3 ballot; voter registration deadline is October 5.

As always get the latest updates on news and events at https://www.maricopacountyfb.org/

The episode features Joanna Allhands, a former Arizona Republic opinion writer and new Arizona Farm Bureau team member, discussing her journalism path from Indiana to Arizona via the Pulliam Fellowship and a 21-year career at the Republic. She describes the difficulty of leaving a “calling job,” the rapid shift in news consumption toward fractured, social-media-driven echo chambers after 2016, and concerns about people logging off news entirely.

Joanna and Nicole explore how agriculture can break out of insular storytelling by seeking shared values, engaging across differences, and uniting on priorities. Allhands explains her accidental entry into Arizona water reporting during the 2017 drought contingency plan disputes, why water policy is nuanced and essential to living in Arizona, how to communicate complex water issues clearly, and why demonization and court fights threaten Colorado River solutions. They also discuss rising water rates, misconceptions about waste, and how non-producers can contribute to agriculture through storytelling and emerging tech-driven careers.

Learn more and see about upcoming events at https://www.maricopacountyfb.org/

00:23 Joanna Journalism Origins

01:40 Finding Arizona Republic

03:45 Leaving After 21 Years

05:54 News Goes Digital

08:09 Social Media Fallout

11:26 Ag Story Beyond Echoes

14:47 Accidental Water Beat

18:58 Making Water Understandable

19:53 Explain Water Simply

20:58 Beyond Water Blame

22:40 Compromise Or Court

24:00 Why Water Costs Rise

25:44 Arizona Vs Midwest

28:27 Water And Living Costs

29:23 From Water To Ag

30:43 Regulations And Ranching

33:42 Telling Farmers Stories

In a remote recording of Arizona Agriculture Connection live from Flagstaff’s Little America Hotel during the Arizona Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee Summer Agricultural Conference, Nicole introduces agriculture communications intern Holly Anderson and discusses her first three weeks in the internship. Holly describes discovering agriculture through high school FFA, competing in public speaking, employment skills, and agriscience, and showing sheep before switching to small stock to focus on CDEs.

She says the internship’s value is building industry connections, learning Arizona agriculture sectors, and creating blog posts using census data, including pride in Maricopa County’s diverse urban and rural agriculture. The conversation highlights using digital media and virtual policy meetings to make agriculture more accessible, addressing urbanization impacts like Queen Creek, and emphasizing that people without farm backgrounds can find many careers in agriculture, including communications.

Learn more at https://www.maricopacountyfb.org/.

00:00 Welcome From Flagstaff

00:23 Meet Intern Holly

01:19 Internship Goals Networking

02:20 Blogging Arizona Agriculture

03:16 Maricopa County Ag Story

05:00 Digital Media Access

06:04 FFA Livestock Roots

07:36 Urbanization And Advocacy

09:20 Careers Beyond The Farm

10:40 Thanks And Sign Off

Today, Nicole previews the upcoming Summer Agricultural Conference, noting half a day Thursday and a full day Friday, with keynote speaker Sierra Anthony of Butcher Solutions, a cutting demonstration, and a chance to win meat, and encourages registration at azfb.org/events.

The episode revisits a live conference conversation with former state senator and current Arizona Farm Service Agency (FSA) executive director Sine Kerr, who shares how she entered agriculture after moving to Buckeye, married into a dairy family, and began advocacy through Farm Bureau and producer groups to influence policy affecting farm viability. Kerr discusses building confidence in public speaking, encouraging producers to share their stories, and describes FSA’s role in providing disaster and market assistance and loans through local county offices. She highlights the Livestock Forage Program’s broad use, emphasizes grassroots feedback to USDA leadership, and answers audience questions about rewarding policy work and improving efficiency and customer service.

Register for the conference here: https://www.azfb.org/Article/2026-Summer-Agricultural-Conference

This week, Nicole highlights federal agriculture updates while the state legislature is on break. The Great American State Fair runs through July 10 on the National Mall, with the Arizona Department of Agriculture showcasing Arizona agriculture. In Congress, House Ag Committee Chair Rep. G.T. Thompson has proposed the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026, noting immigration reform has not occurred since 1986 and that H-2A use has increased 17% in 2026.

The proposal focuses on controlling costs, improving access, and modernizing and streamlining H-2A, addressing inefficiencies from Department of Labor, Homeland Security, and state involvement that cause paperwork delays and lost farm time. It would designate H-2A workers as essential, allow interview waivers for vetted returning workers, and remove the seasonal requirement by setting a temporary designation just under one year to serve year-round needs like dairies and horticulture. On trade, USMCA renewal was not reached by July 1, triggering an annual review process for the next ten years as the U.S. and Mexico negotiate bilaterally and Canada remains engaged.

• 00:00 Welcome and DC Agenda
• 00:12 State Fair Spotlight
• 00:30 Workforce Act Overview
• 00:58 H-2A Reform Details
• 01:49 Trade and USMCA Update
• 02:16 Wrap Up and Next Week

The episode recaps Arizona’s 57th Legislature ending sine die on June 13 at 4:45 AM, noting Arizona Farm Bureau tracked over 200 bills. Laws signed include SB 1198 (Arizona Beef Council and Veterinary Medical Examining Board), SB 1335 (Groundwater Savings Credits), SB 1336 (State Land Department continuation and oversight), HB 2104 (Agricultural Property Classification and Inspection), and HB 2105 (Notice of Agricultural Property Inspections), with input from Maricopa County members. Governor Hobbs vetoed several measures, including bills on assured water supply, groundwater programs, water districts, agricultural real property, and Mexican gray wolf federal nullification.

Lawmakers passed a balanced $18.3B budget, up 3.1% ($540M), emphasizing tax relief aligned with the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for $1.4B in relief and a three-year moratorium on new data center sales tax exemptions. Agriculture-related cuts included eliminating funding for the University of Arizona’s Natural Resource Users Law and Policy Center, while avian influenza funds may now address New World screw worm response. The American Farm Bureau Market Basket survey estimates a July 4 cookout at $7.38 per person nationally (up 4% or $2.90), about $8 in western states, slightly down from last year.

To see upcoming events and to get involved visit: https://www.maricopacountyfb.org/

• 00:00 July Ag Report Kickoff
• 00:09 Legislature Wrap Up
• 00:37 Bills Signed Into Law
• 01:19 Vetoes And Water Bills
• 01:49 Budget And Tax Relief
• 02:27 Ag Budget Impacts
• 02:51 Fourth Of July Market Update

In this Arizona Agriculture Connection episode, Nicole is on site as she interviews Queen Creek poultry producer Brittany Quigg, highlighting women in agriculture. Quigg is an Arizona native and longtime Queen Creek resident, describes starting in 4H, teaching herself poultry processing after raising a turkey for the state fair, and forming Moonlight Rose Farms in 2019 to sell eggs at farmers markets.

She expanded into meat chickens, paused in 2024, then recommitted in May 2025, began pre-selling Thanksgiving turkeys, scaled production, and quit her corporate job in December to farm full-time. She discusses challenges including reinvestment costs, heat limitations, solo time management, and streamlining humane processing under Arizona’s under-20,000-bird exemption. Brittany explains turkey and chicken timelines, consumer misconceptions, urban growth pressures in Queen Creek, and where to buy her products online and at regional markets.

Learn more at https://www.maricopacountyfb.org/.

00:51 Brittany’s 4H Roots

01:45 Starting Moonlight Rose Farms

02:44 Going Full Time in Poultry

05:16 Challenges Scaling Up

06:53 Processing and Legal Exemptions

08:09 Solo Work and Time Management

08:55 Thanksgiving Turkey Timeline

10:45 Turkey Parts Year Round

11:49 Chicken Processing Timeline

12:16 Best Selling Cuts

12:34 Farming Amid Urban Growth

14:26 Poultry Misconceptions

16:04 From Hatchery to Market

16:54 Wearing Every Hat

17:50 No Days Off Reality

18:57 Where to Buy and Follow