Now that hemp is legal to cultivate in Arizona, University of Arizona growers are coming to the university extension office and asking them what varieties they should grow. Yet they just don’t have a good answer to give them right now. Their growing slots are different than Canada, Colorado, and the Pacific Northwest. The varieties that do well there may not do well in the Arizona desert climate. They are addressing this problem by setting up a university run hemp variety trial to explore the different varieties on the market and mimic the screening process that has already been done in Colorado and Kansas.
Yuma Arizona, where these trials will be conducted, is an agricultural center of production for the region. The area is blessed with mild winters, fertile soil, low rainfall, and ancient water rights to the Colorado river that flows through downtown. Yuma is dubbed the winter lettuce capital of the United States, producing 90% of domestic leafy vegetables during the winter months. The city commercially produces of over 175 different crops, from wheat and barley to more exotic lemons and dates, and this season they are adding hemp to the list.
They are currently looking for seed suppliers of autoflower and early day length dependent varieties that would be interested in participating in their mid-February planting. If you have a seed variety that you would like to try out in the desert please contact Robert Masson masson@email.arizona.edu 919-889-0855 for details.