Whether it's Iceberg, romaine, or spinach, there is a good chance, no matter where you are celebrating Thanksgiving, the green in your salad was grown in Arizona.
This is because each year from November 1 to April 1, the lettuce harvest shifts from California to Arizona.
That shift is a major contributor to the $31 billion in output that economists at the University of Arizona say agriculture contributes to Arizona’s economy.
Most of that contribution is through direct channels such as processing, the products themselves, livestock, and distribution. About $10 billion comes through what economists call a multiplier effect. $5.5 billion of business-to-business sales and $5 billion of purchases from home.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the GDP of Arizona’s agricultural sector has grown 40% since 1997 - growing from $1.1 billion to $1.9 billion.
It fluctuates from year to year depending on the harvest both here and out of state as it also grew from $1.1 billion to $1.9 billion from 2020 to 2023.
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Despite the growth, it makes up a shrinking share of the state’s economy. Economists estimated in 1997 that agriculture made up 0.88% of Arizona’s GDP. Last year it fell to 0.37%.
Even as other portions of Arizona’s economy grow more, the state maintains its place as a major component of the nation’s food supply chain. As of the most recent release of state-level agricultural statistics from the US Department of Agriculture, over a quarter of all head lettuce produced in the country is grown in Arizona.
Other leafy green vegetables also rank high. About one-fifth of all romaine lettuce and spinach and just over 10% of all cauliflower and broccoli is also produced in Yuma, Pinal, or Maricopa counties. The state is also a big producer of pecans at 14% of the nation’s supply.
Arizona is second to California in these products but becomes the largest producer during the winter months. Julie Murphree from the Arizona Farm Bureau told ABC15 that no matter where people are going for Thanksgiving, a little bit of Arizona will probably be waiting there in the grocery store.
“Anywhere from 1,000 to 1,400 refrigerated semi-loads can get to New York in four days,” Murphree said. “So this is a time to celebrate how we are shipping fresh vegetables to our family in the Midwest and some of our family out east.”
