Date Cultivation in Arizona and the Bard Valley

The commercial date industry in the United States is located primarily in the Sonora Desert of southeast California and southern Arizona. Significant date plantations occurred in Arizona prior to those in California; the first importations of offshoots were made in 1890 from Algeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. By 1908, 135 varieties of dates were growing at a USDA station in Tempe, AZ. Date propagation techniques, date pasteurization, disease control and uniform ripening were some of the issues confronted at this early stage. From 1920 through 1950, the date industry developed; by 1946 there were about 150 ha in the state. Processing, packing, and marketing fruit became the major activity of the industry, which was centered in the Phoenix area, in the south-central part of the state. Some of this activity was enhanced by high fresh fruit prices due the lack of imported dates and high sugar prices during World War II. At this time, there was a vibrant research program conducted by the University of Arizona. Following the war, prices dropped, but new packinghouses were constructed and mail-order businesses were developed. However, the industry was struck by several freezes and late summer rainfall events in the 1950s, which severely damaged the crop. This, coupled with urbanization, and increased labor costs led to the demise of the Phoenix-area industry by 1960. From that time until 1990, there were virtually no dates planted in the state, but a Medjool industry was developing across the Colorado River from Arizona, in Bard, CA. Expansion plans by these growers led them to the inexpensive land and water in southwestern Arizona, and there has been a resurgence of the industry. Today, about 1700 ha of bearing and non-bearing Medjools are planted in Arizona, and more are planned. There are also new packinghouses and a growing research program. The future of the Arizona industry is brighter than it has been in many years.