March
2021
Working to improve lives, communities, the environment, and economies throughout Pima County.
4-H Projects Culminate at the Pima County Fair

Since 1911, the Pima County Fair has been a central focus for the UArizona Pima County Cooperative Extension (PCCE) 4-H Club Program. Every year, club members raise animals or create projects for exhibitions at the Fair, usually held each April. From market hogs to leatherworking, and western horseback riding to pigeon showmanship, 4-H members work all year to get the chance to exhibit outcomes and win recognition. The Pima County Junior Livestock Sales, Inc., created in 1986, manages the annual Livestock Auction, which happens on the last Saturday of the Fair. This organization not only provides youth scholarships but also promotes and supports the livestock and small stock programs of PCCE 4-H

Although last year’s Pima County Fair and Livestock Sale was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 4-H agents and Pima County Junior Livestock Sales Board members have been pivoting programs toward safer alternatives. For example, a well-orchestrated virtual livestock sale held earlier this year sold 175 large livestock animals and 45 small stock animals for a combined sale total of $487,720. Proceeds were paid directly to 4-H & FFA/Agricultural Education Program members, who most commonly use the money to reinvest in projects or to put into savings for higher education.

What is happening in 2021? We know how important the Fair is to youth and their families in our county. Although the entertainment part of the Fair has been canceled, we are working with Pima County to host a distanced in-person alternative so that youth can still have a rewarding conclusion to their project year. Jackpot shows, virtual livestock sales, and online project presentations are also in the works.

Working Toward a
Safe Return 

A year ago, Pima County Cooperative Extension (PCCE) and other UArizona offices closed their doors as the pandemic began to rage across the countryside. For perspective, as of March 20, 2020, U.S cases had barely topped 15,000 and only 64 cases had been reported in Arizona. Over time, the question of how to re-open in a measured and safe way led to the development of the Cooperative Extension Phased Operational Plan. Cooperative Extension also began a bi-weekly process of evaluating the Arizona Department of Health Data to determine how and when to reopen programs to the public. As we enter Spring 2021, hopeful that COVID will continue to abate and with almost all of our staff vaccinated, we are optimistic that soon we will see you on-the-ground and not just online. We are already creating innovative ways to bring you programs such as garden tours, summer camps, and livestock sales, while also adhering to health and safety protocols. Thank you for doing your part and for making the journey with us!

Claire L. Zucker, PCCE Director
Growing Your Stress Management Skills

Here are some fun exercises from the PCCE Community Nutrition Education program to manage your stress and keep your body happy even in front of the computer!

  • Breathe, yes breathe! As we sit at our desks, we forget that posture and deep breathing can benefit our health and positive mental outlook by creating endorphins, the feel-good chemical. Take a deep breath so that oxygen enters your bloodstream and tells your brain to relax and slow your heart rate.
  • “In a blink of an eye” Eye muscles are the fastest muscles in your body! Try this relaxing eye workout: start by sitting down to avoid dizziness. Roll your eyeballs slowly clockwise to the right, it should take around 5 seconds, repeat 3 times. Now slowly move your eyeballs counterclockwise, repeat 3 times.
  • Walk your stress away! Your heart is the most important muscle in your body; it is the pumping station for your blood circulation. Physical activity reduces stress levels, strengthens your heart muscle, and improves lung function; take a break and get moving!

Learn about eye health and find more eye stress-relieving exercises Here
Testing Cotton Helps Arizona Growers

With so many cotton varieties out there, have you ever wondered how growers pick the best cotton for their land? With the average lifespan of a cotton variety being only three to five years, there is a constant flow of unfamiliar varieties entering the market. Cooperative Extension supports our cotton industry by running the upland cotton-variety testing program, which uses trials in multiple locations with variable growing conditions to determine how well commercially available cotton varieties perform in the drastically different production regions of our state. There are multiple testing sites across the state ranging from clay soil at 100 ft elevation in Yuma to loam soil at 4,400 ft in Bonita. Right here in Marana, there is a test site at 1990 ft elevation in loam soil. Cotton Varieties are replicated in large field length strips, six rows wide and managed by growers in commercial production fields. This large plot size and grower management gives the trials more integrity with other growers and provides a larger scale understanding of how varieties perform. When a grower’s favorite variety is no longer available, growers look to these trials to make scientifically-based decisions that will maintain the economic viability of their farming operations.

Photo: Cotton picker dumping a harvested cotton plot into a portable cotton scale.
Article contributed by Blase Evancho, Assistant in Extension (Email)
Churros in Your Kitchen

Spring is in the air and as the weather starts to warm, we think of festivals, fairs, and delicious fair foods. PCCE's Tucson Village Farm has tweaked the classic churro recipe so that you can make it right in your home! See the video and download the recipe, which not only uses baking instead of frying as a cooking method but also incorporates less sugar and more whole grains. Now you can be healthy and also bring the Fair right into your kitchen!

Make Baked Churros!
Ingredients: 1 cup water, ½ cup butter, ½ tsp vanilla, 2 tbsp brown sugar, ¼ tsp salt, ½ cup flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 3 eggs. Coating: ¼ cup sugar, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon.
Instructions: 1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. 2) Combine water, brown sugar, salt, and butter in a saucepan and heat until butter is melted and the mixture starts to simmer. 3) whisk in the flour until there are no lumps and a dough ball has formed. Stir and cook over low heat until the dough pulls from the sides of the pan (~2 min.) 4) In a bowl, combine eggs and vanilla and whisk together. 5) Add a little of the flour mixture into the egg mixture. (You are “tempering” the eggs ie: warming them up.) Add the warmed eggs to the flour and stir until eggs are incorporated. 6) Transfer your dough to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. 7) Pipe dough into long thick churros on the parchment-lined pan 8) Bake for 18-22 minutes (until golden brown). THEN turn off the oven and leave them in there for 10 minutes to dry a little to help them keep their shape once they cool. 9) Combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and toss hot churros in the mixture!

Meet the staff at 4-H Tucson Village Farm
Spring Gardening Tips

Spring is a great time in southern Arizona to think about starting a garden! PCCE’s Garden Kitchen brings you these handy tips to help your garden’s success!

  • Measure the amount of sunlight in the garden area. Plants need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day to grow their best. The amount of sunlight in an area changes with the seasons do, so make this an ongoing practice.
  • Pick the plants that you want to grow. Check the back of seed packets to make sure you grow plants in the appropriate season or refer to this Master Gardeners’ guide that organizes edibles by season and elevation.
  • Check for pests. Do you have small animals that might eat your plants? Or maybe your dog has an affinity for all things green? It is important to have a plan for all kinds of garden foragers so that you can ensure a good crop. You can refer to this Integrated Pest Management publication for more information.
  • Get the whole family involved! Spring planting can be a fun way to get some physical activity together. Think about ways that everyone can be involved in this adventure.
Native Foods for a Resilient Future

Have you ever tasted grilled prickly pear pads (nopales) or baked goods made from mesquite flour? While interest in these local foods has been rising, many other desert-adapted plant species could grace your plate, boost food security, and health outcomes in our community, all while taking a smaller toll on the environment and shoring up our local food supply. In partnership with the UArizona’s Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, our PCCE Master Gardener and Garden Kitchen programs are working to develop a “Resilient Food Future.” Thanks to a grant from the Arizona Institutes for Resilience funded by the Technology and Research Initiative Fund, this collaborative effort involves partners from within the University and across the community and seeks to promote desert-adapted foods that are unique to our region and best suited to our climate. Between now and July, we will be producing educational workshops and new materials to teach people how to recognize, cultivate, harvest, and savor local flora. Growing a food-resilient future is up to all of us and requires increased awareness and appreciation for the unique desert plants that have evolved in our landscape. Stay tuned and join us for these informative and inspiring workshops!
Programs and Events:
UArizona Pima County Cooperative Extension
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Residents and growers have ready-access to research-based horticultural information at PCCE. Get gardening answers from our Master Gardener experts and learn about water conservation, xeriscape, irrigation, and more through our Smartscape courses. Master Gardeners | Smartscape

Free Online Gardening Talks, Various dates: Register
SmartScape Rainwater Harvesting Rebate class, Mar 20: Register
Workshop to enhance Rainwater Harvesting Systems, April 24: Register
Family and Consumer Health Sciences
PCCE health education helps people improve their nutrition, family dynamics, and lives. Parents and caregivers gain tools to enrich children’s lives through the Family Engagement Program. Find nutritional and life-skills education through the SNAP-Ed/Garden Kitchen and EFNEP programs. Family Engagement Program | Expanded Food and Nutritional Education Program (EFNEP) | SNAP-ED |Garden Kitchen | Diabetes Prevention Program

The Family Engagement Program Positive Discipline Workshops: Register 
Pima Diabetes Prevention Program, New classes each month: Register
Garden Kitchen's upcoming virtual hands-on cooking classes: Calendar and Registration
Community Nutrition Classes, EFNEP for Healthy Habits: Registration – Spanish | English
SNAP-Ed Volunteer and Partner opportunities: Learn More
4-H
Youth build lifelong skills and have great fun through Cooperative Extension 4-H. Become involved in one of our many clubs or projects, capped by participation at the County Fair. Enjoy seed-to-table programming at Tucson Village Farm, a working urban farm built by and for the youth of our community. 4-H ClubsTucson Village Farm | High Ropes Course

Arizona 4-H Agriculture Webinar Series and Project Meetings: March 18 Other Poultry; March 25 Goats: Register
4-H Tucson Village Farm Zoom Cooking
  • Let's Make Cake with Chef Shelli Soto! Register
  • April 11, 18, 25 - 3-class “Spring Series” on Zoom with Chef Bruce Yim. Register
4-H Tucson Village Farm Spring Veggie Start Sale March 13, Learn More
Pima 4-H High Ropes Course, Schedule a Date

In-person programming is currently on hold due to COVID19. Visit our Website for information on Pima County-based education and activities at Pima County Cooperative Extension.
Pima County Cooperative Extension
Office: 4210 N Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719-1109 (Currently Closed)
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