The UA Cooperative Extension Vegetable Crop Production Program strives to meet the needs of the growers and allied agribusinesses in vegetable production to enable the industry to expand, prosper, and contribute to the welfare and economy of the state.

The UA Cooperative Extension Vegetable Crop Production Program goals are to:

1. Assist the Arizona vegetable industry to remain competitive and profitable in a global economy.
2. Introduce, evaluate, and assist in developing new opportunities and new crops for expanding the industry.
3. Evaluate, develop, and introduce economical and environmentally responsible methods for efficient water use and crop protection practices.
4. Assist the Arizona vegetable industry to provide the U.S. and international consumer with safe and nutritious quality foods at affordable prices.

The main clientele of the UA Cooperative Extension Vegetable Crop Production Program are growers and shippers of vegetables in Arizona. Additionally, crop production consultants, seedsmen, fertilizer and agrichemical industry representatives, pesticide applicators, equipment manufacturers, storage operators and truckers are kept abreast of the most current research from the UA.

The UA Cooperative Extension Vegetable Crop Production group is composed of an interdiscplinary faculty that works cooperatively with commodity advisory groups to determine needs (problems) and to develop the program (approach). The UA has a world-wide reputation for having knowledge and experience of desert vegetable production. The UA Cooperative Extension Vegetable Crop Production group is well trained in research and skilled in communications. Cooperative Extension is unique because it brings together experts (agents, specialists, and researchers) from many disciplines to solve problems in an unbiased manner. Appropriate laboratory and field testing is conducted to address the growers' concerns. After extensive research in the field and the acquisition of information from all available sources, an educational program is developed and executed through demonstrations, workshops, short courses, field days, and meetings. These events and activities are currently conducted on a frequent and timely basis. Publications, bulletins, and reports are other means of dissemination of research findings.