Virtually all of the produce from Preciado's 494 acres are farmed for export. And although he's just seven hours by road from the Arizona border, Preciado is conscious of more far-flung competition. In rapidly modernizing Sonora, agriculture accounts for 10 percent of the state's economy. And Sonora leads Mexico in production of wheat, soybeans, table and wine grapes, olives, watermelon and asparagus. The Yaqui Valley is the agricultural heartland of Sonora, where among fields of wheat, corn and safflower, you can almost watch traditional farming give way to modern agribusiness.
Agriculture here is an export-driven industry that is changing by necessity.
More growers are giving up traditional crops such as wheat and corn to plant such specialty items as honeydew melons, broccoli and exotic peppers that are popular with American consumers. Sullivan was one of nine economists and agriculture scholars gathered by the Sonora government to speak at the International Agribusiness Symposium last month in Ciudad Obregon. Among the 150 farmers and agribusiness leaders who participated was Keith Kelly, director of Arizona's Department of Agriculture. Several factors give Sonora an edge over other Mexican states in the push toward commercialized farming, he said. This valley is good growing region.