Pacheco, Daniel, Lois, and Patrick

This interview is a little different than many of our biographic oral histories on Archive Tucson—it covers three generations of the Pacheco family discussing their cotton farming operations in Marana, AZ. The first interview is with Lois Pacheco and Pat Pacheco and was recorded on May 4th, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona. The interview covers the following themes: 

 

Lois Lyall Pacheco 

b. 1931  

Patrick William Pacheco 

b. 1958 

 

  • Lois’ meeting of future husband Art Pacheco. Pacheco family connections to the Aguirre Ranch near Red Rock, AZ. Marriage to Art Pacheco. The piecemeal sale of the Aguirre ranch and Art Pacheco’s decision pursue cotton farming rather than ranching in the early 1950s. 

  • Art Pacheco’s initial foray into cotton farming in Marana. Leasing land. Irrigation. Equipment. Lois’s experience raising children and living in rural farmhouses in the 1950s. Marana in the 1950s. 

  • Cotton farming practices in the 1950s, labor, water. Importance of University of Arizona Extension agents. 

  • Oro Valley in 1960 and commute to Marana. 

  • Changes in farming machinery in the 1960s. 

  • Land ownership in Marana. 

  • Pat Pacheco’s first experiences on the family cotton farm as a child. Irrigation, weeding, aerial defoliants. 

  • The viability of cotton farming over time. Markets, and economics. 

  • Working with herbicides. The value of cotton seed produced in Arizona. Genetic engineering and the pink bollworm. 

  • The 1983 flood. 

  • The Central Arizona Project: water costs, Art Pacheco’s lobbying to run the canal through a tunnel near Rillito, AZ. 

This interview is with Pat Pacheco and Dan Pacheco and was recorded on May 20th, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona. The interview covers the following themes: 

 

Patrick William Pacheco 

b. 1958 

Daniel Patrick Pacheco 

b. 1974 

  • Dan Pacheco’s academic background and decision to join the family farming business in 1997. 

  • Pat’s description of farming during the 1980s. Aerial pest control for the pink bollworm. Residential pushback against pesticide use in the later 1980s. Urban encroachment, land ownership, availability of arable land. Incentives to build housing on farmland. Agricultural viability of Marana. 

  • Dealing with popular perceptions of farming and articulating the importance of local agriculture. 

  • Water use and water rights. Collapse of cotton prices in the early 2010s and rise of higher-water-use crops like alfalfa. Statewide water speculation and recharge. Attitudes towards water use over Pat’s career. 

  • The gap between farm earnings and the cost of food and goods. 

  • The University of Arizona Agricultural Extension’s declining role in local agriculture and impact upon farmers. Science and technology costs. 

  • Cotton varieties and international markets. Local agriculture as a national security issue. Difficulty advocating for farming in state politics. Inability to pick final buyers of products. Cotton versus alfalfa. 

  • Personal reasons for farming. 

  • Transgenic crops and the public relations of farming. Long term trajectory of farming in Pima County. 

  • Difficulty moving equipment in urbanizing areas. Labor challenges. 

  • Agricultural knowledge and education. 

  • Crop economics. Financial insignificance of local restaurant and community supported agriculture demand. 

Aengus Anderson