My 'Utah Agricultural Crops' Letter That I Wrote and Sent Today to Utah State House Majority Leader Mike Schultz:

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "John McMillan" <mcmillanj@att.net>

To: "Mike Schultz" <mikeschultz@le.utah.gov>, "agriculture@utah.gov" <agriculture@utah.gov>, "Gay Lynn Bennion" <glbennion@le.utah.gov>, "mballard@le.utah.gov" <mballard@le.utah.gov>, "Paul A. Cutler" <pcutler@le.utah.gov>, "Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson 2021" <beckiepage@utah.gov>, "Office of Gov. Spencer Cox" <govcomm@utah.gov>, "utahdistrict02@gmail.com" <utahdistrict02@gmail.com>, "Mayor Wilson" <mayor@slco.org>, "County Council Member Bradshaw" <arbradshaw@slco.org>, "llstringham@slco.org" <llstringham@slco.org>, "suharrison@slco.org" <suharrison@slco.org>, "mayor@murray.utah.gov" <mayor@murray.utah.gov>, "Utah Restaurant Association 2022" <info@utahrestaurantassociation.org>, "Slchamber Info" <info@slchamber.com>, "Office of Gov. Spencer Cox" <govcomm@utah.gov>, "University of Utah Student Newspaper 2022" <press@chronicle.utah.edu>, "Deseret News 2022" <dnweb@deseretnews.com>, "newsmedia@ldschurch.org" <newsmedia@ldschurch.org>, "kcullimore@le.utah.gov" <kcullimore@le.utah.gov>, "Mark A. Strong" <mstrong@le.utah.gov>, "Joel Briscoe" <jbriscoe@le.utah.gov>, "Jplumb" <jplumb@le.utah.gov>, "Utah League of Cities and Towns 2022" <swood@ulct.org>, "Utah Press Assn Director Brian Allfrey 2022" <ballfrey@utahpress.com>, "Fox News SLC 2022" <news@fox13now.com>, "Jennifer Gardiner" <jgardiner@abc4.com>, "nbauer@abc4.com" <nbauer@abc4.com>, "Utah Public Radio 2022" <tom.williams@usu.edu>, "news@ksl.com" <news@ksl.com>, "Las Vegas Sun newspaper 2022" <feedback@lasvegassun.com>, "jsweeney@sltrib.com" <jsweeney@sltrib.com>, "wbrooks@le.utah.gov" <wbrooks@le.utah.gov>, "rshipp@le.utah.gov" <rshipp@le.utah.gov>, "bbolinder@le.utah.gov" <bbolinder@le.utah.gov>, "scottchew@le.utah.gov" <scottchew@le.utah.gov>, "tjimenez@le.utah.gov" <tjimenez@le.utah.gov>, "mkohler@le.utah.gov" <mkohler@le.utah.gov>, "slund@le.utah.gov" <slund@le.utah.gov>, "Doug Owens" <dougowens@le.utah.gov>, "tpeterson@le.utah.gov" <tpeterson@le.utah.gov>, "csnider@le.utah.gov" <csnider@le.utah.gov>, "kstratton@le.utah.gov" <kstratton@le.utah.gov>, "christinewatkins@le.utah.gov" <christinewatkins@le.utah.gov>, "chart@le.utah.gov" <chart@le.utah.gov>, "Him-roi" <him-roi@umail.utah.edu>, "contactus@imail.org" <contactus@imail.org>, "Utah Medical Association 2021" <info@utahmed.org>, "Arizona Republic Newstips" <newstips@arizonarepublic.com>, "Utah State Univ Communications 2022" <ucom@usu.edu>, "Utah State University Provost 2022" <provost@usu.edu>

Cc: "Utah Farm Bureau Federation 2022" <aubree.thomas@fbfs.com>, "byu-info@byu.edu" <byu-info@byu.edu>, "mediarelations@weber.edu" <mediarelations@weber.edu>, "gasser@suu.edu" <gasser@suu.edu>, "morganchristensen@suu.edu" <morganchristensen@suu.edu>, "woodlg@suu.edu" <woodlg@suu.edu>, "mitchellgreer@suu.edu" <mitchellgreer@suu.edu>, "donnakroff@suu.edu" <donnakroff@suu.edu>, "h.rincon@agri.nv.gov" <h.rincon@agri.nv.gov>, "jpeterson@azda.gov" <jpeterson@azda.gov>, "Internships" <internships@romney.senate.gov>, "Joel_wellum" <joel_wellum@lee.senate.gov>, "Angela Romero" <angelaromero@le.utah.gov>, "Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall 2021" <mayor@slcgov.com>, "Salt Lake City (UT) City Council" <council.comments@slcgov.com>, "Utah State Magazine 2022" <mageditor@usu.edu>, "Utahbar Webmaster" <webmaster@utahbar.org>, "Schools Utah Webmaster" <webmaster@schools.utah.gov>, "Ryan Bartlett" <ryan.bartlett@schools.utah.gov>, "commerce@utah.gov" <commerce@utah.gov>, "anielson@murrayschools.org" <anielson@murrayschools.org>, "Murrayschools Info" <info@murrayschools.org>, "cacton@le.utah.gov" <cacton@le.utah.gov>, "sbarlow@le.utah.gov" <sbarlow@le.utah.gov>, "jdailey-provost@le.utah.gov" <jdailey-provost@le.utah.gov>, "rayward@le.utah.gov" <rayward@le.utah.gov>, "mkennedy@le.utah.gov" <mkennedy@le.utah.gov>, "jyl.hall@utahtech.edu" <jyl.hall@utahtech.edu>, "hbalderree@le.utah.gov" <hbalderree@le.utah.gov>, "lescamilla@le.utah.gov" <lescamilla@le.utah.gov>, "Cyprus Credit Union" <member_support@cypruscu.com>, "Evan Vickers" <evickers@le.utah.gov>, "sanderson@le.utah.gov" <sanderson@le.utah.gov>, "cwilson@le.utah.gov" <cwilson@le.utah.gov>

Sent: Sat, Jan 13, 2024 at 9:06 PM

Subject: Is UT Water-saving Crop Diversity as Strong as NV,AZ?

https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2022/11/24/one-crop-uses-more-than-half/

https://utah.agclassroom.org/lessons/counties/#:~:tet=Alfalfa%20ha%2C%20beef%20cattle%2C%20dairy,top%20commoditis%20produced%20in%20Utah
https://farmflavor.com/nevada/nevada-crops-livestock/nevadas-top-10-ag-products-infographic/#:~:text=Agriculture%20is%20extremely%20important%20for,and%20onions%2C%20and%20some%20fruits.
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2022/02/colorado-river-desert-guayule-latex-arizona/

January 13, 2024

Dear Utah State House Majority Leader Mike Schultz,

I appreciate your kind request in your December 6, 2024, reply letter to me that I continue to share with you concerns of mine about Utah.

I am concerned about the possibility that Nevada farmers may have been more resourceful and innovative than Utah farmers have been at responding to agricultural challenges in a very dry and often-hot state situated in the desert.

The first  two above online links I found through Google searches today have suggested a possible solution to the perennial  water shortages crisis  here in Utah.

Your Utah State House under your courageously incisive leadership could possibly set limits on commercial  agricultural production of alfalfa and other types of hay in our state (first online link, above).

Among the most successful crops in Utah are tart cherries and apricots.

A key statement from the copyrighted second online link, above:

"Utah is ranked 2nd in the nation for tart cherry production and 3rd in the nation for apricot production...."

Strengthening crop-production agriculture in Utah can be partly achieved  by Utah State  House-approved promotion of  greater  diversification (online third and fourth  links about impressive  crop diversity in Nevada and Arizona, respectively)  in the  agricultural cash  crops being raised commercially in our own state.

Nevada, despite being the driest state in the entire  nation, appears to possibly be more successful than Utah---the second driest state  --- at achieving diversified crop production that involves crops that apparently thrive in the desert.

A key statement from the 2017-dated copyrighted online report about Nevada:

"Agriculture is extremely important for Nevada, and cattle and calves dominate as the top industry. Other important ag products include alfalfa hay, alfalfa seed, potatoes, barley, wheat, rye, oats, vegetables, mint, garlic and onions, and some fruits."

The fourth  online link, above, is to a 2022-dated and copyrighted "Mother Jones" magazine article about the potential of commercial "guayule" agricultural production in Arizona in meeting the global demand for latex-derived products. Guayule botanical  plants---plants native to the Southwestern U.S. desert-----reportedly produce latex.

Some key statements from that 2022 news-feature story highlighting  Arizona:

"From this unassuming outpost, Bridgestone was trying to establish the country’s sole domestic source for the kind of high-grade natural rubber used in airplane tires and surgical gloves—and they were doing it with a crop accustomed to drought.

'“This is a big investment,”' said Dave Dierig, the farm’s trim and stoic manager, though he stopped short of naming a number."

 Utah State House Majority Leader Mike Schultz, I hope this brainstorming letter from myself, a gainfully employed single adult male permanently alcohol-free and lifelong tobacco-free, permanently illicit-drug-free and very anti-marijuana,  law-abiding,  white Anglo-Saxon English-Scottish-German-American gentleman, Nebraska native,  and  permanent resident of Utah (ever since January 1, 2023),  is helpful to you. 

Best Wishes for a Very Successful 2024 Session of your Utah State House!

Sincerely,

John Kevin McMillan, the youngest grandson of Mr. Parley Neal McMillan, a former butcher shop owner and homeowner  in Murray, Utah, and his devoted LDS member  wife, Mrs. Alice Mae Pugh (maiden surname)  McMillan.

My bolt-locked  and fully locked solo-occupancy rental-apartment unit home address ever since June 1, 2022:

535 South 200 East, Apt. 912, Ninth Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.

My cell phone: (512) 993-7305.

My home phone: (801) 355-0850.