Utah's other crop:

With the harvest season just around the corner, many will be detailing their gardens and harvesting products such as corn, potatoes, carrots and pot. This fall, authorities in Wayne County are experiencing an early harvest crop of around 20,000 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of between $25 and $60 million, according to a Deseret News story on Friday. One person was taken into custody, but expect about six more to still be at large. Utah has been making national news headlines in recent weeks for something aside from civil rights protests or religious affiliated stories, but rather as a place to grow weed in copious amounts. Last week in Tooele County, elk hunters found a man watering his marijuana farm and notified authorities, which led to a mountainside search for the suspect. Law enforcement ended up finding nothing more than a never-ending drug farm. Police believe a man seen at the site in Ophir Canyon was possibly living at the site and guarding the operation. The late August find in Tooele County proved to be bigger than originally thought according to the Standard Examiner, who reported, between two campsites, the Tooele County Multi-Agency Drug Task Force found more than 3,000 plants with a street value of around $9 million. What seems to be unsettling is the well orchestrated efforts of the farmers. This is not just your fly-by-night small business; these are highly involved organizations. Witnesses to the farms have called the irrigation of these plants "quite an operation." Many farms found have included a sophisticated pressurized watering system, using a spring from the mountain as a source for irrigation. Thankfully, a local neighborhood watch group took notice of the flourishing hillside and alerted authorities to the possibility of an area in Ophir Canyon that was growing its retail exponentially. This farm find it is not the first discovery this year on the mountain-sides of Tooele County; in fact, the find is sadly now known as one of the biggest marijuana farming operations Utah has seen in recent years. Drug enforcement officials say this time of year is when marijuana farmers usually harvest. Rather than passively watching the mountainside real estate grow by the day, citizens can pay attention to their surroundings as they hunt, hike or camp this fall. However, combing the hillsides isn't always the answer for finding illegal growth. It could even be happening in your neighborhood. The drug realm has moved from the mountains, to the streets and is now increasingly found behind your neighbor's fence. Finding marijuana now happens not only in the backwoods, but even backyards. Last week, Salt Lake City police seized a 9-foot tall marijuana plant from the backyard of a 59-year-old woman. Now it seems neighbors have found a win-win situation for simply helping their neighbor "weed" their backyard garden. According to a study performed by the Office of Applied Studies, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2003 and 2004, the total number of people ages 12 and older in the state of Utah who used marijuana in the past year is 148,000. The total use of marijuana in the past month, according to the same survey, by people ages 12 and older is 220,000. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, these drug farms are many times discovered on accident by outdoor enthusiasts. In recent news reports, officials said the amount of marijuana growing in Utah has significantly increased over the past few years, including record amounts found in St. George in 2008 of more than 100,000 plants. Officials believe the increase is a result of increased drug traffickers using Utah as a growth site, because of its location in relation to California and Mexico. The problem is nothing new; it just appears to be growing at exponential rates. In a 2007 FBI crime statistics press release, "The total number of marijuana arrests in the U.S. for 2007 far exceeded the total number of arrests in the U.S. for all violent crimes combined, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault." The possibility of finding a large hillside marijuana farm in Weber County is not a question of if, but when. As outdoor enthusiasts and neighbors enjoy the hunt and garden harvests, do not be na've to the possibility of drug farms located just off the deer trail and over a neighbor's fence. Heightened local awareness can help find the change we seek not only in our country, but also our neighborhoods.