A stalwart Arizona farmer who championed local, organic practices, has died. Bob McClendon, the patriarch of McClendon’s Select, passed over the weekend, his family announced on Tuesday on social media. The announcement did not cite a cause of death.
McClendon’s Select is one of the state’s only certified organic farms. The farm is run by three generations of McClendons and grows more than 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables, and produces honey and bee pollen, on plots in Goodyear and Peoria. McClendon’s has long been a go-to for chefs and farmers market shoppers alike.
Bob McClendon was born and raised in Tucson. He attended the University of Arizona, graduating from its pharmacy school with honors. The trajectory of his life changed when he began growing citrus at his Peoria farm in 1975. He expanded the varieties of produce from there. In the 2000, he shifted to organic farming, and McClendon’s Select received certification for its organic practices in 2005. He was among Phoenix New Times’ 100 Tastemakers, a series highlighting the people who shaped the Valley’s culinary scene…