University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center Airport

While no single official reason is documented, the closure was likely due to a combination of factors. These include: evolving research methods at the agricultural center that diminished the need for a dedicated airstrip (e.g., the later rise of UAVs for crop surveying), the operational and liability costs of maintaining a private airfield with declining use, and the strategic decision to repurpose the valuable land for the center's primary mission of agricultural research.

The airport is permanently closed and the site has been fully integrated into the Maricopa Agricultural Center's research facilities. The faint outline of the former runway is still visible from the air, but the land itself has been repurposed. The northern portion of the former runway is now covered by agricultural research plots, while the southern portion is occupied by a large solar panel array which helps to power the center's operations.

The University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center (MAC) Airport was a private airfield established between 1969 and 1971. Its sole purpose was to support the research activities of the agricultural center. It featured a single north-south unpaved runway, approximately 2,600 feet long. Operations were centered on agricultural aviation, including the aerial application of experimental treatments to test crops, aerial surveying and photography of research plots, and potentially the transport of personnel or specialized equipment. It was a functional tool for large-scale agricultural science before the widespread adoption of modern drone technology.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airport. The land has been redeveloped with permanent infrastructure, including the solar farm and dedicated research plots, which are integral to the current and future mission of the Maricopa Agricultural Center. Reverting the land to aviation use is considered extremely unlikely.