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LOS ANGELES — With authorities promising tighter borders, some farmers who rely on immigrant labor are eyeing an emerging generation of fruit-picking robots and high-tech tractors to do everything from pluck premium wine grapes to clean and core lettuce.
Such machines, now in various stages of development, could become essential for harvesting delicate fruits and vegetables that are still picked by hand.
"If we want to maintain our current agriculture here in California, that's where mechanization comes in," said Jack King, national affairs manager for the California Farm Bureau.
California harvests about half the nation's fruits, nuts and vegetables, according to the state Food and Agriculture Department. The California Farm Bureau Federation estimates that the job requires about 225,000 workers year-round and double that during the peak summer season.
More than half of all farm workers in the country are illegal immigrants, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics.
Robots would be good. Less chance of disease being spread by dirty hands. I would go with robots over illegals. Then we can send the illegals to look for jobs in Mexico.
This is great news, the more automated the better. This will help stop the spread of disease. Especially considering a lot of it is being spread deliberately.
Yeah right. what about the cost of the robots? are they going to be chaeper than hiring an illegal and pay him/her minimum wage? but then again, farmers in the USA get tons of subsidize money from the federal government.
Yeah right. what about the cost of the robots? are they going to be chaeper than hiring an illegal and pay him/her minimum wage? but then again, farmers in the USA get tons of subsidize money from the federal government.
Over the long haul, yea a thrasher will cost less. And not complain so much.
Yeah right. what about the cost of the robots? are they going to be chaeper than hiring an illegal and pay him/her minimum wage? but then again, farmers in the USA get tons of subsidize money from the federal government.
Combine harvesters have been in use for decades because it is more cost effective to harvest wheat, corn, soybeans, etc. mechanically than to use human labor. Food safety is also improved since fewer human hands touch the produce. I am all in favor of the govt giving farmers low cost loans in order to take advantage of this new technology.
Yeah right. what about the cost of the robots? are they going to be chaeper than hiring an illegal and pay him/her minimum wage? but then again, farmers in the USA get tons of subsidize money from the federal government.
I presume the robots won't drop out anchor babies, run emergency rooms out of business, drive up the cost of housing, increase violent crime, etc.
GREAT news!!!! It's about time agriculture moved into the 21st Century. With all of the money the local, state, and federal governments would save in not having to provide education, food stamps, and medical care for illegal immigrants, they should be able to use the savings for robot R&D and give farmers a tax break for mechanizing.
I love my robotic vacuum cleaner! I hope to be able to get the one that preps, scrubs, and dries floors, too.
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