As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers race to replace workers with robots

LA Times ^ | July 21, 2017 | Geoffrey Mohan

[C19fan]

Driscoll’s is so secretive about its robotic strawberry picker it won’t let photographers within telephoto range of it.

But if you do get a peek, you won’t see anything humanoid or space-aged. AgroBot is still more John Deere than C-3PO — a boxy contraption moving in fits and starts, with its computer-driven sensors, graspers and cutters missing 1 in 3 berries.

[Presbyterian Reporter]

The Democrat and Republican Political Elite keep importing unskilled workers for jobs that are being replaced by robots.

Effectively, what the political elite is doing is to add to the huge welfare state. Already we have millions of people who have higher incomes collecting welfare than working.

Soon the few remaining workers will be bankrupted paying the welfare cost of the non-workers.

Build The Wall!!!!!!!!!

[goodnesswins]

That program still exists. Our leased orchard uses them. Interesting note... my husband was going through letters written to and from his Uncle in WW2 last night, and mention was made of using Mexican workers to pick fruit...this was 1944.

[P8riot]

One of the biggest problems here is that our society has relegated agricultural jobs to almost a poverty level, and no one wants to aspire to them. Leaving the work to people who “will do the jobs Americans won’t”. The average age of a farmer in the US is 61 years old and many farms do not have a succession plan. The situation will only get worse.

[bgill]

Not so funny man, George Lopez, thinks it’s hilarious Mexican farm workers wipe gringo produce on their butts. With robots, we won’t have so many contaminated produce recalls.

[P8riot]

End welfare and revert to an old time work-or-starve system and wach the “shortage” collapse.

AMEN!

[elpadre]

back in the early 50’s I knew a pilot who flew for one of the large farmers’ associations who told me of taking their representatives to Mexico to meet with the labor companies who supplied them the workers. The way he described the program was a win-win program. The workers were under contract to the labor companies who brought them to the farmers and they worked their way North as crops needed harvesting and then returned them the Mexico with money in their pocket.

Soon after the talks I had with the pilot, I entered the Army and ended up in Korea. Upon return I relocated in the East and so am not aware of what happened. However, I did hear that the upstart labor union killed the program and the beginning of illegal aliens flooding the USA followed.

My job took me to farms the year before going into the Army, and it was a well-liked program, and if there were problems I never heard of them. Of course, being young I was not all that interested either.

[Augie]

Good luck finding a white boy that will pick lettuce.

[ViLaLuz]

Cut welfare entitlements during harvest season.

[central_va]

Americans of all color will pick lettuce when they are paid decently.

[ALongRoadAhead]

I’d rather pick lettuce than kiss the arse of some pointy-haired boss. Problem is I live a couple day’s drive from lettuce fields and all the corn around here is mechanically harvested.