…plant-based nutrition. On the production side, Verloop said California has about 380,000 producing acres of walnuts, with acreage beginning to stabilize after recent declines. Rising input costs, labor challenges, and…
Early Innovations That Transformed American Agriculture
…and varied widely in quality and effectiveness. Farming during this period was labor-intensive, limited in scale, and largely focused on meeting immediate needs rather than producing surplus for broader markets….
When American Farming Shifted From Hand Power to Horsepower
From Hand Labor to Heavy Work: Early American Farming Agricultural production in the United States continued to expand in the early 1800s, but farming remained an intensely labor-driven endeavor. Despite…
Rick Roberti Calls on Californians to Get Involved as Cattle Industry Faces a Crossroads
…requiring constant care, daily labor, and long-term financial risk. “You don’t just flip a switch,” Roberti said. “Every animal represents years of work before it ever reaches a plate.” Despite…
How Mechanization Transformed Corn Farming in America
…in 1850: Heavy Labor, Limited Efficiency In 1850, corn farming was highly labor-intensive. Producing 100 bushels of corn required an estimated 75 to 90 labor hours and took 2½ to…
Rick Roberti Warns California’s Wolf Crisis Is Devastating the Cattle Industry
…their lowest level since 1951, and rebuilding a herd takes years — not months. While producers have improved meat quality and efficiency, challenges like labor costs, regulation, border issues, and…
Why California Growers and Agribusinesses Should Look East to the 2026 Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo
California growers and agribusiness leaders face no shortage of challenges — water management, labor availability, pest and disease pressure, rising input costs, and the constant need to stay competitive in…
Kalem Barserian Sounds the Alarm on the Future of California Raisins
…dry-on-the-vine systems. He predicts traditional Thompson Seedless vineyards could disappear entirely within the next decade, replaced by mechanized, high-efficiency systems that allow growers to survive rising labor and regulatory costs….
Anna Baldwin and the First Milking Machine
…time when dairy farming depended almost entirely on manual labor, Baldwin’s invention introduced the idea that technology could ease one of agriculture’s most labor-intensive tasks. Her milking machine was a…
Verdant Robotics’ Sharpshooter Is Redefining Precision Weed Control
…backgrounds at NASA, aerospace programs, and military aviation. Their goal was clear: bring high-level automation and precision into everyday farming operations—especially areas still dependent on manual labor and broadcast spraying….
California Pears vs. Argentina Imports: Chris Zanobini Sounds the Alarm on a Market Under Pressure
…of its impact on eating quality. The competitive imbalance comes down to cost. Zanobini said California growers face the highest production standards in the world—labor, chemical restrictions, water requirements, and…
California Pear Growers Sound the Alarm on Argentine Imports
…in storage for months. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1paEVSJAVPr44LV3nXMLDt1v4kBbm5RJV/view?usp=drive_web Rising Costs, Falling Opportunities California pear growers face some of the highest production standards in the world, from labor and water regulations to chemical use…
Drones, Sharpshooter Precision, and Almond Bloom Protection: Technology Takes Over AgNet News Hour
…to millimeter-accurate weed control to bloom-time disease protection in almonds. The message was clear: for California growers facing rising labor costs and tighter margins, innovation isn’t a luxury anymore—it’s survival….
Why California Agriculture Is Losing Ground Despite Feeding the World
…challenges: water shortages, regulatory burdens, labor costs, rising fuel prices, and freight expenses. Mason described the situation as “strangulation through regulation,” warning that California’s cost structure is accelerating the shift…