Machines, doing the jobs that Americans won’t do
I had no idea, when I bought those Driscoll blackberries the other day, what high-tech goings-on the company has been involved in.
The end of stoop labor, perhaps? Fewer jobs for farm workers?
[Hat tip: commenter “The Other Chuck.”]
Mechanization of agriculture has been going on forever.
My family owned a hardware store, and I remember as a kid, we would order pallets of beet hoes for the weeding of the beets in the late 50’s. Same with onions. All gone.
Here’s a pamphlet from the 40’s demonstrating the labor savings of mechanical thinning vs. hand thinning.
https://dspace.library.colostate.edu/bitstream/handle/10217/5299/COAB_21880274.pdf?sequence=1
Beets are gone as a crop here, but apples are still big. And they take lots of migrant labor. But that may change soon. They’re getting close to a commercially viable apple picker.
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/business/local/robot-apple-pickers-on-the-way/article_65c66466-fd00-11e6-a857-dbd2b6f729dd.html
Fruits and vegetables are currently the most labor intensive sector of modern agriculture. Decreasing the need for low skilled workers is a very good thing and has the potential to send illegal workers back across the border. However, it will not result in fewer illegals if they are allowed, contrary to our laws, to access the benefits of the welfare system.
Driscoll’s isn’t the only grower with new and exciting products. One of my old customer’s in the table grape area has been bringing out new products the last few years that are out of this world delicious. Last summer I was fortunate enough to get a lug of these to share with family and friends:
http://grapery.biz/index.php/grapes/moon-drops
Neo, if you find them on a store shelf this August, don’t hesitate. They are without a doubt the most unique, large, flavorful grape ever grown – sweet but not insipid, crisp, juicy, and addictive.
Experimentation and new developments are going on in all areas of agriculture. Our local paper had an insert today that detailed new developments in wheat, hops, and tulips – all beneficial to the farmers and consumers.
We sapiens are an inquisitive and ambitious species. More, better, sooner, cheaper, and easier. Yet, clever and enterprising as we are, we easily lose our way when it comes to spiritual matters. Sigh.