Mechanizing Ag

How to address decreasing farm industry workforce numbers. Some, like New Mexico's agriculture secretary Jeff Witte, say the solution will be advanced technologies that will become part of the harvesting process. Tech that Witte believes will not eliminate jobs but rather: " We're going to keep those crops alive by inventing and creating the technology to do what Labor is going to run out of het ability to do." Technologies like mechanical harvesters and robotics and development in the tree fruit and specialty crop sectors. Examples provided by Lindsay Batte of California Ripe Olives about research.

"Right now they're working on a harvester that will be able to shake off olives on making harvesters and planting mechanisms better for olives as a whole."

And Pennsylvania mushroom grower Gail Ferronto: " We're trying to work to have robotics select harvest to replace the hands that we don't have right now." As well as continued public and private research on tech that could make autonomous combines and ag equipment possible. Yet while developing technologies that would reduce the need for a farm workforce, Ohio State University vice president for agriculture Kathy Ann Cress says it is just as important to encourage those considering other careers to take a look at what is possible in agriculture. And that comes from understanding at its roots what agriculture actually is.

"We have allowed people to lose track of the fact that this is important work for our world. We've lost that sense that what we do here really matters everywhere."