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Will importing workers lead to importing crops?
Rising farm labor costs could shift more U.S. crop production to Mexico
A dwindling and aging agricultural workforce, coupled with higher labor costs, have added pressure on U.S. farms over the past decade. A recent study by University of California agricultural economists Alexandra Hill and James Sayre explores these changing trends in U.S. and Mexican farmworker demographics and the potential implications for U.S. farms.
They found that the incentives to enter the United States under the H-2A visa program for farmwork far outweigh the incentives to immigrate for farm work without proper work authorization. However, because these H-2A workers come at a steep cost to employers, this could mean that several crops with high labor costs may increasingly move production to Mexico in a quest to reduce costs.
Over the last two decades, several trends have led to a shortage of domestic crop workers in the United States. A major contributing factor is that fewer immigrant farm workers are migrating to the United States from Mexico. This trend is generally driven by a declining share of Mexican citizens working in agriculture as the country's economy moves into manufacturing and service industries, coupled with declining birth rates, rising education levels, and increases in U.S. immigration enforcement.
The H-2A program — which provides legal authorization for foreign workers to engage in temporary work on U.S. farms — is the one source of foreign crop labor that is on the rise. Employers are required to pay H-2A workers either the local minimum wage or the local H-2A minimum wage (called the adverse effect wage rate, or AEWR), whichever is higher. The H-2A AEWR is often four to five times higher than the average farmworker wages in Mexico, leading to a substantial wage gap that helps pull Mexican workers into U.S. farm work.
“While the high costs associated with the H-2A program will pull in workers, they may also push farms out of the United States,” said Hill, assistant professor of Cooperative Extension at UC Berkeley.
This is due to the fact high H-2A wages are reducing the profitability of U.S. farms that employ H-2A workers, particularly in states such as California and Washington, which have a greater number of high-labor crops, such as fruits and nuts. Mexico's lower labor costs and suitable climate for fruit and vegetable crops allow the country to have an increasing competitive advantage compared to states like California, which have increasingly high AEWRs.
Mexican production of some of these high-labor crops has increased dramatically over the last two decades: From 2003 to 2022, the value of blueberry production grew 2,600-fold, raspberries grew 140-fold, and strawberries 13-fold. Large increases in exports of these crops from Mexico to the United States have occurred over this same period, confirming that high-labor crops are at a greater risk of losing market share to Mexico.
To learn how the changing demographics of U.S. and Mexican farmworkers could affect U.S. agricultural production, read the full article by Alexandra E. Hill and James E. Sayre: “As Mexican Farmworkers Flock North, Will U.S. Farms Head South?” ARE Update 28(1): 9–12. UC Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics, online at https://giannini.ucop.edu/filer/file/1730229662/21163 or in Spanish at https://giannini.ucop.edu/filer/file/1732133779/21191/.
ARE Update is a bimonthly magazine published by the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics to educate policymakers and agribusiness professionals about new research or analysis of important topics in agricultural and resource economics. Articles are written by Giannini Foundation members, including University of California faculty and Cooperative Extension specialists in agricultural and resource economics, and university graduate students. Learn more about the Giannini Foundation and its publications at https://giannini.ucop.edu/.
Desert Organic Research and Food Safety Workshop set for Dec. 4 in Holtville
The "Advances in Southwest Desert Agriculture Research, Organic Production and Food Safety" workshop is scheduled for Dec. 4 in Holtville. This event will showcase cutting-edge research and practical organic farming strategies tailored to California's unique desert environment.
The symposium will feature presentations from University of California Cooperative Extension advisors and other experts.
The agenda covers a range of critical topics, including insect pest management in low desert agriculture, weed management strategies for guayule seedlings, summer cover crops for soil health and disease management, integrated pest management for onion diseases, predicting sugar beet cyst nematode suppressiveness, and microbial risk assessment of soil amendments in organic romaine lettuce.
“These presentations will provide valuable insights into improving desert vegetable production, irrigation efficiency, and food safety practices specific to our region,” said co-organizer Jimmy Nguyen, University of California Cooperative Extension food safety and organic production area advisor for Imperial and Riverside counties.
“This symposium presents an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest research findings directly applicable to Imperial County agriculture, gain practical knowledge to enhance your agricultural practices, and network with fellow professionals and researchers in the field.”
The UC Cooperative Extension team aims to foster the exchange of ideas and promote the advancement of agricultural practices in the community.
“We encourage everyone involved in growing crops in Imperial County to attend this informative event and contribute to the ongoing dialogue on agricultural innovation in the Southwest desert region,” Nguyen said.
The workshop will be held at Barbara Worth Country Club, 2050 Country Club Dr, Holtville, CA 92250. Register at https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=43924.
For more information, please contact UC Cooperative Extension advisors Jimmy Nguyen, cgnguyen@ucanr.edu; Philip Waisen, pwaisen@ucanr.edu; Ali Montazar, amontazar@ucanr.edu; or Oli Bachie, obachie@ucanr.edu; or call (442) 265-7700.
CFHL, UC and UCCE Alameda team up with UCSF for Food Farmacy
Green peas, orange carrot cubes and squares of white tofu sizzled as they were stirred into brown rice in an electric frying pan. “Smells good,” commented a man walking to the fresh produce display.
Every week UC San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland gives away fresh produce to patients and community members at its Food Farmacy to improve food security in the community. On Nov. 14, nutrition experts from UC Cooperative Extension and CalFresh Healthy Living, UC joined UCSF colleagues to encourage Oakland residents to eat fresh fruits and vegetables for better health.
Tuline Baykal, CalFresh Healthy Living, UC Cooperative Extension program supervisor in Alameda County, and CFHL, UC community educators Mercy Mumba, Yolanda Silva and Mariela Wajler showed visitors how to prepare dishes that could be easily made from fresh produce. Mumba and Wajler cooked tofu fried rice while Silva tossed slices of persimmon, dried cranberries and spinach together before drizzling an orange juice dressing on top. They handed out recipes with samples of the foods.
Alexa Erickson, UCCE nutrition advisor for Alameda and Contra Costa counties, was on site to answer nutrition questions.
Community members could choose from a generous array of free leafy greens, cucumbers, red cabbage, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, citrus, red onions, bell peppers, chicken and other grocery items.
Through their collaboration, the UCSF health professionals and UC ANR nutrition educators hope to highlight the role of food in healthy living and California farms in producing healthy living options.
“A partnership with UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Clinics presents opportunities for us to expand our delivery of CalFresh Healthy Living, UC education to parents in places they are going to receive health care for their children – making this vital nutrition education more accessible,” said Andra Nicoli, CalFresh Healthy Living, UC program and project policy analyst based at UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
Nicoli worked with Antonio De Wolk, UCSF's assistant director of content strategy, and Rigoberto Del Toro, manager of the Food Farmacies at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, to coordinate UC ANR's participation in the Food Farmacy.
Especialista en seguridad alimentaria de UC pone a prueba biosensores para detectar patógenos en frutas y verduras
Ahmed El-Moghazy se integró a la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de UC como especialista en seguridad alimentaria de Extensión Cooperativa el pasado febrero y trabaja desde UC Riverside. La seguridad alimentaria de acuerdo con El-Moghazy, son medidas que garantizan que los alimentos estén libres de contaminantes perjudiciales, que sean seguros para comer y, además, previenen enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos contaminados. El-Moghazy es responsable de apoyar a los granjeros de California e instalaciones donde se procesan alimentos para que mejoren sus prácticas de seguridad alimentaria capacitando al personal apropiado y abordando los problemas de seguridad alimentaria en sus granjas.
Como principal investigador del Laboratorio 2-SAFE en UC Riverside, El-Moghazy investiga la precisión y aplicabilidad de la tecnología de biosensores en el punto de uso. El sensor ligero y fácil de usar puede utilizarse en el campo o en una empacadora para medir la contaminación de líquidos como el agua de riego y lavado o sólidos como muestras de alimentos.
Las pruebas de patógenos en los alimentos tradicionalmente toman entre dos y tres días y el proceso puede ser costoso. La tecnología de biosensores que El-Moghazy usa es económico y puede proporcionar resultados en un turno de trabajo, lo que permite al negocio que cultiva frutas y verduras frescas confirmar la seguridad de sus productos antes de que salgan al mercado.
La alternativa, vender alimentos contaminados a los consumidores, no solo es perjudicial para la salud humana, pero también puede arruinar la reputación del negocio, resultando en costos no anticipados asociados con la retirada de productos contaminados y consecuencias reglamentarias incluyendo multas y sanciones.
El-Moghazy también se encuentra desarrollando la próxima generación de revestimientos superficiales antimicrobianos y materiales que pueden rápidamente controlar los patógenos transmitidos por los alimentos y detener la transferencia de bacteria nociva de los alimentos contaminados a los no contaminados.
El-Moghazy se siente optimista de que su investigación pueda salvaguardar la salud pública, reducir la carga de las enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos y proteger la integridad de los negocios. No obstante que El-Moghazy sirve a todo el estado, está dedicando una gran parte de su evaluación de necesidades y esfuerzos al Sur de California donde crecen cultivos de especialidad de alto valor como los aguacates y cítricos.
"¿Sabía que uno de cada seis estadounidenses se enferma por haber comida un alimento contaminado con un patógeno transmitido por alimentos?", preguntó El-Moghazy. El experto cree que incrementar la sensibilización sobre las enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos mediante la educación es un aspecto esencial de sus funciones. "Es verdad, pero no mucha gente se da cuenta de ello, ni que un 40 por ciento de las enfermedades trasmitidas por alimentos se originan en las frutas y verduras frescas".
Para proteger a los consumidores, la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de Estados Unidos requiere que las granjas con cierto nivel de ventas anuales (ajustadas por la inflación) de frutas y verduras que típicamente se comen crudas, cuenten con un empleado que ha tomado la capacitación Produce Safety Rule Grower Training (Norma de seguridad sobre frutas y verduras para agricultores) aprobado por la FDA.
Además de las capacitaciones certificadas, El-Moghazy ofrece asistencia técnica para garantizar que los agricultores cumplen con los requisitos antes y después de las inspecciones, así como recursos en diferentes temas incluyendo seguridad sobre frutas y verduras, agua para agricultura, acondicionadores del suelo, salud, higiene y capacitación de trabajadores y manejo y sanidad. También puede asistir en el desarrollo de planes para seguridad alimentaria y otros protocolos generales de una granja. Su experiencia técnica cubre todos los aspectos de la producción de alimentos y suministros incluyendo el agua de riego, higiene de las herramientas usadas en la cosecha y transportación.
Antes de unirse a ANR, El-Moghazy trabajo dos años como académico invitado en el Departamento de Ingeniería Biológica y Agrícola de UC Davis antes de continuar como becario postdoctorado en el Departamento de Ciencias y Tecnología Alimentarias de UC Davis durante cinco años. Mucho de su trabajo se centró en el desarrollo de biosensores y material antimicrobianos para la seguridad alimentaria. Estando en Davis, colaboró con las granjas locales y compañías procesadoras de alimentos con investigación y extensión en seguridad alimentaria.
El-Moghazy obtuvo su doctorado estudiando biosensores de desarrollo para aplicaciones de seguridad alimentaria con el fin de detectar residuos de plaguicidas a partir de un programa conjunto ofrecido por las universidades de Perpignan en Francia y Alexandria en Egipto. También obtuvo una maestría en fungicidas biobasados de desarrollo y una licenciatura en ciencias agrícolas de la Universidad de Alexandria. Finalmente completó una beca de investigación en el Instituto para la Protección de las Plantas, en la Universidad de Szent Istvan en Hungría, donde estudió la forma de extender la vida útil de las frutas y verduras usando biomateriales.
El-Moghazy tiene su base en el Departamento de Microbiología y Patología de las Plantas en UC Riverside. Si desea contactarlo puede hacerlo escribiendo a aelmogha@ucr.edu o llamando a (951) 827-0257.
Adaptado al español por Leticia Irigoyen del artículo en inglés. Editado para su publicación por Diana Cervantes
Students design high-tech solutions through Farm Robotics Challenge
Award-winning teams announced at FIRA USA robotics conference
A robot that navigates and weeds row-crop fields – and its design team from Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts – have garnered the grand prize in the second annual Farm Robotics Challenge. Five winning teams, representing various universities and colleges across the U.S., were announced on Oct. 24 during a ceremony at the FIRA USA robotics conference in Woodland (watch recording).
A total of nine teams competed in the Farm Robotics Challenge, organized by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS), with support from technology partner farm-ng.
During the yearlong contest, the students engaged with growers about their pain points and challenges and then developed creative solutions using the farm-ng Amiga robot platform.
“It's inspiring to see the creativity and dedication of these students, who put in a lot of hard work and long hours to pull together some truly remarkable projects for this competition,” said Gabriel Youtsey, chief innovation officer at UC ANR. “We hope the challenge attracts more students to consider careers in agriculture; we're here to help build a supportive community to grow that pipeline to the workforce.”
Providing a platform for students to demonstrate innovative design, field testing and evaluation, and real-world problem solving, the Farm Robotics Challenge is sponsored by F3 Innovate, Beck's Hybrids, California Tomato Research Institute and the United Soybean Board.
“It's a great day when engineers, marketing and technology folks understand there are great opportunities to create products for American farmers,” said Brad Fruth, director of innovation at Beck's Hybrids. “It has been exciting for Beck's Hybrids to participate in this challenge and see the bleeding edge of where technology and agriculture converge.”
The student teams leveraged AI, machine learning, automation, coding and fabrication to advance innovation in agriculture.
“Not only does the challenge demonstrate the future of farming with robotics, but it's also encouraging the next generation of engineers to focus their talents on the challenges that exist in growing our food,” said Brendan Dowdle, CEO of farm-ng. “The students who participate have a unique mix of skills in robotics, software and a passion for the future of agriculture.”
Grand Prize Winner: PhoenixBot, Olin College of Engineering, an autonomous mechanical weeding systembuilt to navigate through row-based crop fields of seedling to early-stage crops to effectively remove weeds from the beds
Team Advisor: Kenechukwu Mbanisi
Students:
Summer Crew/Leads: Jeffrey Woodyard, Dokyun Kim, AJ Evans, Toby Mallon, Brooke Moss
Subteam Leads: Dexter Friis-Hecht, Joe Leedy, Maya Adelman, Dominic Salmieri, Chang Jun Park, Akshat Jain
Team Members: Bill Le, Dongim Lee, Felix Halaska, Bhargavi Deshpande, Elisa Camacho, Cooper Penkava, Marcellus Smith, Rohan Bendapudi, Darian Jiminez, Ivy Mahncke, Quinn Verrill, Sam Wisnoski, Oscar Bao, Mia Chevere, Shauna Sperou
Excellence in Productivity: Florabot, Auburn University, a robot designed to autonomously navigate through nursery plant beds collecting imagery data for plant counting and quality assessment
Team Advisor: Tanzeel Rehman
Students: Hamid Syed, Faraz Ahmad, Mesbahul Maruf, Mohtasim Hadi, Carter Freeman
Excellence in Small Farms Technology: Bin Haulers, Washington State University & Heritage University, a precision agricultural robotic system designed for efficient bin-picking and placement in apple orchards
Team Advisors: Manoj Karkee, Safal Kshetri
Students: Dawood Ahmed, Syed Usama Bin Sabir, Divyanth L.G., Priyanka Upadhyaya, Achyut Paudel, Robert Barragan, Apol Medrano, Osmar Alvarez, Bethany Navaroo, Salvador Ayala
Excellence in Sustainability: TAMU-NCSU Robotics Team, Texas A&M University & North Carolina State University, a multi-modal proximal data collection system utilizing artificial intelligence to generate height maps for semi-structured row crop fields to aid in effective application of post-emergence herbicide
Team Advisors: Steven Brian Mirsky, Chris Reberg-Horton, Muthu Bagavathiannan
Students: Joe Johnson, Matthew Kutugata, Ruthvik Kanumuri, Wesley Hawkes, Jonathan Herrera, Luke Conran, Sebastian Chu
Excellence in Safety: University of California Santa Cruz, an application that allows a user to view the camera, as well as operate the Amiga robot, without a physical connection
Team Advisors: Dejan Milutinovic, Darryl Wong
Students: Katherine Rogacheva, Milos Suvakovic, Oliver Fuchs, Sam Leveau, Mauricio Chavez
In addition to recognition for their efforts, the Grand Prize Winner was awarded $10,000, and the Excellence in Productivity and Small Farms Technology winners won $5,000 each, while the Excellence in Sustainability and Safety winners won $2,500 each.
Other competitors in the challenge included teams from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California State University Fresno, Hartnell College and The Pennsylvania State University.
For more information about the Farm Robotics Challenge, including details on how to participate, visit https://farmroboticschallenge.ai.
