Across U.S. farms, artificial intelligence and robotics are rapidly reducing reliance on human labor, driven by labor shortages and rising wages. With H-2A visa workers earning $20 per hour in the U.S. compared to $4 in Mexico, growers are investing heavily in automation to stay competitive, according to Western Growers. The global agricultural robotics market is projected to hit $8.82 billion by 2025, growing at a 24.7% annual rate, per industry reports.
In Arizona, Duncan Family Farms exemplifies this shift, deploying Carbon Robotics’ LaserWeeder on April 15, 2025. The 10,000-pound machine, trained on 40 million images, uses 30 CO2 lasers to eliminate weeds, cutting weed control costs by 80% and replacing 20-person hoeing crews for crops like arugula. Their automated microgreen seeder and harvester, adopted in 2024, boosted yields by 25% and freed workers from hazardous tasks, though human oversight remains critical.
Elsewhere, California’s Zordi uses AI-driven robots to grow strawberries, performing planting and harvesting with minimal human input, as reported by The Verge in 2023. In Yuma, lettuce thinners with AI vision, used by 90% of farms, have reduced thinning crews from 45 to one operator, per JV Smith Companies. Drones from Hylio, enabled by 2024 FAA rule changes, now spray crops on 180,000 acres in Yuma, supported by a $6 million broadband network.
While automation enhances efficiency and sustainability—slashing herbicide use by up to 99%—it raises concerns. United Farm Workers’ Antonio de Loera warns of job displacement, citing a 1960s tomato harvester that eliminated 32,000 jobs. Western Growers aims to automate 50% of produce tasks by 2031, but critics urge policies to protect farmworkers, ensuring technology augments rather than replaces human labor.