#lisa bevill

[ulkaralakbarova]

A small circle of friends suffering from post-collegiate blues must confront the hard truth about life, love and the pursuit of gainful employment. As they struggle to map out survival guides for the future, the Gen-X quartet soon begins to realize that reality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Lelaina Pierce: Winona Ryder Troy Dyer: Ethan Hawke Vickie Miner: Janeane Garofalo Sammy Gray: Steve Zahn Michael Grates: Ben Stiller Charlane McGregor: Swoosie Kurtz Wes McGregor: Harry O’Reilly Helen Anne Pierce: Susan Norfleet Tom Pierce: Joe Don Baker Tami: Renée Zellweger Rick: James Rothenberg Grant Gubler: John Mahoney Damien: Eric Morgan Stuart Grant’s Produzent: Barry Del Sherman Troy Groupie: Chelsea Lagos Truck Driver: Bill Bolender Waitress: Helen Childress Phineas: David Pirner Rock: Andy Dick Roger: Keith David Louise: Anne Meara Stand-Up Comic: Mick Lazinski Psychic Phone Partner: Amy Stiller Janine: Afton Smith Cashier: Pat Crawford Brown Stage Manager: Jeff Kahn Actress ‘Elaina’: Karen Duffy Actor ‘Roy’: Evan Dando The “Wienerschnitzel” Manager (Uncredited): David Spade Cheryl Goode (uncredited): Jeanne Tripplehorn Self (uncredited): Tony Robbins Film Crew: Executive Producer: Wm. Barclay Malcolm Director of Photography: Emmanuel Lubezki Screenplay: Helen Childress Director: Ben Stiller Producer: Michael Shamberg Producer: Danny DeVito Editor: Lisa Zeno Churgin Executive Producer: Stacey Sher Casting: Francine Maisler Production Design: Sharon Seymour Costume Design: Eugenie Bafaloukos Set Decoration: Maggie Martin Music Supervisor: Karyn Rachtman Stunts: Barbara Anne Klein Stunts: Charles Croughwell Hairstylist: Claude Díaz Makeup Artist: Deborah K. Larsen Hairstylist: Peter Savic Hairstylist: Donna Spahn Makeup Artist: Marja Webster Editor: John Spence Art Direction: Jeff Knipp Foley Artist: Joan Rowe Foley Artist: Catherine Rowe Sound Editor: Elliott Koretz Sound Editor: Dean Beville Movie Reviews:

[daydreameilyah-art]

Did a portrait of someone I buy paparazzi jewelry from on Facebook I think it turned out cute.

Find her on Facebook and join in on the lives say Haylie sent ya 😉🥰 Lisa Bevill Facebook’s love you bling girls

[positivebeatdigest]

Stanley Steemer

[fanmailman]

The Battle Belongs to the Lord (Breakaway Praise: Lisa Bevill & John Sch...

[oldster2]

[starsheight]

Lisa Bevill Height

5 feet 6 inches (170.6 cm)

American singer; noticeable for the song “No Condemnation” from the album “All Because Of You.” On YouTube, Lisa Bevill states, “I’m 5 feet 6 inches.”

[myoutlet37]

Up for sale is this CD in Like New condition, includes original Disc's, Art work & case. All DVD's, CD's, Blu-ray's & Video Games that are 2nd hand are tested & guaranteed to work. Please note Some may even have scratches, but this did not...

[hallmarkschooldaytona]

REAL ESTATE SCHOOL ADDS SECOND LOCATION Hallmark School of Real Estate announces the opening of their second location. The new classroom is located in downtown Orlando at 937 N. Magnolia Ave., inside the Weichert, Realtors Hallmark Properties building. The instructor for the Orlando classes is Timm Leikip. Timm has a rich and distinguished career as a speaker, trainer, and adult educator. He is known for the ability to not only help learners understand the training material conceptually, but also be able to apply it in day to day life. Timm entered the real estate profession in 1999. He owned a real estate school and brokerage in Wisconsin for nearly 14 years At one time, he was responsible for recruiting, training, licensing and managing a network of nearly 200 referral agents from as far west as the Hawaiian Island and as far east as Providence, Rhode Island. Since moving to Florida, Timm has earned his Florida broker and real estate instructor’s licenses. His passion for training and development continues to draw him to the calling of helping people earn their licenses and build their family’s future in the real estate profession – all while balancing work and family life. Hallmark School of Real Estate’s original location is in the Contemporary Plaza at 661 Beville Road, Suite 113, South Daytona, Forida, 32117. The school opened in the fall of 2015, and offers a full range of pre- and post-licensing, continuing education, and professional development classes. Lisa Smith is the manager and lead instructor. Start your new career at our Orlando location! Real Estate Sales Associate Pre-Licensing Class starts February 12. It will run from 6pm to 10 pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for 5 weeks. The cost is $310.00 which includes textbook, handouts and final exam. Sign up today on our website: HallmarkSchoolOfRealEstate.com #realtor #realestate #realestateschool #floridarealtor #floridarealestate (at Hallmark School of Real Estate)

[melindarowens]

As Trump targets immigrants, U.S. farm sector looks to automate

A crew harvests romaine lettuce by hand near Soledad, California, U.S., May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Michael Fiala

November 12, 2017

By Lisa Baertlein and P.J. Huffstutter

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Convincing big U.S. dairy owners to buy robots to milk their cows – and reduce the farmhands they employ – used to be a tough sell for Steve Fried. Recently, his job has gotten easier, he says, in part because of President Donald Trump.

“I get calls on a daily basis and it typically starts with, ‘I don’t want to deal with this labor headache any more’,” said Fried, sales manager for Lely North America, which makes robotic dairy milking and feeding systems.

Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration through stepped-up arrests and border enforcement has shaken the U.S. agricultural sector, where as many as 7 in 10 farm workers are undocumented, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

In addition, Republican lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation that would require all employers to check social security numbers against federal databases to ensure their workers are in the country legally, something that is now voluntary in all but a handful of states.

The get-tough approach “has created a great deal of anxiety,” said Tom Vilsack, chief executive of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, who was U.S. Agriculture Secretary for eight years under President Barack Obama.   

The shift comes as the industry was already struggling to cope with a shrinking, aging workforce. That is ratcheting up pressure on the sector to embrace new technology.

Farmers and food companies increasingly are moving to automate dairy operations, chicken processing, crop production and harvesting. Even delicate crops such as strawberries and peaches are being considered for mechanization.

“You’d be a fool to not have a plan that moves you that way,” said Duff Bevill, who owns a vineyard management company in Sonoma County, California.

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp, <PPC.O> the second largest U.S. chicken producer, this year cited a tightening migrant labor market as key to its decision to invest in robots and X-ray technology for its slaughterhouses. The goal: to swap human hands for machines that can debone the front half of chickens and perform other chores.

“We’re investing heavily in automating our processes, taking labor out and making jobs easier,” Pilgrim’s CEO William Lovette said in an earnings call. He said the company also decided to increases wages.

In Gilroy, California, Christopher Ranch is likewise embracing new machinery. The largest North American producer of fresh garlic, Christopher Ranch will spend about $1 million this year for a new Spanish-made robot in its packing plant that inserts garlic heads into sleeves, according to Ken Christopher, vice president of the family-owned business.

A 2014 report by WinterGreen Research forecast significant growth in the use of robotics in “every aspect of farming, milking, food production” and other agricultural enterprises. The report put the market for agricultural robots at $817 million in 2013 and projected that it would reach $16.3 billion by 2020.

Sensing opportunity, investors are stepping up to address agriculture’s labor squeeze with new automation, helped by falling electronics costs and advancements in software, robotics and artificial intelligence.

Google Ventures, the venture capital arm of Alphabet Inc <GOOGL.O>, this year spearheaded a $10 million investment in Abundant Robotics, which is working on an apple-picking robot. It also participated in a $20 million funding round for Bowery Farming, which uses robotics to grow leafy greens indoors.

Elsewhere, farm machinery maker Deere & Co <DE.N> announced that it spent $305 million to buy precision weed-killing robot maker Blue River Technology.

INCENTIVES TO AUTOMATE

While little official data exists to illustrate the impact of Trump’s immigration policies on farm laborers, there is no question that illegal migration is down sharply since he took office in late January.

The number of people caught trying to enter the United States illegally from Mexico dropped almost 60 percent between February and May compared the same period last year, according to government figures. Between late January to early September, the number of individuals arrested in the interior of the country by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rose almost 43 percent over the same period in 2016.

Gary Wishnatzki, a third-generation strawberry farmer in Florida, says scarce labor convinced him to raise $5 million so far to build a robotic strawberry picker that he hopes someday will reduce his industry’s need for field hands.

Bruce Taylor, CEO of Taylor Farms, a Salinas, California producer of salads and chopped vegetables for stores and restaurants, says his company has automated 20 percent of its packing plant.

The company has also teamed with an equipment maker to build a mechanized romaine harvester that is currently in use, and it is exploring automation for iceberg lettuce, broccoli and other field crops, Taylor said.

RISING PAY

In the meantime, farmers are raising wages. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s most recent farm labor report shows average wages during the week of April 9 to 15 were $13.23 per hour, up 4 percent from the same week a year ago.

“The mantra in agriculture right now is automate what you can and pay well for the labor you absolutely have to have,” said Paul Pittman, CEO of Farmland Partners Inc, <FPI.N> a real estate investment trust that invests in North American farm land.

To win the loyalty of its full-time production workers, garlic grower Christopher Ranch decided to raise pay by 50 percent between 2016 and 2018, getting a four-year jump on California’s mandated $15 minimum wage that will take effect in 2022.

“Companies need to find ways of adapting and adjusting,” Christopher, the executive, said. “We’re going to take a small financial hit, but we’re going to be ready.”

Follow Trump’s impact on energy, environment, healthcare, immigration and the economy at The Trump Effect  https://www.reuters.com/trump-effect

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and P.J. Huffstutter in Chicago; Additional reporting by Ann Saphir in San Francisco; Editing by Sue Horton and Marla Dickerson)

Source link

source https://capitalisthq.com/as-trump-targets-immigrants-u-s-farm-sector-looks-to-automate/ from CapitalistHQ http://capitalisthq.blogspot.com/2017/11/as-trump-targets-immigrants-us-farm.html

[everettwilkinson]

As Trump targets immigrants, U.S. farm sector looks to automate

A crew harvests romaine lettuce by hand near Soledad, California, U.S., May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Michael Fiala

November 12, 2017

By Lisa Baertlein and P.J. Huffstutter

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Convincing big U.S. dairy owners to buy robots to milk their cows – and reduce the farmhands they employ – used to be a tough sell for Steve Fried. Recently, his job has gotten easier, he says, in part because of President Donald Trump.

“I get calls on a daily basis and it typically starts with, ‘I don’t want to deal with this labor headache any more’,” said Fried, sales manager for Lely North America, which makes robotic dairy milking and feeding systems.

Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration through stepped-up arrests and border enforcement has shaken the U.S. agricultural sector, where as many as 7 in 10 farm workers are undocumented, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

In addition, Republican lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation that would require all employers to check social security numbers against federal databases to ensure their workers are in the country legally, something that is now voluntary in all but a handful of states.

The get-tough approach “has created a great deal of anxiety,” said Tom Vilsack, chief executive of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, who was U.S. Agriculture Secretary for eight years under President Barack Obama.   

The shift comes as the industry was already struggling to cope with a shrinking, aging workforce. That is ratcheting up pressure on the sector to embrace new technology.

Farmers and food companies increasingly are moving to automate dairy operations, chicken processing, crop production and harvesting. Even delicate crops such as strawberries and peaches are being considered for mechanization.

“You’d be a fool to not have a plan that moves you that way,” said Duff Bevill, who owns a vineyard management company in Sonoma County, California.

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp, <PPC.O> the second largest U.S. chicken producer, this year cited a tightening migrant labor market as key to its decision to invest in robots and X-ray technology for its slaughterhouses. The goal: to swap human hands for machines that can debone the front half of chickens and perform other chores.

“We’re investing heavily in automating our processes, taking labor out and making jobs easier,” Pilgrim’s CEO William Lovette said in an earnings call. He said the company also decided to increases wages.

In Gilroy, California, Christopher Ranch is likewise embracing new machinery. The largest North American producer of fresh garlic, Christopher Ranch will spend about $1 million this year for a new Spanish-made robot in its packing plant that inserts garlic heads into sleeves, according to Ken Christopher, vice president of the family-owned business.

A 2014 report by WinterGreen Research forecast significant growth in the use of robotics in “every aspect of farming, milking, food production” and other agricultural enterprises. The report put the market for agricultural robots at $817 million in 2013 and projected that it would reach $16.3 billion by 2020.

Sensing opportunity, investors are stepping up to address agriculture’s labor squeeze with new automation, helped by falling electronics costs and advancements in software, robotics and artificial intelligence.

Google Ventures, the venture capital arm of Alphabet Inc <GOOGL.O>, this year spearheaded a $10 million investment in Abundant Robotics, which is working on an apple-picking robot. It also participated in a $20 million funding round for Bowery Farming, which uses robotics to grow leafy greens indoors.

Elsewhere, farm machinery maker Deere & Co <DE.N> announced that it spent $305 million to buy precision weed-killing robot maker Blue River Technology.

INCENTIVES TO AUTOMATE

While little official data exists to illustrate the impact of Trump’s immigration policies on farm laborers, there is no question that illegal migration is down sharply since he took office in late January.

The number of people caught trying to enter the United States illegally from Mexico dropped almost 60 percent between February and May compared the same period last year, according to government figures. Between late January to early September, the number of individuals arrested in the interior of the country by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rose almost 43 percent over the same period in 2016.

Gary Wishnatzki, a third-generation strawberry farmer in Florida, says scarce labor convinced him to raise $5 million so far to build a robotic strawberry picker that he hopes someday will reduce his industry’s need for field hands.

Bruce Taylor, CEO of Taylor Farms, a Salinas, California producer of salads and chopped vegetables for stores and restaurants, says his company has automated 20 percent of its packing plant.

The company has also teamed with an equipment maker to build a mechanized romaine harvester that is currently in use, and it is exploring automation for iceberg lettuce, broccoli and other field crops, Taylor said.

RISING PAY

In the meantime, farmers are raising wages. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s most recent farm labor report shows average wages during the week of April 9 to 15 were $13.23 per hour, up 4 percent from the same week a year ago.

“The mantra in agriculture right now is automate what you can and pay well for the labor you absolutely have to have,” said Paul Pittman, CEO of Farmland Partners Inc, <FPI.N> a real estate investment trust that invests in North American farm land.

To win the loyalty of its full-time production workers, garlic grower Christopher Ranch decided to raise pay by 50 percent between 2016 and 2018, getting a four-year jump on California’s mandated $15 minimum wage that will take effect in 2022.

“Companies need to find ways of adapting and adjusting,” Christopher, the executive, said. “We’re going to take a small financial hit, but we’re going to be ready.”

Follow Trump’s impact on energy, environment, healthcare, immigration and the economy at The Trump Effect  https://www.reuters.com/trump-effect

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and P.J. Huffstutter in Chicago; Additional reporting by Ann Saphir in San Francisco; Editing by Sue Horton and Marla Dickerson)

Source link

from CapitalistHQ.com https://capitalisthq.com/as-trump-targets-immigrants-u-s-farm-sector-looks-to-automate/

[anchorarcade]

As Trump targets immigrants, U.S. farm sector looks to automate

http://ryanguillory.com/as-trump-targets-immigrants-u-s-farm-sector-looks-to-automate/

As Trump targets immigrants, U.S. farm sector looks to automate

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Convincing big U.S. dairy owners to buy robots to milk their cows – and reduce the farmhands they employ – used to be a tough sell for Steve Fried. Recently, his job has gotten easier, he says, in part because of President Donald Trump.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

“I get calls on a daily basis and it typically starts with, ‘I don’t want to deal with this labor headache any more’,” said Fried, sales manager for Lely North America, which makes robotic dairy milking and feeding systems.

Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration through stepped-up arrests and border enforcement has shaken the U.S. agricultural sector, where as many as 7 in 10 farm workers are undocumented, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

In addition, Republican lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation that would require all employers to check social security numbers against federal databases to ensure their workers are in the country legally, something that is now voluntary in all but a handful of states.

The get-tough approach “has created a great deal of anxiety,” said Tom Vilsack, chief executive of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, who was U.S. Agriculture Secretary for eight years under President Barack Obama.   

The shift comes as the industry was already struggling to cope with a shrinking, aging workforce. That is ratcheting up pressure on the sector to embrace new technology.

Farmers and food companies increasingly are moving to automate dairy operations, chicken processing, crop production and harvesting. Even delicate crops such as strawberries and peaches are being considered for mechanization.

“You’d be a fool to not have a plan that moves you that way,” said Duff Bevill, who owns a vineyard management company in Sonoma County, California.

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp, (PPC.O) the second largest U.S. chicken producer, this year cited a tightening migrant labor market as key to its decision to invest in robots and X-ray technology for its slaughterhouses. The goal: to swap human hands for machines that can debone the front half of chickens and perform other chores.

“We’re investing heavily in automating our processes, taking labor out and making jobs easier,” Pilgrim’s CEO William Lovette said in an earnings call. He said the company also decided to increases wages.

In Gilroy, California, Christopher Ranch is likewise embracing new machinery. The largest North American producer of fresh garlic, Christopher Ranch will spend about $1 million this year for a new Spanish-made robot in its packing plant that inserts garlic heads into sleeves, according to Ken Christopher, vice president of the family-owned business.

A 2014 report by WinterGreen Research forecast significant growth in the use of robotics in “every aspect of farming, milking, food production” and other agricultural enterprises. The report put the market for agricultural robots at $817 million in 2013 and projected that it would reach $16.3 billion by 2020.

Sensing opportunity, investors are stepping up to address agriculture’s labor squeeze with new automation, helped by falling electronics costs and advancements in software, robotics and artificial intelligence.

Google Ventures, the venture capital arm of Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), this year spearheaded a $10 million investment in Abundant Robotics, which is working on an apple-picking robot. It also participated in a $20 million funding round for Bowery Farming, which uses robotics to grow leafy greens indoors.

Elsewhere, farm machinery maker Deere & Co (DE.N) announced that it spent $305 million to buy precision weed-killing robot maker Blue River Technology. INCENTIVES TO AUTOMATE

While little official data exists to illustrate the impact of Trump’s immigration policies on farm laborers, there is no question that illegal migration is down sharply since he took office in late January.

The number of people caught trying to enter the United States illegally from Mexico dropped almost 60 percent between February and May compared the same period last year, according to government figures. Between late January to early September, the number of individuals arrested in the interior of the country by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rose almost 43 percent over the same period in 2016.

Gary Wishnatzki, a third-generation strawberry farmer in Florida, says scarce labor convinced him to raise $5 million so far to build a robotic strawberry picker that he hopes someday will reduce his industry’s need for field hands.

Bruce Taylor, CEO of Taylor Farms, a Salinas, California producer of salads and chopped vegetables for stores and restaurants, says his company has automated 20 percent of its packing plant.

The company has also teamed with an equipment maker to build a mechanized romaine harvester that is currently in use, and it is exploring automation for iceberg lettuce, broccoli and other field crops, Taylor said.

RISING PAY

In the meantime, farmers are raising wages. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s most recent farm labor report shows average wages during the week of April 9 to 15 were $13.23 per hour, up 4 percent from the same week a year ago.

“The mantra in agriculture right now is automate what you can and pay well for the labor you absolutely have to have,” said Paul Pittman, CEO of Farmland Partners Inc, (FPI.N) a real estate investment trust that invests in North American farm land.

To win the loyalty of its full-time production workers, garlic grower Christopher Ranch decided to raise pay by 50 percent between 2016 and 2018, getting a four-year jump on California’s mandated $15 minimum wage that will take effect in 2022.

“Companies need to find ways of adapting and adjusting,” Christopher, the executive, said. “We’re going to take a small financial hit, but we’re going to be ready.”

Follow Trump’s impact on energy, environment, healthcare, immigration and the economy at The Trump Effect  www.reuters.com/trump-effect

Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and P.J. Huffstutter in Chicago; Additional reporting by Ann Saphir in San Francisco; Editing by Sue Horton and Marla Dickerson

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source link

[awesomefelicitylewis-blog]

As Trump targets immigrants, U.S. farm sector looks to automate

http://ryanguillory.com/as-trump-targets-immigrants-u-s-farm-sector-looks-to-automate/

As Trump targets immigrants, U.S. farm sector looks to automate

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Convincing big U.S. dairy owners to buy robots to milk their cows – and reduce the farmhands they employ – used to be a tough sell for Steve Fried. Recently, his job has gotten easier, he says, in part because of President Donald Trump.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

“I get calls on a daily basis and it typically starts with, ‘I don’t want to deal with this labor headache any more’,” said Fried, sales manager for Lely North America, which makes robotic dairy milking and feeding systems.

Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration through stepped-up arrests and border enforcement has shaken the U.S. agricultural sector, where as many as 7 in 10 farm workers are undocumented, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

In addition, Republican lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation that would require all employers to check social security numbers against federal databases to ensure their workers are in the country legally, something that is now voluntary in all but a handful of states.

The get-tough approach “has created a great deal of anxiety,” said Tom Vilsack, chief executive of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, who was U.S. Agriculture Secretary for eight years under President Barack Obama.   

The shift comes as the industry was already struggling to cope with a shrinking, aging workforce. That is ratcheting up pressure on the sector to embrace new technology.

Farmers and food companies increasingly are moving to automate dairy operations, chicken processing, crop production and harvesting. Even delicate crops such as strawberries and peaches are being considered for mechanization.

“You’d be a fool to not have a plan that moves you that way,” said Duff Bevill, who owns a vineyard management company in Sonoma County, California.

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp, (PPC.O) the second largest U.S. chicken producer, this year cited a tightening migrant labor market as key to its decision to invest in robots and X-ray technology for its slaughterhouses. The goal: to swap human hands for machines that can debone the front half of chickens and perform other chores.

“We’re investing heavily in automating our processes, taking labor out and making jobs easier,” Pilgrim’s CEO William Lovette said in an earnings call. He said the company also decided to increases wages.

In Gilroy, California, Christopher Ranch is likewise embracing new machinery. The largest North American producer of fresh garlic, Christopher Ranch will spend about $1 million this year for a new Spanish-made robot in its packing plant that inserts garlic heads into sleeves, according to Ken Christopher, vice president of the family-owned business.

A 2014 report by WinterGreen Research forecast significant growth in the use of robotics in “every aspect of farming, milking, food production” and other agricultural enterprises. The report put the market for agricultural robots at $817 million in 2013 and projected that it would reach $16.3 billion by 2020.

Sensing opportunity, investors are stepping up to address agriculture’s labor squeeze with new automation, helped by falling electronics costs and advancements in software, robotics and artificial intelligence.

Google Ventures, the venture capital arm of Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), this year spearheaded a $10 million investment in Abundant Robotics, which is working on an apple-picking robot. It also participated in a $20 million funding round for Bowery Farming, which uses robotics to grow leafy greens indoors.

Elsewhere, farm machinery maker Deere & Co (DE.N) announced that it spent $305 million to buy precision weed-killing robot maker Blue River Technology. INCENTIVES TO AUTOMATE

While little official data exists to illustrate the impact of Trump’s immigration policies on farm laborers, there is no question that illegal migration is down sharply since he took office in late January.

The number of people caught trying to enter the United States illegally from Mexico dropped almost 60 percent between February and May compared the same period last year, according to government figures. Between late January to early September, the number of individuals arrested in the interior of the country by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rose almost 43 percent over the same period in 2016.

Gary Wishnatzki, a third-generation strawberry farmer in Florida, says scarce labor convinced him to raise $5 million so far to build a robotic strawberry picker that he hopes someday will reduce his industry’s need for field hands.

Bruce Taylor, CEO of Taylor Farms, a Salinas, California producer of salads and chopped vegetables for stores and restaurants, says his company has automated 20 percent of its packing plant.

The company has also teamed with an equipment maker to build a mechanized romaine harvester that is currently in use, and it is exploring automation for iceberg lettuce, broccoli and other field crops, Taylor said.

RISING PAY

In the meantime, farmers are raising wages. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s most recent farm labor report shows average wages during the week of April 9 to 15 were $13.23 per hour, up 4 percent from the same week a year ago.

“The mantra in agriculture right now is automate what you can and pay well for the labor you absolutely have to have,” said Paul Pittman, CEO of Farmland Partners Inc, (FPI.N) a real estate investment trust that invests in North American farm land.

To win the loyalty of its full-time production workers, garlic grower Christopher Ranch decided to raise pay by 50 percent between 2016 and 2018, getting a four-year jump on California’s mandated $15 minimum wage that will take effect in 2022.

“Companies need to find ways of adapting and adjusting,” Christopher, the executive, said. “We’re going to take a small financial hit, but we’re going to be ready.”

Follow Trump’s impact on energy, environment, healthcare, immigration and the economy at The Trump Effect  www.reuters.com/trump-effect

Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and P.J. Huffstutter in Chicago; Additional reporting by Ann Saphir in San Francisco; Editing by Sue Horton and Marla Dickerson

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source link