Fruits & Vegetables

High-tech developers and investors say they hope robotics will assist or replace labor-intensive tasks such as clipping strawberry runners and harvesting.

Photo/Bob Johnson

At this lettuce field in Imperial County, University of California Cooperative Extension Irrigation and Water Management Advisor Ali Montazar tests the use of high-tech soil moisture sensors and shallow drip irrigation to conserve water and time irrigation applications in iceberg and romaine fields.

Photo/Vicky Boyd

After parting ways with its longtime jalapeño supplier, Sriracha Sauce maker Huy Fong Foods struggled to find a steady supply of fresh peppers. Recently, following two years of shortages, the popular condiment began reappearing in stores.

U.S. organic produce sales reached $22 billion in 2022. In 2023, sales of organic berries, prepackaged salads, lettuce, onions and tomatoes saw gains compared to the previous year.

Lettuce field in the Salinas Valley that was impacted by the impatiens necrotic spot virus.

Photo/Caleb Hampton

The autonomous LaserWeeder from Carbon Robotics is demonstrated in a Salinas Valley lettuce field. Growers continue to evaluate emerging technologies as to whether they can deliver efficiencies and savings.

Photo/Courtesy Carbon Robotics

Artichokes thrive at Monterey County-based Scattini Farms in Castroville. The state’s artichoke acreage has dropped in the past few decades, but farmers are looking to genetics to improve quality and production.

Photo/Scattini Farms

Shelby Trimm, executive director of the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association and two other farm groups, works to solve problems for farmers and ranchers in her home county.

Photo/Courtesy Shelby Trimm

Maurizio Carrubba worked at family farms in Italy. After he and his brother purchased the Mt. Hamilton GrandView restaurant in Santa Clara County, he opened a farm next door to grow their own fresh produce.

Photo/Courtesy GrandView Farm

Organic sweet baby broccoli grows between hybrid cover crops of sudangrass and sorghum at an experimental regenerative agriculture field at the Braga Fresh Foods ranch in Soledad.

Photo/Braga Fresh Foods

Alejandro Juarez, a seasonal driver for Antonini Fruit Express in Modesto, works on a trailer during processing tomato harvest. High yields in tomatoes, pistachios and other crops left some California farmers scrambling for hauling services as trucking companies were stretched thin.

Photo/Steve German

Parastoo Farajpoor, a doctoral student at the University of California, Davis, collects tomato plant leaves in a Yolo County field infested with a parasitic weed, branched broomrape, which can devastate tomato crops. 

Photo/Karin Higgins/University of California, Davis

At a San Joaquin County farm near Manteca, a harvester digs “creamer” potatoes that are destined for microwavable steamer bags. California farmers this year planted 23,000 acres of potatoes, an increase from 19,000 acres in 2022. 

Photo/Vicky Boyd

Honeydew melons are harvested and loaded onto a trailer in a field in Firebaugh. Melon grower-packer Turlock Fruit Co. in Stanislaus County says it expects harvest will run through early October.

Photo/Vicky Boyd

The Center for Agroecology farm at the University of California, Santa Cruz, collaborates with farmers and others on research to improve organic farming practices and increase sustainability. 

Photo/Erin Foley/Center for Agroecology

Organic herbs are grown at an indoor facility of Virgina-based Soli Organic. The company’s co-founder and president, Philip Karp, says the indoor growing sector may need to narrow product offerings after some operations failed to meet investor expectations.

Photo/Soli Organic

Bakersfield-based Grimmway Farms, billed as the world’s largest carrot producer, says its sustainable farming is “dedicated to protecting natural resources.”

Photo/Grimmway Farms 

California Sun Grower Services employee Eden Peña cleans debris from a tomato harvester in a Sutter County field. Growers say they fear delays in early-season planting could result in excess tomatoes needing processing all at once. 

Photo/Caleb Hampton