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A laser-wielding robot rolls through a California lettuce field, zapping weeds while leaving crops untouched. What sounds like science fiction is now an emerging reality with the potential to reshape the nation’s fresh produce supply chains, says Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers, which represents 3,000 family farmers across California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. The robots are also challenging assumptions about technology replacing human workers.
Robots that Elevate, Not Replace, Workers
“I have yet to have a single member tell me they need technology to get rid of workers,” says Puglia, whose organization’s members produce over half of fresh all fruits, vegetables and tree nuts grown in the U.S., with operations (growing, packing and shipping) in 28 states and 24 countries. The fresh produce industry faces a chronic labor shortage of up to 30%, often forcing growers to shift production overseas. But instead of eliminating jobs, Puglia says, innovations like Carbon Robotics’ laser weeding systems, which are moving from trials to commercial deployment, are freeing workers from back-breaking tasks and creating higher-paying roles operating machinery.
Every grower had the same feedback when Carbon Robotics began its field trials a few years ago: The technology worked but was too slow for tight farming schedules. Still, Puglia’s innovation team, which connects startups with growers, wasn’t worried: “As long as it’s zapping the right plants, they’ll solve the time problem,” he says.
DNA: Supply Chain Innovation MVP
While robots grab headlines, Puglia points to genetic trait development as “the real MVP” of supply chain innovation. Bayer AG’s High Rise™ broccoli, for example, features longer stalks that lift crowns higher off the ground, enabling robotic harvesters to cut more easily. The result: Human workers are 60% more efficient, which translates to “60% higher pay on the same piece rate,” he says. “It’s less arduous to harvest that head of broccoli, so workers go faster, and when they go faster, they make more money.”
Water Scarcity Drives New Approaches
Western agriculture has always faced water constraints, but today, shortages are driving innovation. While high-efficiency drip irrigation systems have become standard across California’s San Joaquin Valley, farmers are also pursuing new approaches. Terra Nova Ranch, for example, pioneered deliberate field flooding during storm runoff, proving that strategic inundation can replenish depleted groundwater basins without harming yields. Other farmers are experimenting with crops like agave, which requires just 2 inches of water annually, compared to the 2 to 4 acre-feet most crops need.
Betting Big on Disruption, Amid Global Pressure
Innovation attracts capital. The annual AgSharks competition, which Western Growers sponsors, connects agricultural startups with venture capital investors, typically generating $50,000 to $100,000 investments for promising technologies. Yet economic headwinds remain fierce. California’s trade deficit with Mexico in fresh produce has exploded from $4.6 billion in 2004 to $32.5 billion in 2023, while regulatory costs for one lettuce grower rose 1,600% over 20 years.
“A lot of what we grow in California can be grown someplace else,” Puglia says. This reality drives consolidation as smaller family farms sell to larger operations capable of multi-state and international diversification. The challenge isn’t just technical innovation, he says; it’s also a matter of maintaining food security while competing globally.
Despite the pressures, Puglia remains optimistic, “I didn’t predict when I was a teenager that we’d have cellphones,” he says. “I don’t know what they’ll invent, but I know someone will figure it out.”
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