3:10 to Yuma
18th January 2026
It is harder to automate harvesting of lettuce than to send a human to the moon, to get any product in the world shipped to you within a few hours, to get vaccines for mumps, chicken pox, etc, to get a computer and connectivity in almost every person’s pocket, and many others.
I had the privilege to visit multiple harvesting operations during my visit to Yuma, Arizona, last week. I also had the chance to connect with other players in the ecosystem who have worked on various aspects of the problem.
These included forward-thinking Farm Labor Contracting (FLC) companies, local manufacturers, AgTech adoption services companies, research institutions, and, of course, many growers, shippers, and packers. Just as with any population, I encountered people with extremely strong opinions about how things should be done!
Harvesting lettuce (and many other specialty crops) is still very much a majority human-driven endeavor.