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As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers replace workers with robots

latimes.com

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Re: As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers replace workers with robots

#101

Post by dang »

bflesch wrote: post #11
hi1234567890 wrote: post #5

This would be a good time to implement regulations and taxes on all robots to diminish all margins gained from automation.

Are you on drugs? If there are no margins nobody would even bother building a robot that actually can help with farm work. You point is so delusional I really wonder how you can develop this kind of mindset and still end up in a technology/startup community like hacker news.

Personal attacks will get you banned here. We warned you about this before, so please don't do it again.

If you have a substantive point to make, make it thoughtfully; otherwise please don't comment until you do.

Re: As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers replace workers with robots

#102

Post by saint_fiasco »

rgbrenner wrote: post #95
avs733 wrote: post #10

They could also, which is notably mentioned no where in the article, pay more? In a market driven economy...which companies want...employees have market power as well when their is a shortage.

well you see... they pay near minimum wage for hard temporary labor that results in most of their workforce living below the poverty line. They've tried giving them a token wage increase, and it hasnt changed anything.. so clearly increasing wages doesnt work /s For some reason they say they can't figure out.. people aren't jumping at the chance to live in poverty. When they say they cant find people, and they're pay…

Maybe the robots cost the equivalent of paying a human $11/hr

They will only try paying a person $12 an hour if the robots don't work.

Re: As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers replace workers with robots

#103

Post by rfrank »

criddell wrote: post #93
xienze wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And native-born Americans aren’t interested in the job, even at wages that have soared at higher than average rates. Conspicuously absent in every single article claiming that Americans "aren't interested" in farm work is exactly what constitutes "higher than average rates". You _will_ find Americans interested in this work at some rate, but it's going to be higher than what you think it "should" be. In a country w…

In another comment on this thread, a farmer said he couldn't hire people at $25 / hour. If a machine can do it, then a machine should do it. Especially work that's difficult and can be dangerous - like farm work.

Farm labor in other states earn $15-20 an hour [1], and will enjoy much higher purchasing power, and (almost certainly) a political climate they'll find less actively hostile than the one they'll find in California. Why would farm laborers want to come here?

1. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes452099.htm

Re: As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers replace workers with robots

#104

Post by hi1234567890 »

mullen wrote: post #29
kasey_junk wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looms possibly?

How about the Wheel? Wheels deprive millions of jobs for people to carry stuff.

I didn't realize this would prompt so much emotion. I only said it as a consideration. As a reminder this is a quote from Bill Gates ""If a human worker does $50,000 of work in a factory, that income is taxed," Gates said in an interview with Quartz. "If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you'd think we'd tax the robot at a similar level." < Google it.

Re: As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers replace workers with robots

#105

Post by Armisael16 »

icebraining wrote: post #94
adventured wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Paying the top 1/2 of earners a basic income is hyper regressive and inefficient (you have to turn around and tax it back from them). The current progressive income tax system paired with a higher income tax credit - instead of a counter productive higher minimum wage - is a vastly superior approach that has already been proven to work very well. BI is a fantasy at best. At worst, it'll wreck any economy that attempt…

inefficient (you have to turn around and tax it back from them). Subtracting two lines is hyper inefficient?

That only works is BI is implemented as part of the tax system.

Re: As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers replace workers with robots

#106

Post by astrange »

hi1234567890 wrote: post #104
mullen wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How about the Wheel? Wheels deprive millions of jobs for people to carry stuff.

I didn't realize this would prompt so much emotion. I only said it as a consideration. As a reminder this is a quote from Bill Gates ""If a human worker does $50,000 of work in a factory, that income is taxed," Gates said in an interview with Quartz. "If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you'd think we'd tax the robot at a similar level." < Google it.

If the robot's owner gets an extra $50k income from this, we're actually getting more in tax because their marginal income is higher.

Re: As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers replace workers with robots

#107

Post by icebraining »

Armisael16 wrote: post #105
icebraining wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

inefficient (you have to turn around and tax it back from them). Subtracting two lines is hyper inefficient?

That only works is BI is implemented as part of the tax system.

My salary is not even paid by the government, yet it already arrives into my account after discounting taxes.

Re: As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers replace workers with robots

#108

Post by noonespecial »

delbel wrote: post #84
noonespecial wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't magic you up any workers but here's a hint: You'd be astonished at how quickly and accurately a large air compressor with a small amount of water added to the flow can dig a shallow trench or small hole.

I actually have a backhoe, but the diesel injector pump is broken. Its a rosa master rotary injection pump. They go for $800 on ebay rebuilt. Project for the winter in my new shop. Thanks for your advice on the water injector. Do you have any design for injecting the water into the air line? How much water like in GPM or CFS per PSI?

I spent a summer as "that guy who digs with the compressor" on a maintenance crew at a summer camp.

I discovered it when I accidebtly blew a hole in an asphalt parking lot trying to use the compressor to clear sand.

Compressor was a little 50hp Rand diesel tow behind. 120psi 180cfm. In soft soil no water is even needed. A little water (like 2-5 gpm makes everything nicer). I started by making a little brass siphon fitting and then upped it to a garden hose fitting by the end.

Layed miles of sprinkler pipes with it. Always figured it would make a fantastic automatic digger for something or other.

Re: As California’s labor shortage grows, farmers replace workers with robots

#109

Post by thephyber »

xienze wrote: post #71
andrewla wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They could also, which is notably mentioned no where in the article, pay more? From the article: > And native-born Americans aren’t interested in the job, even at wages that have soared at higher than average rates. > Not surprisingly, wages for crop production have climbed 13% from 2010 to 2015 — a higher rate than the state average, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of Labor Department data. > Growers who…

> And native-born Americans aren’t interested in the job, even at wages that have soared at higher than average rates. Conspicuously absent in every single article claiming that Americans "aren't interested" in farm work is exactly what constitutes "higher than average rates". You _will_ find Americans interested in this work at some rate, but it's going to be higher than what you think it "should" be. In a country w…

> But you will find takers at some price.

At some point, the goods won't move unless they are inelastic goods (which individual foods aren't). There is no single food product which people can not live without.

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