Mechanical Wine Grape Harvesting and Border Dangers for Farmers
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.**Machinery now exists to do everything in a vineyard, and University of California specialists say that could help grape growers overcome chronic problems in hiring enough people.
A UC review says about 90% of California wine grapes are mechanically harvested, and other activities such as vine pruning can also be delegated to machines.
But the review says the ability to mechanize depends on factors particular to each vineyard.
**The situation at the southern border continues to be an issue for farmers and ranchers, and agricultural groups are now calling on President Biden to do more.
According to www.agweb.com, dangerous border crossings continue to be an issue for those with land adjacent to the border.
Recently, U.S. Border Patrol agents took more than 160 undocumented immigrants into custody within 24 hours in two human smuggling attempts in Laredo, Texas, including 50 inside a tanker trailer.
www.agweb.com/news/policy/politics/farm-bureau-urges-biden-address-border-crisis-says-farm-families-lives-risk?mkt
**Leading ag groups have called on a bipartisan working group and Congressional leadership to come together on an infrastructure package they call vital to American farmers and continued domestic and international market access.
Thursday’s letter comes as negotiations accelerate and Congressional leaders weigh the path forward for infrastructure investments.
The letter, organized by Farmers for Free Trade, includes support from every step of the U.S. supply chain: from farm groups, to truckers, to waterways, to ports and more.