From the Los Angeles Times:

Reporting from Buttonwillow, Calif. — The ground trembles on Mike Young's almond farm as the forklift-size yellow machine grabs a tree trunk and shakes it hard.

Young once grew tomatoes, cucumbers and cotton. But in recent years, he's shifted almost exclusively to nuts as worldwide demand has made the crop more profitable.

There's another reason for abandoning row crops: Employees are a headache. Automation means Young no longer needs large crews of farmworkers to plant or harvest — and no more worrying about status, pay or benefits.

Young estimates that at seasonal peaks, he now employs 70% fewer workers.

Automation is increasingly reducing U.S. workforces