Tagged in: Autonomous

Autonomous Ag Talks to Restart

Cal/OSHA Standards Board chair Joseph Alioto, Jr., formally requested that staff restart the dormant advisory committee studying whether and how to revise Cal/OSHA’s regulations on autonomous agricultural vehicles. Staff responded by scheduling a meeting for December 1st—the specific time and venue to be determined. The committee has met several times, most recently in August 2025, … Read More »

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California’s Ag Workforce of the Future

California is facing what has been described as a “severe” farm labor crisis, with estimates that some areas of the Central Valley and Central Coast have lost up to 70% of their farmworkers and that, across the board, the shortage is about 20%. Meanwhile, there are fears that the increased use of automation and artificial … Read More »

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Ag Experimental Variance is Still Alive

Despite the demise of a prominent autonomous tractor company at the heart of experimental variances at two California wineries, Cal/OSHA says the variances remain in place – at least for the time being. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health is evaluating two separate variances involving other autonomous equipment companies. Autonomous agricultural equipment continues to … Read More »

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Autonomous Progress Stuck in Neutral

The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board staff has recommended that Cal/OSHA require approval for all self-propelled autonomous equipment before it can be used in agricultural operations where workers are present. Board Chair Joseph Alioto, Jr., quickly dismissed that and other recommendations on the long-simmering issue at the rulemaking body’s recent meeting. “We’re not going … Read More »

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Autonomous Ag Tech in Action

A Cal/OSHA advisory committee met for two days recently to continue its deliberations about how or even whether to regulate the increasingly sophisticated autonomous technology used in agriculture. Proponents say the machines work better than a human mind in hazard recognition and eliminate many hazards created by having employees on tractors. Skeptics, mostly representing labor, … Read More »

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Autonomous Controversy Continues

Agriculture employers have been urging the Board to revise the current regulation about autonomous equipment, which dates back to the 1970s. In those days, self-propelled equipment was still in its rudimentary stages of development. Now, modern autonomous tractors, harvesters, cultivators, weeders, and other machines feature highly advanced electronics, imaging systems, and sensors to alert remote … Read More »

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Autonomous Advisory Committee

The long and winding road to resolving the decades-long issue of how and when autonomous vehicles and equipment can be used in California agriculture gets a kick-start on March 26th. That’s when the Cal/OSHA Standards Board will convene an advisory committee to discuss autonomous tractors. Cal/OSHA says the meeting will be virtual to allow for … Read More »

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