Amy Pineda

LBS 375
Professor Cheek
April 7, 2015
Agriculture in California
Agriculture has been successful in California for about 50 years. California has
been the nations top agricultural state since 1940. By 2002, California committed to
agriculture production with 84, 000 farms. California alone has accounted one-tenth of
the value of the nations agricultural output. California has grown over 350 crops and the
majority of the countrys crops come from California. Agriculture has impacted
California in a positive and negative way through its economy, population, and equity in
the field.
Agriculture has made a major impact on Californias economy by growing their
specialty crops such as, grapes, citrus, cotton, and various temporary fruits. Cotton was
Californias top seller. In 1919, Californias acreage in cotton ranked 14th out if 15 cotton
producing states. By 1959, it ranked in 2nd place. By 1929, the number of farms increased
by 700 percent. About 90 percent of the farms in California were either family farms or
partnerships. Agriculture generates approximately $36.2 billion a year, more than any
other state.(1). Agriculture has been a positive impact on Californias economy through
the growing of crops and has established business. One of its best known businesses is
the Agribusiness, which is a vertical integration that grows crops, process crops and
distributes them.
Agriculture has also made a major impact on Californias population by attracting
many people an opportunity of working in the fields. A large voluntary movement such

as, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican- Americans, and Filipinos migrated to California to do

farming labor. Between 1852 and 1882 the Chinese moved from the railroads to farm
labor. They planted, cultivated and harvested for large scale farms. A few issues have
invoked more controversy in California such as, the Chinese Exclusion act, the
Gentlemens Agreement aimed at Japanese immigrants etc.(2). By
1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act passed, and by the 1900s, the Japanese came, mostly
young men. By 1909, about 30,000 Japanese were in California working on farms and
less than half were forced into labor.
Agriculture made a negative impact on Californias farm workers, as they fought
for equity. The Mexicans and Filipinos came between 1915 and 1920s. These groups
worked hard and suffered a lot from working in the fields. The Bracero Program took
place between 1942 to 1964, and many Mexican famers wanted to join but it took a long
process to join the program. Many Mexican farmers came to the U.S. to work and then
sent their money to their families in Mexico. Cesar Chavez, born in 1927, was the labor
leader and a civil right activist who fought for all farm workers and put an end to the
Bracero Program. About 1,100,000 farm workers in California, and 95% of these
workers were coming from outside the U.S. and about 91% of these workers were
coming from Mexico. (3). In 1965, the farm workers went on strike because they were
fighting for equality. They fought for better working conditions, fair wages, medical
plans, restrooms, water, pest control etc. Cesar Chavez organized many conventions and
always helped the farm workers fight for equality, and by 1970 the strike came to an end.
Agriculture made positive and negative impacts on Californias growth and
development through its economy, population, and equity in the field. California has

witnessed numerous transformations in cropping patterns, labor sources, and

technologies. Californias population increased and pulled people from all over the world
and gave them the opportunity to work in the farms. The agricultural workers were
unhappy with their working conditions, and with the help of Cesar Chavez, they went on
strike and boycotted until they got what they were asking for. California has become the
number one agricultural production state.

Work Cited
(1) Agriculture in California power point
(2) The California department of industrial relations evaluates Agricultural labor
contracts, 1930.
(3) Carlos Bulosan describes the harsh existence of migrant farmworkers.