[TDA2]

Cotton is picked by machines that take 6-8 rows per through. Most if not all of these are run by the owner of the farm or a LEGAL hired hand that has been here forever and has the experience to run this extremely valuable equipment. Same for planting and harvesting. All the crops that I know about are planted and harvested with machinery other than some vegetables and fruits.

[org.whodat]

Cotton is picked by machines that take 6-8 rows per through. Most if not all of these are run by the owner of the farm or a LEGAL hired hand that has been here forever and has the experience to run this extremely valuable equipment. Same for planting and harvesting. All the crops that I know about are planted and harvested with machinery other than some vegetables and fruits.

Bingo, you don't let a illegal with a 4th grade education behind the wheel of a 300,000 dollar combine.

[tommix2]

I was thinking of the days before these machines were developed. And you make a good point about the skilled legal hands that operate this machinery. Get rid of these illegals and farmers would invest in more machinery. My point is that American citizens used to do all the work that needed to be done. During the depression I worked topping carrots from dawn to dusk for 9 cents a bushel. We Americans, many of us legal immigrants, did those jobs in those days.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

That could be one of the reasons why California has largest amount of illegal aliens. Grains (and apparently cotton) can be planted and harvested by machine. However, many (technically your "some" still works, but it is a lot) fruits and vegetables are still picked by hand (and California produces the most fruits and vegetables).