As Florida's orange growers face increased competition from foreign producers they have turned to technology to reduce labor costs. Crops that traditionally been picked by hand, often by illegal Mexican immigrants, are now being harvested by giant canopy shakers. Global competition has also affected other crops, such as apples in Washington State and strawberries in California. This trend is in direct opposition to President Bush's plan to invite legal guest workers into American fields.
See "In Florida Groves, Cheap Labor Means Machines", Eduardo Porter, The New York Times, March 21, 2004