Superyacht Video Tour: Mangusta Oceano 44
Mangusta
As you'll see in my video tour below, the144-foot-long, Mangusta Oceano 44 I toured at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show last October combines panoramic windows with a sophisticated full-custom interior design the shipyard's design team created together with Gianluca Sist of H2 design studio.
Meanwhile, the yacht's steel hull and aluminum superstructure can produce a maximum speed of up to 15.5 knots and her powerful electric stabilizers insure maximum comfort both at anchor and underway.
Inside, the view from master stateroom on the upper deck is spectacular. And the private patio is impressive for a yacht of this size.
The main saloon is so bright and airy and feels like a wide-open loft with nearly 280-degree water views.
The exterior layout is stylish and functional that features a massive sundec and a killer beach club that allows guests easy access to the water.
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Eater
11-07-2025
- Eater
A Supersized French Bistro Swings Open Near Amazon HQ2
D.C. hospitality brothers Ian and Eric Hilton are at it again, this time with an all-day brasserie for National Landing. Bar Colline is H2 Collective's massive metropolitan answer to the charming original (Cafe Colline), which debuted in 2020 in the tree-lined Arlington suburb of Waverly Hills. Bar Colline's rustic-chic interior. Mykl Wu/H2 Located a 14-minute drive away (269 19th Court S.), the new Bar Colline joins offshoots of other familiar favorites like dumpling spot Bar Chinois and Cuban cafe Colada Shop at the foot of JBG Smith's new Grace and Riva apartments. H2's longtime chef Brendan L'Etoile imports staples from the 5-year-old original, including its top-selling steak frites dunked in bearnaise, croque madame, and duck confit. The big difference this time around? It's over three times larger, with room for 230 guests along with a big patio decked out in string lights. More space means there's more room in the kitchen to produce extra dishes like chickpea fritters, chilled corn soup, and weekly specials. Hours to start are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The sizable setup also allows for more walk-ins than the first. Mediterranean seabass at Bar Colline. Mykl Wu/H2 'We have a larger assortment of smaller plates for a quick lunch-type thing for people who can't linger and need to get back to their desks,' Ian Hilton tells Eater. Chinese chef Peter Chang also went the same menu route for his National Landing edition of Baltimore-born NiHao. 'I remember this area full of government contractors hanging out at nondescript buildings,' says Hilton, of the artist formerly known as Crystal City. 'It's gone through major changes and it's nice to see people walking around all the time, even in 100 degrees.' In late 2023, the tech-driven neighborhood welcomed an all-outdoor food hall called Water Park across from HQ2. The Amazon effect 'has brought ancillary businesses in and an assortment of retail,' Hilton says. The area is also now home to sit-down options for Mexican (Taqueria Xochi, Tacombi) and pisco (Peruvian Brothers), but Bar Colline fills somewhat of a French food void. Bar Colline's arrival on Friday, July 11, coincidentally comes just in time for France's annual Bastille Day festivities (Monday, July 14). A massive private dining room for up to 16 guests is outfitted with its own AV system. Mykl Wu/H2 H2's Parisian cafe game started with Chez Billy Sud a decade ago in Georgetown, followed by Cafe Colline in Arlington and Parc de Ville in the Mosaic District (which is currently closed for renovations). A 50-foot wraparound bar slings spritzes, local beers, and wines, with daily happy hour that includes $6 red, white, and rosé pours from 3-6 p.m. Just beyond the dining room, an outdoor patio surrounded with trees seats 40. Red, white, and rosé pours are just $6 during happy hour. Mykl Wu/H2 Bar Colline is H2's latest large-scale project this year. Its third area outpost of El Rey – its biggest to date, with 300 seats inside and out – debuted along the Navy Yard waterfront this spring. Other El Rey taquerias sit in Ballston and on U Street NW, and its prolific portfolio also includes Players Club, Solace Outpost in Falls Church and Navy Yard, Crimson, American Ice Company, and recently opened golf bar Muni. Compared to red tape he's used to in his hometown of D.C., the opening timeline across the Potomac was relatively seamless – around 18 months from start to finish, he says. H2 co-owner Eric – yes, that Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation fame – has taken a step back from the DJ touring world to spend more time on the brothers' joint hospitality business. Next up: restoring and redeveloping Potomac, Maryland's Normandie Farm, the nearly century-old landmark leased by H2 in 2022. 'It's a labor of love that's taking a long time to do,' says Ian Hilton. 'We can focus some attention on that after we get Colline on solid ground.' The dining room has room for over 200 patrons. Mykl Wu/H2 Eater DC All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
H2 VENTURES 1 INC. ANNOUNCES QUALIFYING TRANSACTION WITH MAGNUS GREEN SOLAR LLC
VANCOUVER, BC, June 5, 2025 /CNW/ - H2 Ventures 1 Inc. (TSXV: HO.P) ("H2" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding term sheet dated May 30, 2025 (the "Term Sheet") with Magnus Green Solar LLC ("Magnus"), pursuant to which H2 and Magnus (each, a "Party" and collectively, the "Parties") have agreed to enter into a plan of arrangement, merger, amalgamation, share exchange and/or other similar transaction whereby H2 will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Magnus (each, a "Magnus Share" and collectively, the "Magnus Shares")(the "Transaction"). The Transaction is subject to the approval of, inter alios, the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") and is intended to constitute the Qualifying Transaction (as such term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) of H2 in accordance with Policy 2.4 – Capital Pool Companies of the Exchange ("Policy 2.4") of the Exchange Corporate Finance Manual. The Transaction constitutes an arm's length transaction and therefore, as currently contemplated, will not require shareholder approval under Policy 2.4. However, in the event the Transaction is structured as an amalgamation or a plan of arrangement, shareholder approval may otherwise be required for corporate law reasons. The Parties intend to enter into a definitive agreement in respect of the Transaction (the "Definitive Agreement") on or prior to July 16, 2025 or as mutually agreed to by the Parties. In connection with the Transaction, if required, Magnus may raise up to USD$10,000,000 (the "Financing") on terms to be mutually agreed upon by the Parties. Further details of the proposed Financing, if applicable, will be disclosed in a subsequent press release. The Company, upon completion of the Transaction ("Closing"), is hereinafter referred to as the "Resulting Issuer". The Resulting Issuer is expected to carry on the current business of Magnus. Upon completion of the Transaction, it is anticipated that the Resulting Issuer will be listed as a Tier 2 Technology Issuer on the Exchange. No deposits or advances have or will be made to Magnus or H2 with respect to the Transaction. About Magnus Green Solar LLC Magnus is a private company existing as a Limited Liability Company – Single Owner (LLC – SO) in the United Arab Emirates ("UAE") and was incorporated on March 6, 2023. Magnus operates in the UAE under a license issued by the Department of Economy and Tourism of the Government of Dubai, as a solar module manufacturer in the United Arab Emirates and the only producer of both N-Type and P-Type panels in the region. Magnus operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in Dubai's National Industries Park and has a present production capacity of 600 megawatts. Magnus' highly automated production capabilities, combined with globally recognized certifications—including those from TUV SUD, Intertek, Dekra, and the California Energy Commission—underscore its commitment to product quality, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Magnus serves residential, commercial, and utility-scale markets across high-demand regions such as the United States, the Middle East, and India. The current Control Person (as defined in the policies of the Exchange) of Magnus is Mr. Manan Tailor. Mr. Tailor currently holds all issued and outstanding Magnus Shares and is expected to become an Insider and Control Person (as such terms are defined in the policies of the Exchange) of the Resulting Issuer. For its most recently completed year-end of December 31, 2024, Magnus generated CAD$28,581,534.72 (76,392,726 United Arab Emirates Dirham ("AED")) in total revenue, resulting in gross profits of CAD$6,423,537.86 (17,168,832 AED) and net profits of CAD$3,926,432.58 (10,494,569 AED) for the fiscal year. As at December 31, 2024, Magnus had a total assets value of CAD$25,317,016.99 (67,667,323 AED) and a total liabilities value of CAD$13,507,612.24 (36,103,146 AED). The foregoing amounts are audited and determined in accordance with IFRS Accounting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board. For the three-months period ended March 31, 2025, Magnus generated CAD$16,047,530.68 (42,891,840 AED) in total revenue, resulting in gross profits of CAD$3,011,441.19 (8,048,980 AED) and net profits of CAD$2,508,577.15 (6,704,925 AED) for the three-month period. As at March 31, 2025, Magnus had a total assets value of CAD$29,274,980.17 (78,246,167 AED) and a total liabilities value of CAD$15,735,381.25 (42,057,527 AED). The foregoing amounts provided for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025 are auditor reviewed in accordance with the International Standards on Review Engagements 2410, Review of interim financial information performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity. All Canadian dollar figures presented herein are calculated based on the exchange rate for May 30, 2025 of CAD$1.00 = 2.6728 AED. Summary of the Transaction Whereas the Term Sheet sets out the general terms of the Transaction as currently contemplated by the Parties, the Parties will negotiate in good faith to enter into the Definitive Agreement on or before July 16, 2025 or as mutually agreed to by the Parties. Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Term Sheet, H2 will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Magnus (each, a "Magnus Share" and collectively, the "Magnus Shares") in exchange for common shares in the capital of H2 (each, a "Consideration Share" and, collectively, the "Consideration Shares") at an exchange ratio of approximately 2,071,154.1 Consideration Shares for each Magnus Share held, resulting in the issuance of approximately 517,788,526 Consideration Shares issued to holders of Magnus Shares. Holders of Magnus Shares, on a fully diluted basis, will receive Consideration Shares representing approximately 85.45% of the Resulting Issuer, on a fully diluted basis, prior to giving effect to the Financing (if applicable). The Consideration Shares may be subject to escrow restrictions pursuant to the policies of the Exchange and other statutory hold periods as required pursuant to applicable securities laws. The Transaction will be completed pursuant to, and in accordance with, corporate law requirements and available exemptions under applicable securities legislation. The completion of the Transaction is subject to the satisfaction of various conditions as are standard for a transaction of this nature, including but not limited to: (i) receipt of all necessary consents, waivers, permissions and approvals for the Transaction, including the approval of the Exchange; (ii) each of the Parties completing their respective due diligence of the other Party's business assets and liabilities; (iii) H2 having a minimum of $5,000,000 in treasury, less any fees or expenses incurred prior to Closing; (iv) Magnus having no unapproved debt and all accounts payable being agreed upon by the Parties prior to Closing; (v) H2 having 66,200,000 common shares in the capital of H2 ("Common Shares") issued and outstanding, of which 5,000,000 Common Shares will be subject to applicable escrow requirements in accordance with Exchange policies; (vi) changes to restrictions on Resulting Issuer shares held in escrow being made upon approval of the Board (as defined below); (vii) Magnus providing H2 with audited financial statements as are required for the Qualifying Transaction; (viii) if required, Magnus providing H2 with a formal valuation acceptable to the Exchange; (ix) the Parties working with their respective legal, audit and corporate advisors to agree on a structure related to the existing capital dividend account for the benefit of Magnus shareholders; and * Magnus and H2 agreeing to pursue a name and ticker symbol change following Closing. Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Term Sheet, the Parties are subject to certain interim obligations, including but not limited to: (i) each Party and their respective directors, officers or principals immediately ceasing and causing to be terminated any solicitation, encouragement, activity, discussion and negotiation with any third parties that may be ongoing with respect to any transaction involving the sale, exchange or other disposition of the issued and outstanding Magnus Shares or any portion thereof; (ii) none of the Magnus shareholders selling, transferring or assigning its Magnus Shares or granting an interest to acquire such Magnus Shares; and (iii) each Party conducting its business in a diligent manner consistent with past practices and without making any material change adverse to its business operations and policies. The Parties will be responsible for all expenses each Party respectively incurs in connection with the Transaction. No Party will be entitled to reimbursement for any such expenses, whether or not the Transactions is completed. Additionally, a break fee of USD$250,000 (the "Break Fee") will be payable to the other Party, plus expenses incurred to date should one Party electively not proceed with the Transaction. The Break Fee will not be payable if the Transaction cannot be completed for regulatory reasons. Directors and Officers of the Resulting Issuer The Board of Directors (the "Board") of the Resulting Issuer will be comprised of five (5) directors. Two (2) of the directors will be nominated by H2 and three (3) of the directors will be nominated by Magnus. Additionally, the Board will create an advisory board, of which two (2) advisory board members will be nominated by H2. Further information regarding the directors and officers, including names and biographies thereof, will be provided in a subsequent press release. Finder's Fee As currently contemplated, at Closing, Mr. Ashik Karim (the "Finder") will be paid a finder's fee (the "Finder's Fee") in the amount of approximately 21,096,895 Common Shares issued at a deemed price of US$0.1487 per Common Share, in connection with the Transaction. The Finder's Fee is subject to Exchange acceptance in accordance with the policies of the Exchange. Sponsorship Sponsorship of a Qualifying Transaction of a Capital Pool Company is required by the Exchange unless an exemption from such requirement is available in accordance with the policies of the Exchange. H2 intends to apply to the Exchange for a waiver from the sponsorship requirements. There is no assurance that H2 will be able to obtain such a waiver. Trading Halt In accordance with the policies of the Exchange, the Common Shares have been halted from trading, and such trading halt is expected to remain in place until such time as the Exchange determines, which, depending on the policies of the Exchange, may not occur until completion of the Transaction. Additional Information Further particulars relating to the Transaction, including further particulars of the Resulting Issuer and the Financing, will be provided in a subsequent press release, which will be made available under H2's issuer profile on SEDAR+ at in accordance with the policies of the Exchange. Notwithstanding the foregoing, further information concerning the Transaction will be provided in the requisite disclosure document to be filed under H2's issuer profile on SEDAR+ at All information contained in this press release with respect to H2 and Magnus was supplied, for inclusion herein, by the respective Parties and each Party and its directors and officers have relied on the other Party for any information concerning the other Party. Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable pursuant to Exchange requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. ABOUT H2 VENTURES 1 INC. H2 is a Capital Pool Company within the meaning of Policy 2.4. H2 has not commenced commercial operations and has no assets other than cash. Except as specifically contemplated in the Policy 2.4, until the completion of its Qualifying Transaction, the Company will not carry on business, other than the identification and evaluation of companies, business or assets with a view to completing a proposed Qualifying Transaction. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations regarding the future, including, but not limited to, H2's completion of the Transaction and related transactions, H2 entering into the Definitive Agreement, the Financing, payment of the Finder's Fee, and the conditions to be satisfied for the completion of the Transaction. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance. They are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including risks related to factors beyond the control of H2. Such factors include, among other things: the Parties may not enter into the Definitive Agreement; the requisite corporate approvals of the directors and shareholders of the Parties may not be obtained; the Exchange may not approve the Transaction; the Exchange may not approve the Finder's Fee; sufficient funds may not be raised pursuant to the Financing; and other risks that are customary to transactions of this nature. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits H2 will obtain from them. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, H2 undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE H2 Ventures 1 Inc. View original content:
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Will AI and robots replace farmworkers in Arizona? Growers experiment with new technology
GOODYEAR — A sizzling sound and a charred smell wafted from the rows of crops at Duncan Family Farm west of Phoenix. On the flattened planting bed, by the side of arugula seedlings smaller than a fingernail, the weeding machine moved forward, sparking a constellation of little fires. Twenty feet wide, weighing nearly five tons, the LaserWeeder is trained with a data set of tens of millions of images to tell a crop plant from a weed. It kills the weeds with lasers, the tiny sparks and sizzle erupting from purslane catching fire. The machine is one of many investments made by large-scale leafy green and vegetable growers in Arizona, both conventional and organic, to reduce labor costs and improve operations. Yuma, where much of the nation's winter vegetables are harvested, has a front row to the expanding ag tech market. While the technology is expensive, proponents say automation will help U.S. farms stay ahead in the market. 'The only way you can really compete when you are talking about $20 an hour versus $4, is automation,' said Walter Duflock, vice president of innovation at Western Growers, comparing top farm wages for H2-A visa holders in the U.S. versus wages in Mexico. With laser weeding, there's less chance that Duncan Family Farms, one of the leading organic growers in the country, will have to send a 20-person crew to walk the rows and weed by hoe later in the season. The artificial intelligence technology is especially beneficial for high-density crops like arugula, spinach, onions and carrots. Not all improvements involve new tech, and human labor is far from being dispensable. In many cases, investments go into fine-tuning the use of herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, increasing yields and making agriculture more precise. On their newest micro-greens operation, Duncan Family Farms added an automated seeder and harvester, which didn't eliminate jobs but increased consistency, eliminated work hazards and freed up work hours so employees can attend to other tasks. That tech isn't as "glittery" as the laser weeder, but it was transformative, said Courtney Boyer, supply chain manager for Duncan Family Farms. One of the barriers to automation is that the newest technologies haven't been widely tested. "We're trying to make slow, educated decisions," she said. "The (tech) companies, a lot of them are startups, there is a chance they might fail. It's just such a severe cost if something goes obsolete or hasn't been proven enough." That's one of the reasons why, late last year, the Yuma Center for Excellence in Desert Agriculture, a donor-funded branch of the University of Arizona, opened a 'wireless farm' to serve as a test bed for agricultural tech companies, which can then troubleshoot and showcase their products to growers. The project goes hand in hand with recently acquired county-wide connectivity from a high-speed fiber optic network, and the upcoming installation of 27 towers to get broadband to farms, said Connor Osgood, the center's AgTech research manager. 'We're not building it for today's technology, we are building it for tomorrow's technology,' he said, 'and we have no idea what that's going to look like.' Ag tech: Keeping salt out of crops requires more water. A new app can help farmers decide how much Matt McGuire bought his first lettuce thinner in 2013, back when they were rare to nonexistent in Yuma. A tractor attachment with sensors, camera vision and nozzles sprayed fertilizer, acids or herbicides with precise accuracy on overcrowded rows of lettuce. Until then, thinning, removing some lettuce plants to improve the growth of one, was done exclusively by workers using a hoe. Today, virtually every Yuma farm uses thinning machines to some degree. Those who don't own a thinner lease it or hire services. Like all new technology, it went through several generations of refinement. The first machine 'went out to the scrap pile after about three years,' said McGuire, chief agricultural officer of JV Smith Companies, which grows around 8,000 acres of veggies and greens in Arizona. Now, he owns version four of the thinner developed by Agmechtronix, a New Mexico company that about 13 years ago designed the machine specifically for Yuma lettuce growers, said Agmechtronix owner Ryan Herbon. Multiple new players have jumped into the market of automation and cutting-edge technology since then, with company giants like John Deere buying startups for nine-digit sums. Western Growers, representing fresh produce farmers in Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico, launched an initiative to automate 50% of fresh produce activity by 2031. The market is already responding to that trend, and competition is growing fast among developers. 'We are talking about half a billion dollars of equipment sales in a large region over 2.5 years,' said Duflock, with Western Growers. Agriculture was an 'ideal opportunity and uncrowded market space' back in 2017 when Hylio decided to build drones specifically for spraying, fertilizing and scanning crops, said co-founder Arthur Erickson. The company has sold three drones in Arizona in the past two years, and hundreds more in other states. Recent changes in Federal Aviation Administration regulations, allowing drones of 55 pounds or more to fly under certain waivers, also helped that market grow. Hylio's biggest drone weighs 470 pounds when fully loaded and ready to take flight. To operate these systems efficiently, farms need connectivity. AI-driven technology takes a lot of data and a lot of bandwidth, and because many places in rural U.S. still lack broadband, tech companies found a workaround so farmers and service providers can collect data from the machine, then drive out of the farm to where they can upload it. In Yuma County, that technology would have a real-time response. Last month, with $6 million awarded under the American Rescue Plan Act, the county board of supervisors approved the installation of broadband towers to serve 180,000 acres of farmland, which could make a network of devices, software and cloud systems run smoothly. The "real holy grail," McGuire said, would be if farmers could run soil sensors on a tractor, measuring nutrients in real time and mapping the field by one-inch increments, and tie that data to a fertilizer injector in the back, which would deliver the "prescription." An automated thinner in which cameras assess plant health would send that information to a secondary spray system with fertilizer. Years ahead, there could be 'swarms' of automated technology working farmland in the same space, at the same time, ventured Osgood, the research manager at YCEDA. Yuma is the ideal testing site for these technologies, Osgood said. The area has "tightly choreographed" year-round crop production and extreme heat conditions, which provide both logistical and operational challenges. The various soil types and crops grown in the area also give companies diversity for their tests. 'If it works here, it'll work anywhere,' he said. H-2A visas: Growers' reliance on farmworker visa program has soared. Its future under Trump is unclear Proponents of automation in agriculture say it can address labor shortage challenges, increase yields, save money on fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, and reduce some environmental impacts. Instead of spraying by aircraft, JV Farms now relies mostly on drones. The technology is quiet and reduces off-site drift — when sprayed chemicals move beyond the farm — because it has the control to fly to the edge of the field, stop, and turn around. "I don't get phone calls at two in the morning for planes flying over," said McGuire about the drones' perks. Like with the aircraft sprays, drones also fly at night to avoid exposing crews to the chemicals, he explained. The greatest advertisement for automation, however, is still that it reduces labor costs. As migrants who have worked in the agricultural industry for decades grow older and border enforcement toughens, growers have increasingly turned to an expensive visa program known as H-2A. Using a thinner, one operator can do the work of 45 people, estimated McGuire. For JV Farms, that technology adoption meant that in four years, they went from hiring 22 farmworker crews to eight. There are two kinds of technology: labor-augmenting and labor-replacing. The first is complementary to the effort of farmworkers; the second substitutes machines for human labor. The first one is currently more common in agriculture, but the landscape is changing. Nearly half of the respondents of a 2022 Western Growers survey said they'd be increasing their spending on automation anywhere between 10% to 50% over the next three years. Nearly a third of respondents expected to spend over 50% extra. Eliminating jobs with automation is not exclusive to the agricultural industry, but it carries similar moral dilemmas. Businesses improve their bottom line, while many livelihoods can be compromised. That is particularly true of farmworkers who have some of the weakest labor protections in the U.S. and often have limited job mobility. "The technology is morally neutral," said Antonio de Loera, communications director for United Farm Workers. "The question is, how is it deployed? Is it used to dispose of workers? "On the flip side, you could see a world where technological progress allows these jobs to be safer and more dignified." In the past, automation has also led to industry consolidation. In the 1960s, tech companies released a commercial tomato harvester for California's cannery industry and a tomato variety engineered to withstand mechanical picking. The transition eliminated tens of thousands of farmworker jobs and reduced the number of tomato farmers in California by 82% in five years. Four companies held nearly full control of the market. Depending on who is at the table, de Loera said, "the technology will be deployed only with their interest and bottom line in mind." In Goodyear, around a small automated seeder, six women worked in a tiny assembly line. Two moistened and turned over a big pile of soil substrate and fed it into the machine; others lined and inspected the trays on the belt, and piled them after trays had been evenly seeded and watered. Preparing micro-green trays is now done three to four times faster than the rudimentary process when employees had to seed trays by hand. It has increased yields and resulted in a more consistent product. Months later, Duncan Family Farms bought a microgreen harvester, so after the trays had produced tender leaves in the greenhouse, they could be evenly cut by the machine and dumped into shipping boxes. That last change also meant that now the six employees don't have to use knives to cut 3-inch plants. The whole process of taking care of microgreen production is like running a daycare, said Patricia Guzman, assistant supervisor for the crew. Coriander, kale, cabbage, arugula and radishes take a maximum of 20 days from seeding to harvest, and under the high-humidity conditions of the greenhouse and the dense planting, can catch mold if not inspected. A spot of decay can contaminate a line of microgreens. The whole operation is reliant on them being watchful, Guzman said. "(The machines) streamline the process, but could never fully replace human work." Clara Migoya covers agriculture and water issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach her at This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona farmers experiment with AI to improve crop harvests
