To set the project in motion, the University Dean of Agriculture
and the Director of the Agricultural Extension Service brought
together extension specialists and research workers from several disciplines,
explained what was desired, and asked the group to develop
a plan for a study that would provide answers to the questions asked.
The committee divided the study into six sections. The first
dealt with review and evaluation of the existing farm labor supply
and its sources. The second included review of trends in production
of California farm crops and projections of future production. The
third was concerned with evaluating the state of mechanization in
both crop production and harvesting. The fourth sought to develop
a measure of agricultural labor requirements by tasks, by crops, by
month, by county, and to project these labor requirements through
1969. The fifth section dealt with adjustments California agriculture
might be able to make to reduce its labor requirements. The sixth
section was directed to development and evaluation of alternative
solutions to the problem.
The committee's next task was to decide how the information
could be gathered. One of the big problems was the obtaining of
pertinent data. Complicating the collection was the number of crops
grown commercially. California produces nearly 200 different agricultural
crops on a commercial scale. Further, production methods
and labor requirements for individual crops vary from area to area
because of differences in seasons, climate, soils, and availability of
water.
The best source of the data, the committee concluded, would be
the county farm advisors (extension agents). The committee recommended
that the basic data be assembled in the county offices of the
Agricultural Extension Service and then compiled, analyzed, and
written into a report by an economist at the state level.
The Dean and Director agreed with this. The project got underway,
with the Director of the Agricultural Extension Service holding
a number of regional meetings of county farm advisors throughout
the state. The problem was explained and the cooperation of the
county staffs was requested.