Cornell leads project putting robots to work in US orchards
Krisy Gashler | September 3, 2026https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/09/cornell-leads-project-putting-robots-work-us-orchards Fifteen years ago, labor accounted for about 45% of total costs at the Washington Fruit and Produce Co. Today, it’s over 60%. “Our costs have just been skyrocketing, largely around labor, but everything else as well – meanwhile, apples sell for the same price they did 20 years ago,”