Meghan McCarty Carino and Jesús Alvarado/Marketplace

Nadia Olivos, who tends strawberry and raspberry plants at the farm she works at, is finishing up her AgTEC Workforce classes, which aim to give students a leg up in agriculture technology-focused careers.

Reza Ehsani, mechanical engineering professor at the University of California, Merced, is one of the professors guiding students to research and develop agriculture tech that could be commercialized.

Drew Ketelsen, vice president and farm manager at HMC Farms, says adopting the latest in agtech has created a safer work environment for field workers, and it has added efficiency to the day-to-day.