Salinas Valley, California, is the leading lettuce-producing area in the United States. Production, processing and marketing of vegetables based in Salinas Valley are typical of the industrialized farming in the United States. This article intends to depict the dynamics of American agriculture by examining the activities of agribusiness with special reference to farming practices, land use, salad processing, and labor. Field studies were conducted in Salinas Valley and Imperial Valley.
Production of lettuce in Salinas Valley began in the early 1920s when ice-packed lettuce began to be shipped by rail to the eastern market. Lettuce growers originally marketed lettuce in the spring, summer, and fall from Salinas Valley. From the mid-1920s they began winter harvesting of lettuce in the dry areas of southern California and Arizona, typically in Imperial Valley and Yuma Valley. With the completion of the California Aqueduct, Huron in the western part of San Joaquin Valley grew as a new lettuce-producing area in the 1970s to supply lettuce in April and October. The system of year-round production of vegetables was thus established in the 1970s. Outside capital was invested in Salinas Valley during this period to promote the agribusiness venture of lettuce production and marketing. Some growers shifted to processing ready-pack fresh vegetables in the 1980s by establishing large plants in Salinas Valley.
The system of year-round supply of vegetables in Salinas Valley, Imperial Valley-Yuma Valley, and western San Joaquin Valley makes this part of the United States the leading produc of fresh vegetables in the world. Differences in climatic conditions, modern technology for preserving and transporting fresh vegetables, influx of large amounts of capital, availability of cheap labor, and improved infrastructure have combined to create this production complex. It plays an important role in the global supply of fresh vegetables as the produce is consumed not only in North America but also in Europe and Asia, including Japan.
