Urbanization begins to squeeze prune growers out of Napa, Sonoma and Santa Clara counties where about 80 percent of the state's bearing acreage had been located. The state's farm population of 568,000 is 5.4 percent of the state's total population of 10.5 million. The California Farm Bureau begins radio programming. One farmer feeds 27 people. The Feather River Project, basis for the State Water Project, is authorized by the State Legislature and construction begins in 1957 on facilities in Oroville.
Researchers focus attention on inertia tree shakers to harvest tree fruit for processing and drying.
1955 - The number of farms in the state is 124,000 and land in farms is 39 million acres. The mechanical tomato harvester is developed at the University of California at Davis and is quickly followed by the rapid commercialization by several machinery manufacturers. Processing tomato acreage in 1958 is 152,000 and 2.6 million tons. The Lindcove Field Station in Tulare County is founded. The number of farms in California reaches 99,274.