Agricultural work in the United States—and globally—has historically been a poorly paid and undervalued profession, with deeply rooted racial inequalities. Since the middle of the twentieth century, agriculture has become increasingly industrialized, as seen in intensified mechanization, reduced agricultural diversity, larger-scale farming operations, and the reliance on off-farm chemical inputs. In this chapter, we argue that we must understand the growth of industrial agriculture as a product of both scientific and technological development, as well as of the deliberate exploitation and control of agricultural workers. Despite the skilled nature of the job, the ongoing demand for regionally and domestically produced food, and high profits made up the food chain in processing, retail, and food service, farmworkers have been systematically excluded from the rights to fair wages and work-related benefits and protections to organize afforded to other US workers. These exclusions are tied to the historical and continued construction of agricultural workers as a racialized and immigrant workforce.