The Inland Empire’s history with agriculture dates back to the tribes and first people who called the region home. Native people and later Spanish settlers in the region mainly had small scale farms to help provide for local communities (Patterson 2016). This dynamic changed in the late 1800s, when the development of the Santa Fe railroad enabled the development of large-scale citrus farming. The number of citrus groves grew rapidly from the late 1870s onward, and by 1882 there were half a million citrus trees in Southern California, half of which were in Riverside County (Patterson 2016). In addition, the innovation of refrigerated box cars in the early 1890s opened up markets all across the country to local growers (Patterson 2016). Around this time, citrus growers in the region lobbied successfully for the creation of a state-funded research center. Ultimately, in 1907 the University of California established a citrus experiment station in the City of Riverside, which formed the basis of a fully established college campus in 1954 following the growth of college enrollment in California under the GI Bill. Currently, UC Riverside still conducts citrus and agricultural research through the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) and the Bourns College of Engineering, and the UCR’s plant biology program remains one of the highest ranked in the country. Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) software are changing the landscape in agriculture. This advanced software is already powering a new generation of machines capable of distinguishing between healthy and sick plants, ultimately increasing yields and reducing labor requirements. Other developments on the horizon are improvements in farming material conservation and autonomous self-driving tractor capabilities.