BB1,
The important thing to consider is what you are going to do with your equipment. If you are going to make "a go" for trying to earn some money with your land and you need the equipment to support that effort, think through your options and make the best business choice.
I know for myself that I should have probably gotten a JD4200. At the time, I could not justify the extra few thousand dollars. In my heart, I knew I could use the extra power but the CFO and finances at the time dictated otherwise. The reason being is that I did not research my needs properly. The 4100 is great and is performing quite well. However, I think that I may be pushing it's capabilities at time. The other problem was that I did not research the benefits of writing of the equipment enough. Good ol' hindsight being 20/20.... /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif/w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif So, I will probably upgrade in 2004 to take advantage of the depreciation schedules I've defined for my equipment.
I would suggest that you also look into some of the organic methodologies for insect manangement. One market fruit grower's uses a clay-based product which has really helped in his fruit production. It is a little more labor intensive, but he can charge a premium for his fruit since he does not use any of the offensive chemical sprays. A side benefit is that he has reduced some of his costs also.
Hope this helps.
Terry
