Farmers lobbying for the right to fix own tractors

[RaydaKub]

More electronics than the space capsule that landed a man on the moon had.

That wouldn't take much. Heck, your 10 yr old digital wrist watch has more than that. Your truck has more computing power to monitor your tire pressure than it took to go to the moon. :laughing:

 

[stuckmotor]

I just ordered a new chainsaw but stepped away from one that needs a computer to fix the thing.

So did I.

 

[stuckmotor]

Having a crop going bad in the field, a brand new tractor that you can't fix without voiding the warranty, and a dealer who can't get to it, is enough to make a man swear off of new equipment.

 

[ovrszd]

On the positive side, computer guided farm equipment adds efficiency that pays for itself easily. The productivity increases are easily seen this time of year on a drive thru the local countryside.

Friend of mine plants 25K acres each year. GPS guidance cost $25K per unit. Paid for itself second year in product cost savings and yield increase. You can't spot the planter passes anymore. Accuracy within 1.5". When asked if he would like to go back to the pre-computer days he immediately says NO!!!

 

[MORRISONSTEEL]

On the positive side, computer guided farm equipment adds efficiency that pays for itself easily. The productivity increases are easily seen this time of year on a drive thru the local countryside.

Friend of mine plants 25K acres each year. GPS guidance cost $25K per unit. Paid for itself second year in product cost savings and yield increase. You can't spot the planter passes anymore. Accuracy within 1.5". When asked if he would like to go back to the pre-computer days he immediately says NO!!!

Very true statement, large ag operations (many are still just family operations not just corporate farms) have a partnership with their oem dealers that relies heavily on this technology. And absolutely none of them want to go back to the "old days" of wasted materials...whether it be seed, fuel, parts that didn't need replacing, faster troubleshooting times etc etc. I don't think the casual observer really understands that ALL of this technology is customer driven....they demand it. And they have an opportunity to be more profitable when using the technology even with the very large expense.

 

[Catchad81]

Corn subsidies for worthless ethanol.

Are you guessing or have you verified the information?

 

[ovrszd]

Very true statement, large ag operations (many are still just family operations not just corporate farms) have a partnership with their oem dealers that relies heavily on this technology. And absolutely none of them want to go back to the "old days" of wasted materials...whether it be seed, fuel, parts that didn't need replacing, faster troubleshooting times etc etc. I don't think the casual observer really understands that ALL of this technology is customer driven....they demand it. And they have an opportunity to be more profitable when using the technology even with the very large expense.

My friend will market 2,000,000 bushels of corn this year. You can't do that with non-computerized machinery.

 

[MORRISONSTEEL]

Corn subsidies for worthless ethanol.

There are some that would argue instead that the govt involvement in ethanol subsidies created too much corn bringing the market down...not up. Not my specialty but the argument has been made by some in that industry. I'm to far away from corn growers myself to pay that much attention and am even farther away from being an expert in that arena. So I would agree on the point of subsidies for this may be harmful but I think the family grower (and supporting business's) is taking the brunt of the loss when it comes time to sell their commodity. imao

 

[ovrszd]

Yes they are.

You can no longer buy an acre of tillable land and pay for it raising corn or beans.

For any who might think row crop farming is a no risk situation I suggest they jump in.

 

[joefromga]

What are some profitable crops per acre?