Farming in a Technological World

Guess what I did today!  I used a GPS!

Okay, so I've used a GPS unit before.  It was a little hand held thing that I used to set way points around campus for an assignment in my Site Assessment Methods class.  The unit I used today was  a lightbar monitor that I used to drive a Gator along an AB line in my Mechanics class.  Even though I'm not really a fan of technology, that was pretty neat.

I guess I've been fighting technology for most of my life.  When I was younger, power tools scared me, so I would only ever use hand tools.  When my dad got a newer tractor that required me to flick a switch to change gears rather than using a stick shift, my mind was completely blown.  I still prefer to drive the old tractors.  A few years ago, my dad bought a tractor that came with a really simple lightbar GPS unit.  I have refused to use it.  I don't want lights flashing at me and buzzers beeping at me all day in the field!

This year I'm starting to see the usefulness of GPS technology.  I still have no desire to use the old lightbar unit in Dad's tractor, but if we had a newer unit with a monitor that we could use to record data and map fields, that would be pretty cool.  We could use the data and mapping to make the farm more efficient.

There is more than just GPS technology that is, for better or worse, invading farm life.  This spring my dad bought a camera system that will allow him to keep an eye on the cows from the TV during calving.  He says he'll set it up himself.  It comes with an instructional DVD, so that'll help...except that I forgot to leave instructions for how to operate the DVD player...sorry Dad.  If the camera system works it will mean that Dad can check the cows from inside the house on those cold nights instead of trudging outside late at night just to see if he needs to be out there.

And then there's the garage door opener.  I have a love-hate relationship with that thing.  It took half of forever to install, but at least it used up some rainy days.  It takes just the press of a button to open that huge door now, but you have find the right button.  The door basically closes by itself, but I have to stand there and watch it so it doesn't go back up if the dog runs under it.  And now we have another one to install.  Rainy days, here we come.

I think that sometimes non-farmers get offended when farmers bring out their technology.  Now, I'm not trying to make a broad, generalizing statement here.  I am saying that there are those who simply are not familiar with real-life farming and the only idea they have of farming is an old-fashioned, idyllic sort of lifestyle.  When these people realize that agriculture is an industry and that we are trying to be efficient, some of them get upset.  That's when we hear the outcry against "factory farms" and conventionally raised food.  I don't want to argue against all of the points of contention that come up in agriculture, but there is one point that I would like to make:

Farmers are human.  We need to eat, we need to pay our bills, and we need to take care of our families, just like everyone else.  Farming is how we make our living and we cannot provide food for the world if we cannot provide for ourselves.  There are such small margins in agriculture that we need to do whatever we can to make sure that we are still making money.  Farmers that destroy land, animals, and trust ruin it for the rest of us.  Those who farm in a sustainable manner while making use of all the technology available are the ones we need more of.

Dad's tractor with the GPS and switch to change gears.