How agriculture works thread

[sixdogs]

The X9 JD combine in action with a 45ft flex header. You can clearly see it terrain following and flexing in this video. The dump agar can be bend twice for road travel. At maximum harvest output can thrash 7 tractor trailer loads of grain per hour.

If you would have said, in 1960, that this combine and header would someday be available, not one person would believe you. You could better convince them of aliens or Bigfoot.

 

[ArlyA]

If you would have said, in 1960, that this combine and header would someday be available, not one person would believe you. You could better convince them of aliens or Bigfoot.

Did you see the price of that beast?

 

[sixdogs]

No, but 525+ wouldn’t be a surprise if tracked. Plus, it’s likely a hillside version so add for that. The X is prob the newest version so maybe more. The header could be 250-275 but all a guess.

 

[ArlyA]

Setup as seen in that video, is $900,000. Its mentioned in the video.

 

[sixdogs]

Setup as seen in that video, its $900,000.

Wow. People eating peanut butter and jelly on white bread have no idea what makes all that possible and the amount of money it takes. That's to say nothing of the risks involved.

 

[ArlyA]

This is why I started this thread. People have a very limited idea how food is grown in North & South America. Australia has some big operations as well. One member in my family owns 3 older 9 series JD combines and when harvesting, another 5 are out there helping. This is farming in my book.

 

[sixdogs]

This is why I started this thread. People have a very limited idea how food is grown in North & South America. Australia has some big operations as well. One member in my family owns 3 older 9 series JD combines and when harvesting, another 5 are out there helping. This is farming in my book.

Agreed. City people often have a romance tinged vision of the old timer in coveralls doing odd jobs around the farm or an organic farmer hoeing the radishes one by one, but no such luck. An organic farm family of four could maybe do an acre while two guys and some equipment can do 5,000.

If you didn't have massive "economics of scale" farms with huge acreages, tens of millions would starve. Let's see how that plays out. And, if too many people choose to eat organic, there aren't enough workers to weed the crop or spray non-synthetic insecticides on the crops to kill the bugs. Organic doesn't mean no chemicals, it only means naturally occuring chemicals.

 

[Jstpssng]

Agreed. City people often have a romance tinged vision of the old timer in coveralls doing odd jobs around the farm or an organic farmer hoeing the radishes one by one, but no such luck. An organic farm family of four could maybe do an acre while two guys and some equipment can do 5,000.

If you didn't have massive "economics of scale" farms with huge acreages, tens of millions would starve. Let's see how that plays out. And, if too many people choose to eat organic, there aren't enough workers to weed the crop or spray non-synthetic insecticides on the crops to kill the bugs. Organic doesn't mean no chemicals, it only means naturally occuring chemicals.

It also includes more intensive observations and timing, but you are right; without chemicals, we'd be even more dependent on the whims of nature. It will be interesting to see how things pan out if Bayer really does stop making glyphosate. I've never considered it to be the Panacea which Monsanto wanted us to believe. Yet properly used it's one tool in the toolbox, and a lot better than what is apt to replace it.

A bit off topic perhaps, yet I believe that rather than just handing out food to people who need it, somebody also should teach them how to raise a little "victory garden." Teach a man to fish, and he'll sit in a boat all day drinking beer
OOPS, bad analogy.

 

[sixdogs]

Bayer is going to stop making gly, for the residential market only, in 2023. Farm use will be left alone. Without Roundup and gly for ag, I dare guess food prices would skyrocket, millions would starve and far more land would be turned over to intensive ag.

Bayer to Stop Residential Sales of Glyphosate-Based Roundup by 2023 - Modern Farmer

After years of litigation and controversy, Bayer has said it will remove current versions of Roundup from store shelves by 2023. The agrochemical giant

modernfarmer.com

Yeah, we should teach people to fish, and one day I believe will will again do that, but not now.

 

[Jstpssng]

Bayer is going to stop making gly, for the residential market only, in 2023. Farm use will be left alone. Without Roundup and gly for ag, I dare guess food prices would skyrocket, millions would starve and far more land would be turned over to intensive ag.

Bayer to Stop Residential Sales of Glyphosate-Based Roundup by 2023 - Modern Farmer

After years of litigation and controversy, Bayer has said it will remove current versions of Roundup from store shelves by 2023. The agrochemical giant

modernfarmer.com

Yeah, we should teach people to fish, and one day I believe will will again do that, but not now.

See what happens when somebody (in this case, me) skims through an article but doesn't really read it?