Earlier this week, I got an email from my friends at AgriMarketing magazine about some research conducted by Caledonia Solutions. The headline reads, "GPS Steering The Fastest Technology Adoption in History of Agriculture." Hopefully, this is not a stunning announcement for most of you, because you are currently enjoying the benefits of this technology. I remember taking my first real test drive in 2003 in a Case IH tractor pulling a tiller. I tried it without, then with, and had to imagine a farmer who’d prefer to tug on a flailing steering wheel for 12 hours.
The release lists a number of factors that have driven what you would generally call the "late majority" to adopt automatic steering in record rapid fashion — recent input and crop price increases, better manufacturing and compatibility, lower price points, but the power of that "Ah Ha!" moment — when you realize what an incredible burden steering a tractor through a field can be, and how much more pleasurable and productive field work is when you’re only touching the wheel at the turn row — that is what I think has allowed this technology to move at historic proportions.
Got an automatic steering "Ah Ha!" moment of your own, or any thoughts to share? Feel free to comment below.
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