***Editor's Note: Below is a transcript of the Farm Report Mailbag Segment Tom referred to in his comments...
TIME NOW FOR OUR WEEKLY LOOK INSIDE THE FARM REPORT MAILBAG....TOM DIETZ HAS A THOUGHT ABOUT TRACTOR PRICES.
"JOHN QUOTED THE PURCHASE PRICE "NEW" OF THE TRACTOR (I THINK IT WAS $800). NOW, ON THE FACE OF IT I SAID "WOW" AND I'M LOOKING AT BUYING A $4500 LAWN MOWER THAT JUST CUTS GRASS! I STOPPED TO THINK (AND I HOPE THAT MANY OF YOUR VIEWERS DO TOO) WHAT IS THAT IN TODAY'S DOLLARS AND I WONDER WHAT THE FARMER WHO WOULD SPEND $800 OF HIS HARD EARNED MONEY MADE THAT YEAR."
JOHN, I'M OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE THE SAME REACTIONS, ESPECIALLY SINCE I REMEMBER WHEN MANY OF THOSE ANTIQUES WERE NEW MACHINES. OF COURSE, SIMPLE INFLATION INCREASES THE COST, BUT THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS THAT MAKE THE OLD PRICES HARD TO PUT IN PERSPECTIVE.
FOR ONE THING, THAT LAWN MOWER YOU ARE BUYING LIKELY HAS MORE HORSEPOWER THAN THE STEAM BEHEMOTHS WE OFTEN SHOW. THE FIRST TRACTOR I REMEMBER RIDING WAS ONLY 45 HP, AND WHEN THE FIRST 100 HORSE TRACTORS CAME OUT WE MARVELED AT ONE FROM THE SCHOOL BUS AS AN ENORMOUS POWERHOUSE.
PRICES SHOULD BE PUT IN CONTEXT AS YOU SAY. FARMERS OFTEN POINT OUT HOW EXPENSIVE SAY, A NEW COMBINE IS - WHICH CAN RUN TO 300-400 THOUSAND DOLLARS. BUT THESE MACHINES DO THE WORK OF HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF HUMANS, WHILE DRIVING THEMSELVES, KEEPING DETAILED MAPS OF YIELDS AND METICULOUSLY AND GENTLY THRESHING THE CROP.
MOST TOOLS COST AND DO MORE. AND AS WE DEPLOY EVEN MORE TECHNOLOGY WE DO SO BECAUSE IT MAKES GOOD ECONOMIC SENSE. THE TRICKY QUESTION IS HOW MUCH TECHNOLOGY WILL REPLACE HOW MANY HUMANS IN OUR PROFESSION.
