I read an article the other day about all the changes that have happened in agriculture in the last hundred years.  One thing it asked was “if farmers from 1920 were to wake up and come back, what would they think about agriculture today?”  It said that most likely they would be amazed at how much has changed in 100 years.”  

I think that’s a dumb answer.  Of course they’d be amazed.  That’s a no-brainer.  But what would they THINK about it all?  Sure they’d be awed by the size and horsepower of tractors.  They’d probably be a little scared looking at GPS systems and other high tech stuff.  They’d be envious at how much one guy can do by himself with one tractor. 

But then you might bring them in the house and look at the bills; seed, fertilizer, fuel, chemicals, labor…etc. etc. etc.  They would most likely pass out.  Wake them up and hand them a bottle of water and you would probably get an earful of how stupid it is to buy water in little plastic bottles when there’s a perfectly good faucet and sink right there in front of you.   

When you were done with that lecture, you might take them out and show them the fields.  They would be astounded and amazed at the stands, the health and the yields of all the crops.  They would gasp in astonishment at pivot sprinklers and tell you about how they worked on the irrigation system with a steam shovel…and lots of regular shovels. 

Yep, farmers from 100 years ago would be properly impressed with everything farmers do now until you tell them what you paid for your land.  I can hear them now:

“Four thousand dollars…an acre?   Are you crazy?  Why, ol’ Tom Jefferson only paid three cents an acre for the whole Lousiana Purchase! And we just bought Alaska from the Russians for two cents an acre!  You must be pullin’ my leg!  Nobody pays four thousand dollars an acre for land!”

Then you might explain that with modern technology an acre can do a lot more nowadays than an acre could do 100 years ago.  But by that time the old farmers would be tired.  They’d be overwhelmed by everything they’d seen and they’d probably be grouchy.   They’d be ready to take a nap for another 100 years.  No matter how impressed they were at modern farming, they would probably tell you that you are a wimp and don’t know how to work like they did.   And you would be thinking that doing everything the old fashioned way with shovels and horses would be nuts, but you wouldn’t say it out loud because you are polite.  

Finally, your visit would come to an end and they would go back to sleep and you would go back to work.  And while you were driving your air conditioned tractor, you would be thinking that times are what they are.  Things were one way back then, they are different now and they will be more different 100 years from now.  The important thing is to make the most of your time.  And don’t bother to argue with old farmers.