My last ride - Combine that is.

[Gliderjohn]

I grew up a farm kid and we had no cab combines at the time which meant you absorb huge amounts of dust and noise. Today I took what will probably be my last ride in a combine from my former share cropper. Harvesting soybeans. This combine is auto drive and has like five monitor screens for different fuctions and auto drive. This is a 10 year old combine. He recently priced a new combine of same size with two headers for different crops, $600,000.
GliderJohn





GliderJohn

[guzzisteve]

We had a pull type JD w/Wisc V4.  My Aunt used to tell everyone "There goes my new house" when my uncle would buy a new combine. I was the last to farm on both sides of our families.

Enjoy Retirement!

[Chuck in Indiana]

<snapping suspenders> Back in the day, my job used to be chopping down the Jimpson weeds with an axe in front of the combine. (!) Now, our farmer and old friend has two of those suckers, and goes through our farm in literally no time.
Progress, I guess.. there are no weeds now, and no quail, rabbits, birds, butterflies, bees, etc. 

[Stormtruck2]

<snapping suspenders>.
Progress, I guess.. there are no weeds now, and no quail, rabbits, birds, butterflies, bees, etc. 

Bumble and honey bees are soon to be listed on the endangered list.  How many fire flies do you see at night now compared to when you were a whippersnapper?  In the 70s we would limit out on Pheasant and Quail before noon.  Now you're happy to have one maybe two in a day, and Quail?? Furgetaboutit!! With all the pesticides in use now days, and the artificial things being put in to our "food", its no wonder the pesky bugs (that are critical to pollination of our food sources) are headed to the endangered list, and hominoids are no far behind. 

[Stormtruck2]

Last rides are always bitter sweet. It is an end of an era, yet you also look back at how much has changed since your first ride. My first truck was a 1976 K100 Kenworth a 3408 Cat motor (V8). A good day was 4 mpg. Now the trucks are all conventionals with 500+ horsepower motors, 8 mpg, automatic transmissions, and walk in sleepers. The equipment keeps getting better, but the people sadly don't.  So take that last ride at leisure, reminisce, marvel at the changes since your first ride, thank God for giving you the life to live that, and anticipate the future. There is joy in all of it.

[Chuck in Indiana]

There is joy in all of it.

Absolutely, Matt..

[Gliderjohn]

Agree with you all!
GliderJohn