We must stay on track with the rapidly changing agricultural world. We feel like we should attempt to keep up with some of the major advances in technology, incorporating them into our daily lives in useful ways. Although cutting edge would not be a totally realistic description of our operation, staying sharp is always the objective. With that goal in mind we set our sights on global positioning. The aim of course, is to be more efficient, save money and improve accuracy.
    There is another little box in the tractor cab (beside the baler monitor, the corn planter monitor, and the bean drill monitor) with a digital picture on a screen, well, lots of screens. You must find the right screen, read the corresponding prompts and select the correct button to push. This newest gadget can advise us on all sorts of things that I may never figure out how to utilize, much like the functions of my cell phone, computer, and digital camera.
    Starting out with basic tasks is the best way to begin. My first lesson was spreading fertilizer back and forth across the field in a straight line leaving equal space between each pass. An aerial view of a little tractor following a black line appeared on the screen. A blip would sound when I needed to turn to the left and two blips for the right. The line moved from side to side on the display in front of me. A uniform application of nutrients is the desired result, with no overlaps or missed spaces. The challenge is to trust the machine, leaving estimation and personal judgment for a day when the frequency is jammed.
    Lesson two was to follow the gradual curve of an existing contour at a distance of 80 feet the entire length of the tract. A navigator was needed for this miraculous feat, if only to read the operating instructions as the GPS device mapped and remembered the exact coordinates. Looking back across the hill at the smooth equal strip I’d laid out, I was impressed with the capabilities of this new tool. Can it chart a course for the future, keeping us going in the right direction? I understand there is a certain percent of error, and since we did not invest in the auto-steer option, somebody still has to be in the driver’s seat.