Herbicide and fertilizer applications have also become easier to manage, especially around difficult terrain. “Auto steering in tractors and combines is nice, but the system that turns our spray and fertilizer valves on/off by GPS has made life much easier on our steep slopes and irregular-shaped fields,” Ben explains. Of course, the introduction of all this technology has its drawbacks. Ben explains that their equipment can break down, occasionally at the most inopportune times.
Despite frustrating technology breakdowns, Ben likes to keep things fun with harvest traditions such as “harvest beards,” in which he and his brothers and father don’t shave until harvest is over — a great way to celebrate the end of those long harvest days.
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