> ... GPS-equipped tractors. I have a dear family member who is a farmer. He's elderly now. One of his points of pride was that he could "lay off a straight

> ... GPS-equipped tractors. I have a dear family member who is a farmer. He's elderly now. One of his points of pride was that he could "lay off a straight row." I thought this was funny, but it was true. Farmers in the area used to compare themselves to each other based on how "neat" their fields were. If you've ever had the privilege of driving a tractor, you'll know: it's almost impossible to be "neat." Interestingly enough, this wasn't just vanity. Farmers desired "neatness" because fields that were "neat" could be picked more efficiently. If your rows weren't straight, you'd have difficulty navigating through the field with the picker, and plants would be missed. GPS-equipped tractors (and pickers) changed all of this. This particular farmer has always been an aggressive adopter of new agricultural technology. He was one of the first farmers in his area with a GPS-equipped tractor, and he immediately acknowledged that this tractor performed better than he did. One thing is interesting to me, though. When the GPS fails, work stops. No one who works for him knows how to do what he used to do. When the computer system can't steer the tractor, for whatever reason, everyone just goes home. I'm not sure if this is good or bad.