Here is a primer on the evolution of farmer comfort while seeding :1. Seeding the field by hand.2. Seeding while walking behind horses.3. Seeding while riding behind horses.4. Standing on a tractor.5. Sitting on a tractor.6. Sitting in a tractor with a canopy.7. Sitting in a tractor with a cab.8. Sitting in a tractor with a padded seat.9. With an a.m. radio.10. With air conditioning.11. With a two-way radio and bigger windows.12. With more room and an extra seat for passengers.13. With electronics for early precision farming.14. With even more electronics. And a cell phone.15. With bigger computer screens, GPS, PDA, iPod and cooler.16. With stuff that looks like farmers could organize a manned space mission to Venus.Farmers are anxious to get into tractors come spring, no matter what the cabs look like. It’s a more comfortable job than it used to be, but as the days and weeks pass, even the plushiest cab is confining. Stewards of the land might well begin to dream of other places.We’re here to help. Here are destinations to dream about as you go up and down and around and around.1. Utopia: an ideal place or state. That’s how it feels when seeding first starts, but care must be taken lest farmers diverge into the other definition of Utopia – an impractical scheme for reform.2. Cockaigne: an imaginary land of luxury and idleness. Imaginary indeed, at this time of year, especially the idleness part. The place is pronounced the same way as the drug. Coincidence?3. Shangri-la: an idyllic location that is remote and secluded. This is where farmers visit once the crop is in and sprouted, the weather is ideal, commodity prices are rising and their spouses have done all the packing and preparation. Otherwise known as The Lake.4. Land of Oz: an unreal or magical place. Scarecrows? Tin men, or pushing tin? Lion-hearted efforts? The weird world of agricultural politics? Maybe we’re already there.Have a speedy and successful seeding season. Even if you’re dreaming of other places, be careful out there.
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