Modern farm equipment highly automated

Shawneetown farmer Steve Galt, 61, remembers the old days very well.

"When I started farming in the 1970s we used a John Deere 4020 with a 300 gallon tank. It had a 20 foot spraying width. No cab, no air conditioning.

"Today we spray a 90-foot width from a 1,000 gallon tank. The cab is air conditioned and we use GPS coordinates to guide us in the field. We can spray 200-300 acres a day," he said.

This increase in efficiency is welcome. Galt farms 1,500 acres, most of it family owned, but some fields near the Ohio River are rented. He grows corn and soy beans.

"The boom shuts off automatically, guided by GPS coordinates, and that prevents over spraying. We save 4 to 6 percent on chemicals by not spaying parts of the field twice," he said.

Galt said the chemicals have come a long way since he was young.

"They used to stink. Not so much anymore. Some of the old stuff was really nasty."

The spray keep out the weeds and the insects.

"We spray herbicide before we plant and after we plant. Then we spray insecticide 50 days later," Galt said.

The investment in modern equipment is significant.

"I paid $160,000 for this sprayer. It's a 2008 John Deere 4720. We traded for it last year. I figure it takes four to five years to pay for itself. They are good for about 10 years," Galt said.

There are cabs on current farm equipment that are equipped with microwaves, refrigerators, satellite radio and even TVs.

"We have air conditioning but no TV," said Galt. "We have satellite radio but don't use it that much."