Technology is a wonderful thing when it works and I have a pretty good working relationship with my home computer. There are days, however, when he knows exactly which button to press or not to press to send me into a frenzy.
My computer, in the middle of writing a current affairs column, suddenly asks me to make a choice unrelated to anything I think or write and last month it deleted half of what I had written for no reason related. My only option was to start from scratch. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for my problems, perhaps as simple as hitting the SAVE button more often, but for now I’ll end the column hoping for cooperation.
The last technology that perplexes me is one where I have no choice. When we bought a new car last year, we were handed two key fobs and told that these miraculous gadgets were things that would unlock the car when we walked up and touched the door handle, started the car with just the press of a button. with the key fob always in a pocket, start the vehicle remotely to be warm when we were ready to get in on a cold morning and help find the lost vehicle if we forgot where we parked it.
What we weren’t told was how much it would cost to replace one of these gadgets if we lost it, which my wife did on a fall outing. We still had the second key fob, so it wasn’t a crisis situation. At least, no crisis situation until we decided it would be wise to get a second key fob and learned that instead of just visiting a hardware store or dealer to get a new key, we had to order a $260 replacement that wouldn’t arrive for over a week. and must then be scheduled, by appointment, for an additional fee of $175.
And you wonder what this keychain story has to do with agriculture. The era of specialization also became apparent in farming. Today’s agricultural machinery has become so complicated that no farmer can repair his own equipment and must delay working his fields until a specialized mechanic is available or a specialized part can be ordered . The days when a set of ratchets and a screwdriver could make a repair good enough to get you back to planting and harvesting are long gone.
At one time, some tool manufacturers made repair work even more complicated by releasing only the codes needed to perform repairs on their own technologies, limiting the number of people available to work on the machines and increasing the time of waiting for farmers to be able to plant their crops. or harvested. This problem has been partially addressed by manufacturers allowing independent technicians to work on machines provided they agree not to divulge trade secrets, override safety features or emissions controls, or adjust power levels of agricultural equipment.
I really don’t know what the answer is. I agree that new technology and conveniences are great when they work properly, can be easily repaired, and don’t get lost. But sometimes I long for the days when a $2 key could be earned immediately and the farmer could operate his own equipment at least long enough to bring in the crop without having to depend entirely on others and their times to return to the field.
Chuck Bell is a former Muskingum County 4-H educator.