For Those That Still Think Electric Vehicles Are The Answer

For those of you who think electric vehicles are the answer, this is a true story from a farmer in the Midwest.

This guy farms over 10,000 acres of corn in the Midwest.

The property is spread out over 3 counties. His operation is a “partnership farm” with John Deere. They use the larger farm operations as demonstration projects for the promotion and development of new equipment. He recently received a phone call from his John Deere representative, who wants the farm to transition to electric tractors and combines in 2023.

He has five diesel combines that cost $900,000 each and are traded in every three years. He also has over ten very large tractors, and John Deere was pushing him to transition to all-electric models soon.

He said: “Ok, I have some questions.

• How do I charge these combines when they are 3 counties away from the shop in the middle of a cornfield, in the middle of nowhere?”
• “How do I run them 24 hours a day for 10 or 12 days straight when the harvest is ready, and the weather is coming in?”
• “How do I get a 50,000+ lb. combine that takes up the width of an entire road back to the shop 20 miles away when the battery goes dead?”

There was dead silence on the other end of the phone.

When the corn is ready to harvest, it has to have the proper sugar and moisture content. If it is too wet, it has to be put in giant dryers that burn natural or propane gas, and lots of it.

Harvest time is critical because if the crop’s sugar content or quality degrades, it can drop the value of his crop by half a million dollars or more. It is analyzed at the time of sale.

It is standard procedure to run these machines 10 to 12 days straight, 24 hours a day, at peak harvest time. When they need fuel, a tanker truck delivers it, and the machines keep going.

John Deere’s only answer was “we’re working on it.” The lefty Democrats were pushing them in the government to force these electric machines on the American farmer. These people were out of control. They were messing with the production of food crops that feed people and livestock… all in the name of their “green dream.”

Fortunately for farmers and consumers, this stupidity has come to an end now that President Trump has taken office.