John Deere Goes Woke with Impractical Electric Farm Equip
UPDATE: Dear John Deere by Roy Exum.
DEAR JOHN DEERE …
Farmers ask great questions regarding being forced to purchase electric farm equipment. I don’t know what the farmers will do as explained below. The foolishness of it all — especially brought to you by the idiots and fools that we sent to D.C. to run this place (into the ground).
Check this out, folks — the lefties are now going after diesel powered farm equipment and want electric tractors and combines. A close friend farms over 10,000 acres of corn in the Midwest. The property is spread out over three counties. His operation is a “partnership farm” with John Deere. They use the larger farm operations as demonstration projects for promotion and development of new equipment.
He recently received a phone call from his John Deere representative, and they want the farm to go to electric tractors and combines in 2023. He currently has 5 diesel combines that cost $900,000 each that are traded-in every 3 years. Also, over 10 really BIG tractors. JD wants him to go all electric 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 it degrades in sugar content or quality, it can drop the value of his crop by half a million dollars or more. It is analyzed at 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 the machines need fuel, a tanker truck delivers it, and the machines keep going. John Deere’s only answer is “we’re working on it.” They are being pushed by the lefty Dems in the government to force these electric machines on the American farmer.
These people are out of control. They are messing with the production of food crops that feed people and livestock… all in the name of their “green dream.” Look for the cost of your box of cornflakes to triple in the next 24 months…”
Seems that the dum-dums in Washington have imparted their “wisdom” on John Deere.
Don’t fall for such manure. And if you are repulsed by this, make sure you vote today. Every election gets us closer to who we really are.
Things politicians never talk about when they pander to Greenies.
Managing All Electric Farm Equipment
A close friend farms over 10,000 acres of corn in the mid-west. 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 promotion and development of new equipment. He recently received a phone call from his John Deere representative, and they want the farm to go to electric tractors and combines in 2023. He currently has 5 diesel combines that cost $900,000 each that are traded in every 3 years. Also, over 10 really BIG tractors.
John Deere wants him to go all electric and 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.
He then asked,
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 it degrades in sugar content or quality, it can drop the value of his crop by half a million dollars or more. It is analyzed at 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 is “we’re working on it.”
They are being pushed by the lefty Democrats in the government to force these electric machines on the American farmer. These people are out of control.
They are messing with the production of food crops that feed people and livestock, all in the name of their “green dream.”
Look for the cost of your box of cornflakes to triple in the next 24 months.
©Royal A. Brown, III. All rights reserved.
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I was very taken by this article…as a farm land owner I am all about saving the planet and energy, but, as the article points out, we seem to be a very long ways away from practical electric powered farm equipment. What is a realistic expectation as to when this kind of equipment will replace fossil fueled equipment at a competitive price and comparable capability??
Our prediction is never. Fossil fueled farm equipment is here to stay. It is used globally, reliable and easy and cheap to refuel, that is until this administration has driven up diesel and gas prices. Going green to save the planet is a myth. We have learned that the current electric grid cannot take the load of going all electric.
Rather than parroting conservative talking points about the rise of fossil fuel prices it’s usually wiser to consult actual experts in the field. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikepatton/2022/03/09/the-real-reason-behind-surging-gas-prices/?sh=1850ef9f26de
That being said, I agree that an intensive push to electrification by heavy industry is unrealistic given the severe short-comings in infrastructure. A long-term strategy by all players is required to make a measured and significant impact on the environment, an environment that continues to degrade and millions of acres of productive farmland continues toward desertification. And desertification is not just a byproduct of a warming planet, but overuse and poor farming practices, including unrestrained industrial farming, that, for the most part refuses to think beyond a decade and whose primary concern is shareholder value and returns. Anyone who denies this is happening is either lying or a fool.
I believe that farmers and industrial farmers know better how to care for the land than any government official or politician.
I’m a conservationist and believe we, mankind, were given dominion over this earth but tasked to use its resources wisely. Technology and improvements in farming techniques and the use of fertilizers and pesticides have benefited mankind.
I’m old enough to remember the outcry over the use of DDT and it’s eventual ban. This caused millions to die from malaria.
I agree that government officials and politicians are generally poor decision makers when it comes to nature and our “dominion” over it, hence the sorry state of our environment after decades of doing the bidding of corporations, bankers and plutocrats.
Indeed technology has benefitted mankind, though, arguably for a very short period of time in the grand arc of human development, benefits that will likely be short-lived as the planet continues to push back at us.
As for DDT and malaria, your notion is a common one in certain circles, but not tenable in light of actual history and scientific facts. https://mpalmer.heresy.is/2022/04/the-ban-of-ddt-did-not-cause-millions-to-die-from-malaria/
Again you want to blame the blameless. It was Rachel Carson who’s unscientific book that caused governments to ban DDT leading to the death of millions.
Here’s a link that proves your wrong:
https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-truth-about-ddt-and-silent-spring
Yes – it is mostly ineffective govt. involvement in managing the land which has hurt our farm lands. This includes invoking the Marxist UN Agenda 20 and 30 sustainment programs to seize or overly restrict land from private ownership. Right out of the Communist Play Book !
Corporate farming instead of family farming has also hurt the future production of our farmland.
What say you?
https://mpalmer.heresy.is/2022/04/the-ban-of-ddt-did-not-cause-millions-to-die-from-malaria/
Agree 100% with Dr Swier’s prediction.
This is the only site I’ve seen yet that addresses problems with electric tractors in a realistic way. Elsewhere, all I see is a lot of enthusiasm from electric tractor manufacturers, and the enthusiasm does not seem to have much base or merit. I am not a farmer, but I like food and I and my family have the habit of eating food several times a day. The push for electric seems insane to me- there is very little infrastructure, charging times of several hours do not cut it, and the result looks to be a lot less productivity, and higher costs all down the line. The result will be food scarcity. The globalist push to end animal agriculture is about as unhinged as any idea could be, but it is part of the globalist plan for humanity. The idea that carbon dioxide is a toxin or pollutant is off the charts crazy- carbon dioxide is a substance that is essential to life on earth. CO₂, along with water and sunlight, allows plants to do something wonderful- photosynthesis, with the end products being sugars and plant growth and breathable oxygen! CO₂ produced by humans is exactly the same compound produced in nature- one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. If more CO₂ is produced, say from burning of fossil fuels, nature has a lovely feedback mechanism- green plants grow in greater abundance! This greening of Earth has been noted in satellite photos. CO₂ is no villain, and to be making war against it is just plain mad. Spending 50 TRILLION $ ( a recent GNP for U.S. was 23 trillion$) to carry out this war would make it the most expensive war ever fought, as well as the craziest war ever fought.
James,
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Pretty dumb article. How is this going woke? The tractors have Diesel engines still, it’s just that the transmission is electric. “Fossil fuel machinery is here to stay” like how do you know that? Are you an engineer? A physicist? A Diesel engine is only about 30% efficient. Believe it or not there are different ways to move something, even different fuels.
Jay,
A battery is not fuel. Fuels are used to produce electricity that then is used to charge batteries. Therefore John Deere and Tesla, for example, are actually fueled by either coal, nuclear, oil or natural gas power stations.
Get it? Got it? Good.
No, I’m not an engineer or a physicist and don’t need to be – I am well informed about our supply of fossil fuels and energy needs and have common sense which you apparently lack in calling this a dumb article..
I shared this article with a friend and he says the complete article is fake news. Is it.
Interesting. Did your friend have any facts to back up his or her statement?
If so please ask him or her to post a comment with the data.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
As I said in a previous comment, Snopes is left-leaning and I don’t trust them, but this is their response to the Deere/Farmer story: https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/08/16/john-deere-electric-tractors/
When a person makes such a bold statement in support of the climate change and related issues without identifying the source they normally are on the side of the green new deal idiots and have drunk the cool aide.
It’s Kool-Aid
Are you the original author of this story? If so, can you provide any information about which John Deere dealer this is and which specific equipment they were trying to sell him?
Electric tractors and combines run on power cells (Batteries) that are removable and replaceable. They run on about 15 of them. They drain one at a time. Every so often, you drive a truck (or even an ATV) full of charged up replacements out to the combine and remove the drained batteries and replace them. Take the drained batteries back to the farm and charge them, and so on. Much easier than driving a huge heavy tanker truck full of explosive fuel across fields out to the combine. You can then run that combine endlessly, night and day. The power that you are using to charge the batteries comes from nuclear power plants which are clean. The cost conversion (savings) is immense. The expense and subsequent use of the power cells (batteries) is far less than the cost of fuel to run a combine and operation of a tanker truck. It’s a win for everyone. The farmer makes more money. The cost of corn and corn based products goes down. Do you still use a record player? No. Accepting progress as a good thing will not mean that you didn’t love your Grandpa. It’s not anti-patriotic. It’s not anti-religious. Stop being so sentimental and afraid. It holds you back.
Are you implying that everywhere JD electric equipment is used that the power to recharge batteries comes from Nuclear Power plants? Very doubtful.
How much do these batteries cost to replace? They don’t last the lifetime of the machine they’re powering. How are the spent batteries disposed of ? Good for the environment ?
Diesel fuel is not an explosive. You can throw a match in a can of it and the match goes out. It is a combustable, but not nearly so combustable as gasoline.
Here it is; pretty cool; drive themselves too
https://youtu.be/QvFoRk4JsPc
Guy , take a look at John Deere ‘s website and educate yourself on the subject before thinking you are all experts .
I think John Deere has some great ideas that will be implemented in the very near future.
By the way do you know how much electricity is used to pump crude out of the ground to the refinery and then refined into ICE fuel and then into the fuel tank ? ?
To recharge an all electric vehicle (EV) requires 4 times the amount of electricity used to air condition your home. BTW, EVs are powered by coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power plants.
and solar, and wind, and hydro, and maybe geothermal
Dr. Rich Swier
You need to do your homework.
I am retired from the marine and industrial steam plant automation industry.
We provided combustion control systems for all fuel types of boilers .
If you do your homework you would find that there are only a handful of Coal fired power plants in the USA and most of them are equipped with scrubbers and other devices to clean up the emissions.
The majority of the power plants have switched over the NG as a fuel . A NG power plant is much cleaner then your average ICE vehicle.
Again, all EVs are powered by electricity. The majority of electricity in the United states is produced by: coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power plants. There are some hydro-electric plants as well.
The EU just declared that fossil fuels and nuclear to be green energy. Why? Because their green energy policies are killing the economies of its member states.
BTW, my ICE vehicle is cleaner to make than your EV. And it doesn’t kill underaged children in Congo’s cobalt mines, as cobalt is needed to make EV batteries.
We have done our research. Just search or site under EVs and you will find all the data you need.
You’re entitled to your opinion but not to use fiction as facts. There are over 400 coal fired power plants in the US today. Yes Natrual Gas fuel for power plants is overtaking coal but this has nothing to do with the argument about electric powered vehicles.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/power-plants/
Dr.
It seems that you did not read my statement.
You’re missing the big picture.
“Killing underaged children in Congo’s cobalt mines, as cobalt is needed to make EV batteries “ is not the issue of this discussion. Bring that up is only telling me that you do not want to address anything I stated in my first statement.
Again my suggestion to you is for you to do your homework and this time with an open mind .
We’ve addressed your issue. Check out the dozens of articles on the downside of EVs.
SNOPES is a left-leaning outfit, but they are calling this John Deere electric tractor story a hoax. Are there reliable sources than can either confirm or debunk this information about Deere contacting this farmer, or is this a form of satire as seen on Babylon Bee?