Volcanic eruption strands me in Europe…

I came across the combine on the right (sorry the picture isn't better, it was taken with a phone) while traveling in Europe this month.  This horse-drawn combine is from the early 1900's and is made mostly of wood with some tins use on parts of the elevator.  Seeing this combine made me stop and think about how far agriculture has come, and I have had a lot of time to think about it as I've been trapped in Europe due to the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption in Iceland. From this wooden combine 100 years ago to today's class VIII combines with yield monitors and auto-steer systems, we have come a long way.  However, if we look close at this old combine there are some core components that are still in use today, although in slightly altered forms.  For example, grain tanks and elevators are core components of today's combines, just like this wooden one – proving good ideas stand the test of time. This is true for precision ag products as well.  While the yield monitor has been around for sixteen years now, it is still a core component of any precision farming operation. The yield monitor provides information not only for a starting point, but also provides information to prove what precision farming practices have been successful in an operation.  While we are all excited about the new precision farming technologies that come to market, let's not forget about that core component, the yield monitor.  Make sure that a yield monitor is part of your operation – it is just as important to precision farming as a grain tank or an elevator is to a combine.  Good ideas and good products do stand the test of time. In closing, sorry for the short post, but I need to get back to trying to figure out how to make it back to the US.  Airlines are chaos and a cargo ship is starting to sound like a good option! Author's Note:  This post was written on April 18, 2010. I made it back to the US in one piece, fives days later than planned, but safe nonetheless.  International travel is always an adventure.