Four Boys and a Combine

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By Dwain Duxson

Four Boys and a Combine - We wrote a story about the pre-auto-steer days and how we used to have to free-steer the Tractor around the paddock. Read the story here. This story got alot of responses, and here's one that stood out. 

Ian, a Farmer in the Riverina of NSW, was taking his 4 young boys on a drive around the property when they spotted a neighbour sowing a Paddock with a Tractor and Combine. One of the boys asked, "does Mr A have auto-steer, dad? Ian replied, no". The lad said, "god, he must be skilled to be able to drive the Tractor free hand". Ian added that it made him realise how the world has changed.

So what Ian did the next year was buy the boys a Combine and lent them one of the old Tractors without Autosteer and 40 acres for them to sow a Crop, free hand, of course. They loved it and grew 84 tonnes of Wheat off that 40 acres.

I reckon it was a stroke of genius by Ian to give his boys an experience they never would have had. It showed them, that the way we Farm now, evolved from a different way of doing the same thing (growing a Crop). We live in the present and have an eye on the future, but in Farming, sometimes, it's great to look back and appreciate how things were done. Well done Ian, a great story.

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