Horace McQueen – Election Time—Exercise Your Rights!
Well, this coming Tuesday, November 8th, is “put up or shut up” time. Millions of voters have already marked their preferences in early voting—and lots more will be out Tuesday. One of our past presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt, summed up his view on the subject. He said, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” Then there was this statement that also makes lots of sense. “Politicians and dirty diapers need to be changed often.”
Self-driving tractors and cabs filled with all sort of electronic devices are being bought by farmers and ranchers. Now, to make it more complicated and add to the expense, some machinery companies are calling for legislation to prohibit the owners from working on their own machinery. Several states have already got into the act. Nebraska, New York, Massachusetts, and Minnesota—so far—are considering legislation to stop farmers taking a wrench to their own machinery. If the proposals become law, it means machinery owners must hire “certified technicians” to work on their tractors and other equipment containing fancy electronics. Equipment manufacturers say they are worried about farmers interfering with copyrighted software installed on the machinery. One East Texas farmer said even if the proposed legislation comes to Texas, he isn’t worried. “My tractor is old enough to vote—and was built before all the complicated electronics became popular.”
Put a drone in your pastures—and use it to count cattle, check water troughs, and even herd the cattle to the working pens. Dr. John Walker is resident director at the Texas A & M San Angelo station. He is a novice with drones—but says he has quickly learned they have many uses on the farm or ranch. For one, he says a drone can be programmed to check fences—you do it once and save that route into the drone. Next time you are need to inspect fences, just instruct the drone to do so. Walker has also moved sheep from one place to another with his drone. Down the road, he figures many more uses will come to light. Meantime, Walker is enjoying playing with his new toy! That’s –30—[email protected]