Written on: May 24, 2022
A letter from a farmer to John Deere has been circulating that challenges the electrification of their farming equipment. An excerpt from the letter about a neighboring farmer’s interaction with John Deere is here:
“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.”
