Archive of stories pre April 2007 | KENTON, Ohio (AP) -- Darkening skies and a light morning drizzle blanketed the fields while combines harvested corn and tractor-trailers hauled away this year's crop. Even though he knew what was coming, Brian Watkins hopped out of his pickup truck and stepped into his office to check the weather forecast on his computer.
The radar map on his laptop showed a blob of yellow and green. A big storm headed right his way. "Oh man, that doesn't look very good," he said, knowing that much of the day was going to be lost.
Although he still can't control the weather, nearly everything else is a different matter. With computerized gadgets that can steer a tractor, monitor how much corn is harvested per acre and keep fresh air flowing through the pig barn, Watkins' farm is an example of the impact modern technology has had on agriculture.
Watkins, 43, is the sixth generation of his family to farm this land about 60 miles northwest of Columbus. He and his brother, Mark, took over the operation from their father.
Watkins started farming full time 23 years ago with about 400 acres. Now the farm is a small business with 2,000 hogs and 5,000 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat, most of which is turned into feed for his pigs or sold to neighboring hog farms.
"My memory of growing up here is very different from what we do today," Watkins said.
The planter that sows corn and soybeans stretches 60 feet across and can finish 400 acres on a good day. It wasn't long ago that they were happy to get through 20 acres in a day. His Caterpillar combine can harvest 35,000 bushels per hour.
"That's what makes farms get bigger," Watkins said.
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