The Swirling Brain sent a link to a CNN.com article that talks about the benefits of automation on the modern farm. The farmer sits in the air conditioned cab of his self-driving, GPS-guided tractor, checking stock prices and surfing the web. The tractor knows where it's going, and can continue in the dark. It even knows precisely where it left off yesterday so it can start in the right place today. The system also keeps maps of the fields to make sure this years plantings don't go over old root systems.