Wild bidding wars erupt at used-tractor auctions across the U.S.

Re:Wild bidding wars erupt at used-tractor auctions across t... by foepys on Sunday November 14, 2021 @02:00PM (#29219565)

In Germany you can rent equipment and operators for this equipment. A lot of farmers do it for crops they don't usually harvest but are required to to keep the land fertile or to collect subsidies.

The problem with this model is that, as the sibling comment already pointed out, harvest is done typically within one or two weeks or even in two days, depending on the weather. Harvesting too late can make the crop go bad. So renting the equipment and getting it to the field can be a hassle. It's still being done a lot but it's not risk free.

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Re:Wild bidding wars erupt at used-tractor auctions across t... by sjwalter on Sunday November 14, 2021 @02:16PM (#29219711)

This situation has interesting second-order effects as well. Most "custom harvesters" require farmers to schedule their combine/truck well ahead of time, giving them little leeway in which specific dates they can harvest their crop. So instead of for instance letting the corn dry out in the sun, they'll spray an assload of glyphosate on it to cause it to dessicate to ensure it'll be at the right moisture level right when their custom harvester shows up.

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