Mechanization, if preceded by proper planning, can be of great financial advantage to farmers. Unfortunately, it is also true that owning the “best” farming equipment (machinery. Implements, etc.) has developed into a status symbol for some farmer in the RSA, which is counter-productive to the profitability of farming. As with any other farming activity, mechanization demands through planning in which all related aspect should be properly taken into account. The planning and management of mechanization as a whole is, however, extensive and complicated and is the subject of many specialized publications. This section will focus only on the following more business-oriented aspects of managing farm machinery.
Putting together an ideal machinery system is not easy. Equipment that works best one year may not work well the next because of changes in weather conditions or crop production practices. Improvements in design may make older equipment obsolete. And, the number of acres being farmed or the amount of labor available may change.
Because many of these variables are unpredictable, the goal of the good machinery manager should be to have a system that is flexible enough to adapt to a range of weather and crop conditions while minimizing long-run costs and production risks. To meet these goals several fundamental questions must be answered.