Max Baucus: “Farm machinery costs have skyrocketed. It is obscene how much tractors cost. A combine is over $100,000. I know; I was…”

“Farm machinery costs have skyrocketed. It is obscene how much tractors cost. A combine is over $100,000. I know; I was raised on a ranch. I am astounded at how much farm equipment costs today. It is just ridiculous. On top of that, it cannot be used, in most cases, year round. It is not like a factory where you get to use the equipment all the time and have 60, 70, 80, 90 percent capacity. Most farm equipment is only used for a short time. You can only harvest cotton a certain time of the year or bail hay or combine grain. It is a very short season. It is not year round. So it is a very expensive piece of equipment that does not get a great rate of return because it cannot be fully utilized, to say nothing of all the other increased costs that are greater for farmers or ranchers; namely, fuel, fertilizer, and other things; all of that has gone through the roof, including freight rates. I am from a State which is a captive shipper State.”