I’d never been in a tractor fitted with auto steer until a month ago. The guy sowing the beans had it on his tractor and it was impressive. He began by drilling one bout straight down the field and the big Deere, steered by StarFire satellite and rocket science, knew how to do the rest.

The operator couldn’t go walkabout though; he did actually have to remain in the seat, or thereabouts, to assist with the headland lift and lower and keep an eye out for the odd pole and wet hole. But he had little else to do and had all the time in the world to text and drink tea and talk to me. And with no human help, the work was arrow straight.

In days that are now seemingly past, straight fieldwork was an art form. You’d pride yourself on straight ploughing and tramlines. And there were some very fine exponents of this art. A few years ago, when McAuleys were grass drying, they had a mower man who clearly took great pride in his work. His perfectly straight mowing was a joy to behold in great big flat fields where any wander would be plain to all. Now, it appears, anyone can do this with satellite guidance and RTK systems.

Even though I’m only a middle-aged man (albeit very youthful looking), I am old enough to remember a horse and dray being used occasionally on the farm. We’ve come from the horse to the satellite-guided tractor in a mere 50 years. Yes, I know in the meantime technology has made seismic leaps – we’ve managed to land a space buggy on Mars and a surgeon can send a micro jackhammer up through the orifice in your tender parts to smash a kidney stone. Nonetheless, for what was once an unsophisticated occupation, I still think farming has come a long way.

This giant leap in technology has happened throughout agriculture. We’ve gone from the hand-milked cow to robotic milkers which send messages to your phone if Daisy or Mildred are a bit off colour. The overriding factor in all of this is to minimise the labour input and make it easier for the operator to maximise output.

But I do wonder if we are moving too fast in this direction. Higher output is all very well, but technology, computer glitches and service contracts all come at a high price.

It’s been a late and difficult spring. The ground remained stubbornly wet and while the days have been bright and dry, the nights are cold. Crop growth is sporadic and grass is in short supply.

But this sort of weather really suits the wheat and flowering winter oilseed rape. We’ve to sow the remaining spring oilseed rape; the field is still too wet. The final nitrogen split and the T1 fungicide will be going on to the first wheats shortly.

Speaking of sprays, last week’s Irish Farmers Journal brought Andy Doyle’s Crop Protection supplement. As always, it’s an excellent publication and we tillage farmers would be lost without it. It’s a mine of useful information.

And finally, if I may return to the self-guided tractor. On reflection, we’ve really only gone full circle, as some horses were, in fact, self-guided. During the war years, my grandfather used to take the pony and trap to catch the Dublin bus, three miles from his home. Once the bus would arrive, he’d give the pony a slap on the rump and send him off to make his own way home.

Besides, if the swallows can find their way back every year from Africa to my porch, all this auld satellite stuff is hardly rocket science.