Paul, I assure you in today's world, at least in this area, I am a small farmer and soon to be phased out swallowed up by the big operators. Its true that when I started farming with my Dad 40 years ago , a section (640 acres) was a pretty average farm and we never dreamed I might some day farm 3 times that amount.
I have no desire to become a big farmer working on borrowed money to finance the equipment and chemical companies. The equipment I work with now is nice and comfortable but I started out picking rocks by hand onto a stoneboat. I believe you have to do that to truly appreciate just how good today's equipment is.