Agriculturaltechnology

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Agriculturaltechnologyreferstotechnology(/entry/Technology)for
theproductionofmachines(/entry/Machine)usedonafarmtohelp
withfarming(/entry/Farming).Agriculturalmachineshavebeen
designedforpracticallyeverystageoftheagriculturalprocess.They
includemachinesfortillingthesoil(/entry/Soil),plantingseeds
(/entry/Seed),irrigating(/entry/Irrigation)theland,cultivatingcrops,
protectingthemfrompestsandweeds(/entry/Weed),harvesting,
threshinggrain,livestock(/entry/Livestock)feeding,andsortingand
packagingtheproducts.Peoplewhoaretrainedtodesignagricultural
machinery,equipment,andstructures(/entry/Structure)areknownas
agriculturalengineers.
Agriculturaltechnologyisamong

Contents
1History
2Typesofmachinery

(/entry/File:Claaslexion5701.jpg)
AGermancombineharvester
(/entry/Combine_harvester).

themostrevolutionaryand
impactfulareasofmoderntechnology,drivenbythefundamentalneedforfood
andforfeedinganevergrowingpopulation.Ithasopenedanerainwhich

3Newtechnologyandthefuture

poweredmachinerydoestheworkformerlyperformedbypeopleandanimals

4Agriculturalengineers

(suchasoxen(/entry/Ox)andhorses(/entry/Horse)).Thesemachineshave

5Farmequipment

massivelyincreasedfarmoutputanddramaticallychangedthewaypeopleare

5.1Tractionandpower

employedandproducefoodworldwide.Awellknownexampleofagricultural

5.2Soilcultivation

machineryisthetractor(/entry/Tractor).Currently,mechanizedagriculturealso

5.3Planting

involvestheuseofairplanes(/entry/Airplane)andhelicopters

5.4Fertilizingandpest

(/entry/Helicopter).

control
5.5Irrigation
5.6Harvesting/post

History

harvest

Thefirstpeopletoturnfromthehuntingandgathering

5.7Haymaking
5.8Loading
5.9Other
6References
7Externallinks
8Credits

(/entry/Hunting_and_gathering)lifestyletofarming(/entry/Farming)probably
reliedontheirbarehands,perhapsaidedbysticksandstones.Oncetools
(/entry/Tool)suchasknives,scythes,andplows(/entry/Plow)weredeveloped,
theydominatedagricultureforthousandsofyears.Duringthistime,mostpeople
workedinagriculture,becauseeachfamily(/entry/Family)couldbarelyraise
enoughfoodforthemselveswiththelimitedtechnologyoftheday.
WiththecomingoftheIndustrialRevolution

Didyouknow?

(/entry/Industrial_Revolution)andthedevelopmentofmorecomplicated
machines,farmingmethodstookagreatleapforward.Insteadofharvesting

TheIndustrialRevolution

grain(/entry/Cereal)byhandwithasharpblade,wheeledmachinescuta

(/entry/Industrial_Revolution)

continuousswath.Insteadofthreshingthegrainbybeatingitwithsticks,

ledtoadvancesinagricultural

threshingmachinesseparatedtheseeds(/entry/Seed)fromtheheadsand

technologythatgreatly

stalks.

increasedfoodproduction

Thesemachinesrequiredalotofpower,whichwasoriginallysuppliedbyhorses

allowinglargenumbersof

(/entry/Horse)orotherdomesticatedanimals.Withtheinventionofsteampower

peopletopursueothertypesof

camethesteampoweredtractor(/entry/Tractor),amultipurpose,mobileenergy

work

sourcethatwasthegroundcrawlingcousinofthesteamlocomotive.Agricultural

steamengines(/entry/Steam_engine)tookovertheheavypullingworkofhorses.Theywerealsoequippedwitha

pulley(/entry/Pulley)thatcouldpowerstationarymachinesviatheuseofalongbelt(/entry/Belt_(mechanical)).The
steampoweredbehemothscouldprovideatremendousamountofpower,becauseofboththeirsizeandtheirlow
gearratios(/entry/Gear_ratio).
Thenextgenerationoftractorswaspoweredbygasoline(/entry/Gasoline)(andlater)diesel(/entry/Diesel)engines.
Theseenginesalsocontributedtothedevelopmentoftheselfpropelled,combinedharvesterandthresheror
combine(/entry/Combine_harvester),forshort.Insteadofcuttingthegrainstalksandtransportingthemtoa
stationarythreshingmachine,thesecombinescouldcut,thresh,andseparatethegrainwhilemovingcontinuously
throughthefield.

Typesofmachinery
Combinesmighthavetakentheharvestingjobawayfromtractors,buttractorsstilldothemajorityofworkona
modernfarm.Theyareusedtopullimplementsthattilltheground,plantseed,orperformanumberofothertasks.
Tillageimplementspreparethesoil(/entry/Soil)forplantingbylooseningthesoilandkillingweeds(/entry/Weed)or
competingplants.Thebestknownistheplow(/entry/Plough),theancientimplementthatwasupgradedin1838bya
mannamedJohnDeere.PlowsareactuallyusedlessfrequentlyintheUnitedStates(/entry/United_States)today,
withoffsetdisksusedinsteadtoturnoverthesoilandchiselsusedtogainthedepthneededtoretainmoisture.
Themostcommontypeofseeder,calledaplanter,spacesseedsoutequallyinlongrowsthatareusuallytwotothree
feetapart.Somecrops(/entry/Agriculture)areplantedbydrills,whichputoutmuchmoreseedinrowslessthana
footapart,blanketingthefieldwithcrops.Transplantersfullyorpartiallyautomatethetaskoftransplantingseedlings
tothefield.Withthewidespreaduseofplasticmulch,plasticmulchlayers,transplanters,andseederslaydownlong
rowsofplastic(/entry/Plastic)andplantthroughthemautomatically.
Afterplanting,otherimplementscanbeusedtoremoveweedsfrombetweenrows,ortospreadfertilizer
(/entry/Fertilizer)andpesticides(/entry/Pesticide).Hay(/entry/Hay)balerscanbeusedtotightlypackagegrassor
alfalfa(/entry/Alfalfa)intoastorableformforthewintermonths.
Modernirrigation(/entry/Irrigation)alsoreliesonagreatdealofmachinery.Avarietyofengines,pumpsandother
specializedgearisusedtoprovidewater(/entry/Water)quicklyandinhighvolumestolargeareasofland.Similar
typesofequipmentcanbeusedtodeliverfertilizers(/entry/Fertilizer)andpesticides(/entry/Pesticide).
Besidesthetractor,avarietyofvehicleshavebeenadaptedforuseinvariousaspectsoffarming,includingtrucks
(/entry/Truck),airplanes(/entry/Airplane),andhelicopters(/entry/Helicopter),foreverythingfromtransportingcrops
andmakingequipmentmobiletoaerialsprayingandlivestock(/entry/Livestock)herdmanagement.

Newtechnologyandthefuture
Thebasictechnologyofagriculturalmachineshaschangedlittlethroughthelastcentury.Thoughmodernharvesters
andplantersmaydoabetterjobthantheirpredecessors,thecombineoftoday(costingaboutUS$250,000)cuts,
threshes,andseparatesgraininessentiallythesamewayearlierversionshaddone.However,technologyis
changingthewaythathumansoperatethemachines,ascomputer(/entry/Computer)monitoringsystems,GPS
(/entry/Global_Positioning_System)locators,andselfsteerprogramsallowthemostadvancedtractorsand
implementstobemorepreciseandlesswastefulintheuseoffuel,seed,orfertilizer.Intheforeseeablefuture,some
agriculturalmachinesmaybemadecapableofdrivingthemselves,usingGPSmaps(/entry/Map)andelectronic
sensors.Evenmoreesotericarethenewareasofnanotechnology(/entry/Nanotechnology)andgeneticengineering,
wheresubmicroscopicdevicesandbiological(/entry/Biology)processes,respectively,maybeusedtoperform
agriculturaltasksinunusualnewways.
Agriculturemaybeoneoftheoldestprofessions,butwiththedevelopmentanduseofagriculturalmachinery,there
hasbeenadramaticdropinthenumberofpeoplewhocanbedescribedas"farmers."Insteadofeverypersonhaving
toworktoprovidefoodforthemselves,lessthantwopercentoftheUnitedStatespopulationtodayworksin
agriculture,yetthattwopercentprovidesconsiderablymorefoodthantheother98percentcaneat.Itisestimated

thatattheturnofthetwentiethcentury,onefarmerintheUnitedStatescouldfeed25people,whereastoday,that
ratiois1:130.(Inamoderngrainfarm,asinglefarmercanproducecerealtofeedoverathousandpeople.)With
continuingadvancesinagriculturalmachinery,theroleofthefarmerwillbecomeincreasinglyspecialized.

Agriculturalengineers
Agriculturalengineersworkinthecontextofagriculturalproductionandprocessingandthemanagementofnatural
resources.Theirspecialtiesincludepowersystemsandmachinerydesignstructuresandenvironmentalscience
(/entry/Environmental_science)andfoodandbioprocessengineering.Theyperformtaskssuchasplanning,
supervising,andmanagingthebuildingofdairyeffluentschemes,irrigation,drainage,floodandwatercontrol
systems.Theydevelopwaystoconservesoil(/entry/Soil)andwater(/entry/Water)andtoimprovetheprocessingof
agriculturalproducts.Inaddition,theymayperformenvironmentalimpactassessmentsandinterpretresearchresults.

Farmequipment
Tractionandpower
Tractor(/entry/Tractor)
Crawlertractor/Caterpillartractor

Soilcultivation
Cultivator
Chiselplow
Harrow
Spikeharrow

(/entry/File:JDTractor_chiselplough.jpg)
AmodernJohnDeere8110FarmTractorplowinga
fieldusingachiselplow.

Dragharrow
Diskharrow
Plow(/entry/Plow)
Powertiller
Rotarytiller(/entry/Rotary_tiller)
Rototiller
Spadingmachine
Subsoiler
Walkingtractor

Planting
Broadcastseeder(orbroadcastspreaderorfertilizerspreader)

(/entry/File:Plough.JPG)
AplowinactioninSouthAfrica.Noticethe
soilbeingturnedover.

Plasticmulchlayer
Potatoplanter
Seeddrill
Airseeder
Precisiondrill
Transplanter
Ricetransplanter

Fertilizingandpest
control
Fertilizerspreader(seebroadcastseeder)
Terragator

(/entry/File:LelyM%C3%A4hdrescher.jpg)

Manurespreader
Sprayer

Irrigation
Centerpivotirrigation(/entry/Irrigation)

Harvesting/postharvest
beetharvester

(/entry/File:Rundballenpresse.gif)
Aroundbalerinaction.

Beanharvester
Combineharvester(/entry/Combine_harvester)
Conveyorbelt
Cornharvester
Cottonpicker
Forageharvester(orsilageharvester)
Huller
Potatodigger
Potatoharvester
Sickle
Swather

Haymaking
Balemover
Baler
Conditioner
Hayrake
Haytedder
Mower

Loading
Backhoe
Frontendloader
Skidsteerloader

Other
Grainauger
Feedgrinder
Graincart
Rockpicker

References
Field,HarryL.andJohnSolie.2007.IntroductiontoAgriculturalEngineeringTechnology:AProblemSolving
Approach.NewYork,NY:Springer.ISBN0387369139(http://www.amazon.com/dp/0387369139?
tag=encyclopediap
20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0387369139&adid=0NQQZXQ96PDAJGB1J8XS).
Hurst,DouglasR.1991.AgriculturalTechnologyintheTwentiethCentury.Manhattan,KS:SunflowerUniversity
Press.ISBN0897451465(http://www.amazon.com/dp/0897451465?tag=encyclopediap
20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0897451465&adid=0NQQZXQ96PDAJGB1J8XS).

Yeoshua,ShimshonBen.2005.EnvironmentallyFriendlyTechnologiesforAgriculturalProduceQuality.Boca
Raton,FL:Taylor&Francis.ISBN0849319110(http://www.amazon.com/dp/0849319110?tag=encyclopediap
20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0849319110&adid=0NQQZXQ96PDAJGB1J8XS).

Externallinks
AlllinksretrievedNovember3,2016..
AmericanSocietyofAgriculturalandBiologicalEngineersOfficialSite(http://www.asabe.org)
DepartmentofBiosystemsandAgriculturalEngineeringMichiganStateUniversity
(http://www.egr.msu.edu/bae/)

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