Types of machinery
Combines might have taken the harvesting job away from tractors, but tractors still do the majority of work on a modern farm. They are used to pull implements that till the ground, plant seed, or perform a number of other tasks.
Tillage implements prepare the soil for planting by loosening the soil and killing weeds or competing plants. The best-known is the plow, the ancient implement that was upgraded in 1838 by a man named John Deere. Plows are actually used less frequently in the United States today, with offset disks used instead to turn over the soil and chisels used to gain the depth needed to retain moisture.
The most common type of seeder, called a planter, spaces seeds out equally in long rows that are usually two to three feet apart. Somecrops are planted by drills, which put out much more seed in rows less than a foot apart, blanketing the field with crops. Transplanters fully or partially automate the task of transplanting seedlings to the field. With the widespread use of plastic mulch, plastic mulch layers, transplanters, and seeders lay down long rows of plastic and plant through them automatically.
After planting, other implements can be used to remove weeds from between rows, or to spread fertilizer and pesticides. Hay balers can be used to tightly package grass or alfalfa into a storable form for the winter months.
Modern irrigation also relies on a great deal of machinery. A variety of engines, pumps and other specialized gear is used to providewater quickly and in high volumes to large areas of land. Similar types of equipment can be used to deliver fertilizers and pesticides.
Besides the tractor, a variety of vehicles have been adapted for use in various aspects of farming, including trucks, airplanes, andhelicopters, for everything from transporting crops and making equipment mobile to aerial spraying and livestock herd management.
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