The History of Farming Machinery

Throughout history, the struggle to produce food has dominated much of mankind's time and effort. Hand labor was the norm for thousands of years. It was not until the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century that "mechanized farming" took the place of horse, ox, mule and human sweat--and then only in some parts of the world.

Early Agriculture

Farming began with the cultivation of wheat and other grasses around 10,000 years ago. Early man used sharp sticks and hoes to dig furrows in the soil and to uproot weeds. The plow, which breaks up heavy soil and turns under grasses and weeds, arrived on the agricultural scene sometime after the domestication of the ox in Mesopotamia around 6,000 BC. A simple tube-like seed drill to push seeds into the soil, an improved planting technique, was invented around 1,500 BC and a multiple-drill type was invented in China around 200 BC. The sickle scythe was used to harvest grain, which was threshed by hand using a flail to separate the grain from the stalk.

Yoke vs. Collar

Hitching animals to farm implements vastly aided the process of plowing, planting, and transporting the crop. However, early harnesses were inefficient, often choking the draft animal by pressure of the breast collar against its windpipe. The invention of the horse collar allowed the animal to push into the collar to shift heavy loads rather than simply dragging them by brute force. Introduction of the horse collar arrived sometime around 500 AD in China and was introduced to Europe in the 10th century. It began an era of farming centered on the horse, which moves much faster than oxen and allowed more land to be cultivated in the same growing season. This in turn contributed to food surpluses that facilitated the rise of trade and economic growth.

Mechanization

Continuous improvement of the plow cut the time required to prepare a field for planting and increased the amount of land that could be cultivated. Iron replaced wood in plowshares, and eventually "gang" plows, still animal-drawn, came into being, creating two or more furrows at once. The great age of mechanization, however, began in the 19th century, when the huge farms of the American South and West required alternatives to hand labor. In 1834 Cyrus McCormick's mechanical grain harvester sparked a flurry of competitors, who quickly produced horse-drawn seed drills, harvesters, hay tedders, harrows and binders.

Horsepower to Diesel Power

Until the 19th century, 40 acres was near the outside limit that could be farmed by a single individual working by hand; American farms today are often 2,000 acres or more, requiring machines capable of pulling multiple "sections" of plows and harrows to till the soil. The steam, gasoline, or diesel-powered tractor replaced the horse as the prime mover of farm machinery from the early 20th century in industrialized countries. Mechanized harvesters ensure the crop can be gathered quickly and with little wastage.

Farming Today

In less mechanized countries like India, 60 percent to 70 percent of the work force is still engaged in farming. In the United States, less than 1 percent of the labor force works in agriculture, yet the United States is one of the world's primary exporters of food, thanks in large part to heavy mechanization and continuing improvements in farm machinery.

References

• World Factbook
• Collier's New Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, 1902

Resources

• Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center from International Harvester Company