CHANGES

Agricultural equipment is any kind of machinery used on a farm to help with farming. The best-known example of this kind is the tractor.

Tractor with Houle slurry trailer, Case IH combine harvester, New Holland FX 25 forage harvester with corn head.

Tractor and power

Farm mechanization in Ontario and Quebec; illustrating a tractor

Tractor / Two-wheel tractor

Tracked tractor / Caterpillar tractor

Soil cultivation

Harrow in use in 1948 at Canterbury Agricultural College farm

Historic huge specialist "plough" for maintaining drainage ditches in East Germany

Cultipacker

Cultivator (of two main variations)

Dragged teeth (also called shanks) that pierce the soil.

Rotary motion of disks or teeth. Examples are: Power tiller / Rotary tiller / Rototiller / Bedtiller / Mulch tiller / Rotavator

Harrow (e.g. Spike harrow, Drag harrow, Disk harrow)

Land imprinter

Plow or plough {various specialized types}

Roller

Stone / Rock / Debris removal implement (e.g. Destoner, Rock windrower / rock rake, Stone picker / picker)

Strip till toolbar (and a variation

called Zone till subsoiler)

Subsoiler

Planting

Planter

Seed-counting machine

Seed drill (box drill, air drill)

Trowel

Fertilizers and pesticides dispenser

Liquid manure/slurry spreader and Liquid manure fertilizer spreader (e.g. slurry tanker or Terragator)

Dry Manure spreader (e.g. Terragator)

Sprayer

Irrigation

Drip irrigation/micro spray heads

Sprinkler system

Center pivot irrigation

Hydroponics

Produce sorter

A belt sorter for peas

Blemish sorter.

Colour sorter

Density Sorter

Diameter sorter

Internal/taste sorter

Shape sorter

Weight sorter

Harvesting / post-harvest processing

Buckrake—for silage making

Grain cart (with built in grain auger)

Conveyor belt

Cotton picker

Farm truck

Grain dryer

Harvestor / harvester built for harvesting specific crops. (e.g. Bean harvester, Beet harvester, Carrot harvester, Combine (grain) harvester / Stripper, Header, Corn harvester, Forage or silage harvester, Grape harvester, Over-the-row mechanical harvester for harvesting apples, Potato harvester, Potato spinner/digger which is becoming obsolete, and Sugarcane harvester. Variations of harvesters are stripper cleaners and stripper loaders.

A Frost & Wood reaper- binder being used in the Rainy River District in the 1900s.

Multi crop Harvester [1]

Haulm topper

Mechanical tree shaker and other orchard equipment

Mower

Rake

Reaper-binder (now mostly replaced by the swather)

Rice huller

Swather (more common in the northern United States and Canada)

Wagon (and variations of gravity wagons, trailers—e.g. silage trailers, grain hopper trailers and lighter, two-wheeled carts)

A swather

A swather

Coffee bean Harvester, Mareeba, Queensland, Australia

Coffee bean Harvester, Mareeba, Queensland, Australia

CTM Johnson Tomato Harvester

CTM Johnson Tomato Harvester

Case IH Module Express 625 picks cotton and simultaneously builds cotton modules.

Case IH Module Express 625 picks cotton and simultaneously builds cotton modules.

Hand harvesting

Winnowing machine from 1839

Flail

Sickle (hand-held)

Scythe

Winnower (mechanized into the winnowing machine, which has been replaced by the combine harvester

Hay making

Round baler in action

See also: hay

Bale lifter (also called Bale mover or Bale spike)

Bale wrapper

Baler

Hay rake

Hay tedder

Loader wagon / self-loading wagon – used in Europe, but not common in USA

Mower-conditioners

Hand hay tool

Hay fork

Wooden rake

A "backhoe loader"

A restored JCB 3C MkII, showing the conventional arrangement of front loader and backhoe

Backhoe/backhoe loader

Front end loader

Skid-steer loader

Telescopic handler

Tractor-mounted forklift

Milking

Bulk tank

Milking machine

Milking pipeline

Animal Feeding

Grinder-mixer

TOL Tree Trimmer

A mulching machine

Agricultural robots

Allen Scythe

Aquatic weed harvester

Bale splitter

Chillcuring

Conveyor analyzer

Feed grinder

Hedge cutter

Hedge trimmer

Livestock trailer

Mixer-wagon (diet feeder)

Mulching machine

Post driver (and hand tool)

Shear Grab (and power link box)

Trailer

Yard scraper

Obsolete farm machinery

A Geiser threshing machine

Steam-powered:

Portable engine

Stationary steam engine

Threshing machine (replaced by the combine harvester)

Traction engine (e.g. Agricultural engine, Ploughing engine, Steam tra

Sustainable farming or, in a broader term, Sustainable agriculture is using farming practices considering the ecological cycles. It is also sensitive towards the microorganisms and their equations with the environment at large. In simpler terms, sustainable farming is farming ecologically by promoting methods and practices that are economically viable, environmentally sound and protect public health. It does not only concentrate on the economic aspect of farming, but also on the use of non-renewable factors in the process thoughtfully and effectively. This contributes to the growth of nutritious and healthy food as well as brings up the standard of living of the farmer. Our environment, and subsequently, our ecology have become an area of concern for us over the last few decades. This has increasingly led us to contemplate, innovate and employ alternate methods or smaller initiatives to save our ecology.

1. Environment Preservation 2. Economic Profitability 3. Most efficient use of non-renewable resources 4. Protection of Public Health 5. Social and Economic Equity

Make use of Renewable Energy Sources

Integrated pest management

Hydroponics and Aquaponics

Crop Rotation

Polyculture Farming

Permaculture

Avoid Soil Erosion

Crop Diversity

Agroforestry

Food Forests

Natural Pest Eliminators

Biodynamic Farming

Managed Grazing

Save Transportation Costs

Better Water Management

Removal of Weeds Manually

Growing Heirloom and Older Varieties

Urban Agriculture

Automation is already a major part of the farming process, but it will become even more important in the coming years. Farmers are already using drones to monitor their crops, and advanced sensors can tell them exactly when they need to water or fertilize their fields. These devices can also be used to monitor soil quality and ensure that crops aren’t affected by drought or other environmental factors. The increased level of automation will allow farmers to focus more on other aspects of their business than traditional manual labor tasks like watering, seeding, and harvesting.

Blockchain technologies are used in agriculture to track plant information from the farms to the shelf. Powered by a decentralized database, this technology helps regulate the quality of food and its shelf life. The auditable database allows growers and marketers to monitor farm produce throughout the supply chain. In recent times, Hyperledger, an open-source blockchain framework, has been adopted by Walmart to help the retail giant detect unwholesome food in real time before it gets to the consumer. In addition, to encourage chemical-free farm products and improve transparency in its agric supply chain, India, the world’s largest fruits and vegetables producer, is planning to adopt blockchain technologies in all its Agri exports.

IoT is used as a smart farming solution for monitoring the crop field from anywhere. It involves using sensors to track soil moisture, crop health, livestock conditions, temperature, etc. IoT technologies make it possible to create automated irrigation structures where water resources can be managed efficiently. By collecting crop data such as moisture and temperature, IoT technologies can help determine the right amount of water for crops every season.

GIS in agriculture relies on technology such as drones and satellites to understand crop position and types, fertilization level, soil status, and related information. With data generated from GIS remote sensing devices and software, farmers can determine the best location for crop planting in the field and make informed decisions on how to improve soil nutrition. In livestock rearing, GIS software monitors the movement of animals. This, in turn, will help farmers track animals’ health, fertility, or nutrition.

Agricultural forecasting is made easy when farmers deploy AI/ML & data science technology. The use of 3D laser scanning and spectral imaging/spectral analysis, for example, can help farmers predict weather scenarios and optimize the use of resources required for irrigation, fertilization, and pest control. Through AI/ML & data science technology, farmers can analyze their fields for the best locations for planting seeds. They can use computer vision to recognize plants’ optimal height, width, and spacing. This data can then be used to optimize their growing methods.

The World Economic Forum describes regenerative agriculture as the way forward to decarbonize the food system and make farming resilient to climate shocks. This unconventional farming practice work based on five fundamental principles. Promote biodiversity through the integration of animals and plants Improve soil health by adopting all options that will reduce soil disturbance Practice soil conservation by keeping the soil surface covered as much as possible Practice crop diversity by growing varieties of crops on the same field Maintain living roots by planting perennial crops or cover crops

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is a method of cultivating plants in a fully regulated environment. It is also known as ‘vertical farming or indoor farming.’ In this type of cultivation, all the plant’s needs are met by artificially providing them with water, nutrients, and light using hydroponic, aquaponic, and aeroponic techniques. CEA has proven to reduce some of the challenges faced in conventional farming. For example, it greatly reduces water consumption depending on the farm setup. In fact, some vertical farms use 70% to 95% less water than what’s typically required in traditional outdoor farms. In addition to optimal water usage, CEA protects plants from adverse weather conditions and helps maximize the use of space for cultivation.

In 2022, the global market size of agricultural robotics was nearly $5 billion. The need to meet the increasing global food demand is one of the major driving forces for the wide application and adoption of agriculture robotics. Many farming activities performed by humans can now be done by agricultural robots (agribots), maximizing productivity and saving enormous resources. Today, agribots are used in seed planting, crop harvesting, weeding, sorting and packaging, livestock management, etc.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or drones are increasingly becoming useful in crop and livestock management. For example, farmers can use sensor-equipped drones to monitor the growth of plants, detect disease stress, monitor field temperature, and spray pesticides or fertilizers at desired locations on the field. In animal husbandry, drones are used to observe grasslands and track animal movements on big ranches. Some drones have thermal imaging cameras to detect sick animals with high body temperatures. The inherent benefits and the rise of drones in farm operations lie in their ability to help farmers acquire comprehensive data to make timely decisions.

The increase in the global population has led to increased food production per capita. However, this has also led to water shortages due to irrigation purposes. To combat these issues, farmers are turning towards precision agriculture as it can save them both time and money. Precision agriculture is a rapidly evolving farm management system that involves the use of sensor technology, AI, GIS, and IoT to collect and analyze data about the soil, plants, and animals. It allows for more targeted use of inputs such as water, fertilizer, plant nutrients, pesticides, seeds, and labor. Precision agriculture deviates from conventional agriculture practices, where a uniform method is employed over a large area regardless of soil quality or topography variations.

Although there is a growing concern about the health impact of agricultural biotechnology, the use of genetic engineering to improve plants or animals will remain a trend in modern farming. Why? The appeal of this method is in its capacity to increase production and improve global food security. Moreover, genetically modified organisms have been proven safe for human health. The major challenge that could render GMOs unsafe for consumption is farmers’ failure to comply with regulatory standards when practicing agricultural biotechnology. Otherwise, agricultural biotechnology can improve the quality of farm produce and help create more climate-resilient crops.

The farm is becoming a data factory, with sensors and other technology collecting thousands of data points about everything from soil quality to humidity and crop yields. Big data & analytics can help farmers decide when to plant and harvest, how much water or fertilizer to use, and how much seed they should sow. Farming operations are subject to weather and environmental changes, which are difficult to access, especially for large farms. Applying big data and analytics in agriculture help farmers predict water cycles or rainfall patterns.

In today’s information-driven world, agriculture production should be based on a knowledge- and data-driven approach. Farmers need to be able to communicate with each other, vendors, and customers to produce more food efficiently. This can be done through connectivity technologies. Connectivity technologies, such as mobile devices, satellite technology, and internet-based platforms, allow farmers to share information to make better decisions about how they grow their crops or raise their livestock. These technologies also enable farmers to reach out to potential buyers or sell directly to consumers.