The Facts

Farm machinery is any equipment that farmers use to till, plant, cultivate, harvest or feed crops, including tractors, plows, disks, planters, wagons and combines.

Time Frame

Farm machinery significantly decreases the time required for farmers to accomplish farm tasks. For instance, using a tractor and plow, a farmer can plow in several hours a field that would take him an entire day to till had he done it using a horse-pulled plow.

Effects

Farm machinery decreases the need on farms for farm workers. Rather than spending money to pay salaries for multiple employees, the modern farmer uses his financial resources to purchase and maintain farm equipment.

Drawbacks

Farm machinery and agricultural equipment requires diesel fuel to operate, which contributes to air pollution.

History

According to Deere.com, the official website of the John Deere Company, John Deere designed and successfully created a steel plow for farmers to use in 1837; the self-cleaning steel material and innovative design allowed pioneer farmers to plow soil more quickly and efficiently, easing the way for the settlement of the West.