Just as farming has evolved from its beginnings 10,000 years ago, so has farming equipment. The first farmers probably used their bare hands with sticks and stones as equipment. Pictures and relics from Egypt 3,000 years ago show sickles, knives, and hand plows. For centuries, everyone farmed to produce enough food for the family. It was the invention of more elaborate farming machinery that enabled the development of modern farming, which requires big equipment to work large tracts of land. Nevertheless, there is an appreciation for old and antique farming equipment, machinery, and manuals, which can still be found in rural settings, at auctions, and on line.
The invention by the Chinese of the moldboard plow during The Middle Ages greatly improved farming efficiency. By the 1800s, farming techniques, implements, and cultivating equipment increased yield many times that of previous centuries. Farming equipment that really increased productivity in most regions of the world included tractors and various 'gins' (short for engine), such as the cotton gin, balers, threshers, and combines. Modern tractors are great tools for farmers. High quality John Deere, Kubato, and Case Tractors are seen all over the US on farmland.
Combines took the harvesting job away from the tractors, but still today, tractors do the majority of work on modern farms. They pull implements that till the ground, plant seed, and do a variety of other chores. The ancient plow was ungraded by John Deere in 1838. Nowadays, disks are used to turn over the soil and chisels to gain the depth needed. There is even farming equipment to plant the seed and to transplant the seedlings automatically. Other farming machinery is used to irrigate crops and to deliver fertilizers and pesticides. Find Porsche Tractors here. Check out Small Farm Today Magazine.