FARM MACHINERY AND TECHNOLOGY

Farm machinery is constantly changing and evolving with the aim of saving labour on farms.

Main farm machinery

Here are the most significant inventions of the past two centuries:

  • the mechanical reaper, or McCormick reaper from the name of its inventor, which was used to harvest crops mechanically;
  • the thresher, which made the process of grain separation considerably less labourintensive;
  • the combine harvester, which replaced the thresher and is used to harvest crops, combining reaping, threshing and winnowing into one single process;
  • the steel plough, which was designed to till the land by loosening or turning it before planting;
  • the gasoline tractor, introduced as an alternative to oxen and horses, which has provided a source of power to a number of tools;
  • the rotary cultivator or rotavator, usually tractor mounted, which kills weeds by uprooting them;
  • the seed drill, which can precisely and properly sow every kind of grain seed on the row or small vegetable seeds;
  • the grain elevator, which makes it easier to load, unload, handle and store grains.

Precision technology

In the 1990s information technology and precision techniques started being used in agriculture more and more, and this guaranteed that the crops and soil received what they needed for optimum health and productivity.
Since then, leading European and US agricultural machinery companies have launched prototypes of fully autonomous cabless/driverless tractors fitted with GPS-guided steering and sensors including radar, laser and Lidar (Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging)1 . The raw sensor data can be used to create an accurate terrain map of both indoor and outdoor environments, while on board video cameras enhance safety by detecting and avoiding stationary or moving obstacles. The technology for driverless machinery allows 24hour autonomous operations such as seeding, planting and tillage to take place, while also increasing productivity and efficiency, and reducing risks related to working in hazardous places.


DO

1 Go online and find some Lidar applications in agriculture.