1. By hand
   With animals
2. With tools
   All of the above

Before agricultural machinery came around, farmers had to use simple tools and animals to help them get things done. Things got a lot easier once machinery was invented.

1. Tube pumps
   Sprayers
2. Both

Today, irrigation is performed by tube pumps and sprays. In the past, good old watering cans served that purpose.

1. Back-Os
   Caterpillars​
2. Seeders

Seeders are considered the foundation of all good farming. Nothing happens until you get those seeds into the land!

1. Plow
   Tractor
2. Trailer

Tractors are a fundamental tool for all farmers. They're used for pulling, pushing, towing and drawing. More of that anon!

1. Plow
   Caterpillar
2. Tractor

Tractors are the king of the farm. They're used for pulling seed drills. Seed drills expertly place grain and vegetable seeds into the earth. Tossing them​ around just won't do anymore.

1. Earth-mover
   Chisel plow
2. Soil burster

The chisel plow can serve a number of different functions. It prepares the earth for cultivation. It also combines land and surface deposits such as manure.

1. Row planter
   Rowanizer
2. Row tug

A row planter does just what its name suggests. This is used to distribute seeds into rows. The tractor pulls this device along the fields.

1. Fountain
   Sprayer
2. Mister

The sprayer is another fundamental component in farming. It sprays pesticide and fertilizer on the fields, blanketing the entire area.

1. Medieval times
   The Renaissance
2. The Industrial Revolution

Most of the farming equipment that we see today came about in the Industrial Revolution​. There have been a lot of innovations since then, but the basic foundation was laid during that remarkable period.

1. Miller
   Tractor
2. Harvest van

Tractors are the largest of all agricultural equipment. They perform so many functions on the farm, because various implements can be attached to the tractor, allowing it to do specialized jobs.

1. Harvesting
   Irrigation
2. Digging

If you have a lot of digging to do, get yourself a backhoe. The first backhoe was developed by the Wain-Roy Corporation in the 1940s.

1. Large tractor
   Earth-moving tractor
2. Garden tractor

Smaller tractors, such as garden tractors, are used for fertilizing. They're also great for trimming and cutting grasses.

1. All
2. Only a fraction of

Before the seed drill, only a fraction of seeds were successfully planted. The seed drill put an end to all that, by not only drilling the seeds into the land but also covering them in soil.

1. A machine that plants seeds
   A machine that does many different tasks
2. A kind of flower

The combine does just what its name suggests. It performs multiple tasks on the farm, such as reaping, threshing and winnowing.

1. Humans
   Horses
2. Dogs

The old combine was carried around the field by horses. Today, the combine is carried by a tractor.

1. Spray tank
   Zip sprayer
2. Tractor sprayer

A tractor sprayer is the best option when you want to spray liquid very quickly. A good sprayer is important for proper pest control.

1. Hayward
   Moldboard
2. Wicker

Before the 18th century, farmers used simple moldboard plows. These were made of wood, but they were plated with thin iron strips to prevent them from wearing out.

1. Blacksmith
   Plowwright​
2. Plowman

The plowwright was responsible for making plows back in the day - and some still make repairs today. It was an important and specialized job, as the plow was the most important bit of equipment in the field.

1. 1775
   1807
2. 1889

In 1807, the first plow was patented by David Peacock of New Jersey. It used cast-iron moldboard and wrought-iron, making the plow easy to repair.

1. Mike Tractor
   Harvey Plow
2. John Deere

John Deere is a famous name in agriculture. He was from Grand Detour, Illinois, and he made a plow that cut through thick sod and heavy prairie​ soil.

1. The Great Avenger
   World's Best Plow
2. Singing Plow

John Deere's first plow was known as the singing plow, because of the humming sound that it made when you pulled it. It was music to a farmer's ears.

1. Citrus
   Wheat
2. Grapes

Wheat farmers in California and Red River Valley of North Dakota began using sulky plows. These were used in order to cultivate massive amounts of wheat.

1. Variety farming
   Organic farming
2. Crop rotation

Crop rotation is the practice of planting different crops in a field in successive seasons, to maintain or improve soil quality.

1. 1800
   1841
2. 1921

The grain drill played a huge role in agricultural innovation. Finally, it was possible to desposit seeds in an efficient and successful way.

1. Dibble stick
   Hoe
2. Both

Farmers would use either a dibbler or a hoe to plant corn by hand. The corn planter was eventually invented in 1864 by John Thompson and John Ramsay of Illinois.

1. Corn docks
   Corn tows
2. Drills

It was in the 20th century that check-row planters were replaced by drills to plant corn. This made the process much easier and faster.

1. Harvester
   Reaper
2. Granger

The reaper is a modern device that cuts small grain crops. Before, this was done by hand using a sickle or scythe. Only a few acres could be harvested per day with that method.

1. Stir
   Store
2. Bind

In the 1850s, a machine was invented in order to bind grain. The machine had a mechanism that wrapped wire around the gavel of grain and placed the bundle on the ground so that it was ready for shocking.

1. Separates​ grain from plants
   A fertilizer
2. A curing machine

The threshing machine is used to separate the grain from the plants. Threshing machines date back to 1791, when the first was invented by Samuel Mulliken of Philidelphia.

1. In America
   In the Middle East
2. In China

Plows were first invented in the Middle East, soon after agriculture began. The first plow was known as an ard, and it was made of tree branches.

1. Greek
   British
2. Mesopotamians

The Mesopotamians built the first simple irrigation system around 7000 B.C. This would prove to be a fundamental first step toward a world fed by agriculture.

1. 1800s
   1920s
2. 1950s

The first all-purpose tractor was created in the 1920s. Before that, simple tractors were used for pulling plows.

1. Corn
   Large trees
2. Bamboo

Large trees are often planted around fruit farms. This prevents soil erosion from wind. Just a little factoid.

1. Rome
   The Fertile Crescent
2. Northern California

The earliest planned sowing and harvesting of plants took place in the Fertile Crescent. It has that name for a reason!

1. Corn
   Soy
2. Beef

Beef production is the largest segment of American agriculture. The U.S. produces more beef than any other country in the world, followed by Brazil.