A Brief History of Farm Equipment

Farm equipment has changed a lot in just the past hundred years. Tools that were in use for centuries became obsolete, replaced by mechanized equipment that allowed for massive gains in overall crop yield. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of farm equipment, check out this guide from the experts at Holder & Sons Equipment. 

Early Years

Specialized farming tools like hoes, plows, and sickles may be primitive by our standards, but they were massive game changers in terms of productivity. At the time, all farm work had to be done by hand, and these energy saving tools allowed farmers to increase their yields significantly. There’s a reason why many of these tools are still in use today. 

Animal Labor 

The next big leap forward in farm equipment advancement was the domestication of draft animals like oxen and horses. These animals could do in a day what once required an entire team of human laborers a week to accomplish. However, while these animals boasted strength and endurance that far exceeded human limitations, they were still vulnerable to diseases and aging. Pushed hard enough, these animals could become fatigued. These animals also need to eat, with many of them subsisting on the same crops that they helped to grow, which cut into production. 

New Tools

As the centuries passed, farm equipment became more and more complex. As people spread out and settled in new areas with new climates and terrains, they were presented with new agricultural challenges. They met these challenges by either inventing new tools or adapting existing ones. This culminated with the creation of mechanized agriculture. Tractors and other machines could be worked even harder than domesticated animals. Even better, machines never tired and didn’t need to be fed. Today, almost every working farm in the nation has a tractor and other such modern pieces of farm equipment. 

Shop farm equipment at Holder & Sons Equipment in Durham, North Carolina. We’re proud to serve communities like Raleigh and Greensboro, North Carolina. We also offer parts, servicing, financing, rentals, and demo rides.