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Caleb GreinerT.I.P.12-7-15How has farming changed over time? When I was around the age of 8 years old, I used to go out into the barn and collect the eggs from the few chickens we owned. As time went on, my father knew how I enjoyed being out on the farm with animals, so he figured out a way for me to do what I love while earning some money. My dad purchased two steers for me to feed and tend to. For three consecutive years I raised steers. I loved every moment of it, well except for refilling the frozen solid water trough . Farming has greatly improved over the years. Although its ways may have become more modern and technological, the same aspect of farming and the hard work it requires continues to stay to this day. I will be explaining to you how equipment has been advanced as well as animals living conditions, seed tolerance, and the knowledge of farming. Farming dates back all the way to Jericho and farming less then 10 acres to support as many people as they could. Over time people have slowly found ways to make farming either faster or more efficient. As thousands of years have passed, machines have been created, along with new forms and steps for farming. One way in which farming has greatly improved over the years is with equipment. In the early 1920’s to around 1970, horses were the key to farming and getting things done faster. Instead of doing everything by hand, farmers had horses pull plows, planters, and move heavy equipment around the farm. Horses were the only thing farmers had that were close enough to tractors to tend to their land. After World War two, more advanced equipment was being created included the tractor. The tractor took the place of horses allowing for a less toilsome act of trying working the land. The transition into using tractors was actually difficult for most farmers. Every farmer had already perfected the technique and use of their equipment for horses. Now they had to learn new ways and skills for farming with a new very technical machine. As time went on, it didn’t take long before almost every farmer owned a tractor or new piece of equipment. The tractor reduced workingman hours exponentially. Having to use a horse to pull farm equipment such as plows or planters was a very slow and toilsome task. “It took a farmer an hour and a half to till an acre of ground with five horses and a gang plow. With a 27-horsepower tractor and a moldboard plow, it took only a half-hour to plow an acre and only 15 minutes with a 35-horsepower tractor and a moldboard plow. Today, using a 154-horsepower tractor and a chisel plow, a farmer can till an acre in five minutes.”() Through the use of technology, one farmer is able to feed 155 people today, compared to 1940, when one farmer could feed only 19 people. () Tractors aren’t the only things that have been created to better suite farmers and speed up the day. Anything from grain bins to augers, barns, tills and planters. The development of new and better machines and equipment has drastically helped farming complete tasks faster and more efficiently. How animals are raised and the environment in which they live and work in is another major improvement made to farming. Although living conditions for animals doesn’t seem to be a very important advancement in farming, it affects more than you think. One animal that has had a drastic change in living conditions is the dairy cow. “In the past, farmers did not know what made a cow comfortable.” (,) Now that farmers have gained knowledge and learned what makes cows comfortable and satisfied, they provide more milk and stay healthy. Dairy farmers try and give their cows the most luxurious living conditions in order to get top-notch milk and more of it. When a cow, or any milk-producing animal feels comfortable and content, they are more likely to produce more and much better quality milk. A few ways in which farmers have improved a cows living conditions are; fans to keep them cool, soft and comfortable beds, sprinklers to cool them down, and certain food to keep them healthy and feeling good. Another animal that is being kept healthy and safe with better living conditions than in the past are chickens. They used to be kept outside most of the day and allowed in small chicken coop if the farmer had one. Chickens were subject to be eaten by predators and able to get sicknesses and diseases ruining the eggs they laid. Over time farmers have learned to keep the chickens in doors where they are mostly safe from disease therefore producing safe eggs for the public. Keeping chickens inside also protects them from predators. Some may say that the chickens are unhappy and too crowded in chicken houses. Chickens are actually flock birds meaning that they enjoy being around each other and don’t mind being cooped up without much moving space. The farmers main goal is the keep the chicken safe and healthy to produce eggs that are safe for consumers. Improvements made to chickens living conditions have increased the amount of chickens on one farm and allow for more healthy chickens. Seeds are a very important factor on farms today, specifically talking about grain farms. An interesting fact about crops and food on farm is: “Over 200 years ago, 90 percent of the U.S. population lived on farms and produced their own food to eat. But today, only two percent of the population produces the food, including fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy, that everyone eats” () As time went on, seeds have been genetically modified to grow in very harsh conditions. Modified seeds now can adapt and grow in conditions that are not usually great or acceptable for the seed. They can also withstand rough conditions including rocky soil, dry soil, too wet soil, and soil that lacks needed nutrients. This upgrade in farming allows farmers to use grow many different crops in really any type of condition and soil. On top of modified seed, farmers now spray herbicide, pesticide and other chemicals to either kill weeds or provide nutrients to the crop. All of this combined adds for an almost unstoppable farmer when growing crops. The knowledge of farming and how to farm better is another way in, which it has improved. Throughout history we can see a major advance in technology and the way we live. Farms used to be significantly smaller than they are now. The reason for this is because farmers often couldn’t handle too much land because of the equipment they had. In order to cultivate, cultivate or irrigate a couple acres the farmer would usually be out all day. As time went on, farmers began to get ideas to expand their land which would allow for more money and food. In order to grow, they first had to improve their equipment to handle the increase of land. This obstacle was the spark to a revolution and advancement of equipment and culture itself. Farmers and engineers got together to blueprint and brainstorm to create the new and better farming equipment. Once the tractor was built and sold publicly, the desire for new and improved spread like a disease. Before long the farmers that could afford it owned a tractor or even two. Here is a quote from Wendell Berry talking about farming, “Why do farmers farm, given their economic adversities on top of the many frustrations and difficulties normal to farming? And always the answer is: "Love. They must do it for love." Farmers farm for the love of farming. They love to watch and nurture the growth of plants. They love to live in the presence of animals. They love to work outdoors. They love the weather, maybe even when it is making them miserable. They love to live where they work and to work where they live. If the scale of their farming is small enough, they like to work in the company of their children and with the help of their children. They love the measure of independence that farm life can still provide. I have an idea that a lot of farmers have gone to a lot of trouble merely to be self-employed to live at least a part of their lives without a boss.” Farming is such a unique and beautiful job, hobby, whatever you make it to be. The fact alone that no matter how bad a year is, a farmer always pushes through it and looks ahead telling himself next year will be great is so incredible. A family farm includes loving siblings and parents encouraging each other and working towards cultivating God’s beautiful creation. Farming is something that cant be replaced and will hopefully continue to grow but never outgrow family and the joy it brings to hard working farmer. Works , PO Box 7410, Champaign, IL 61826-7410"USDA ERS - Home." USDA ERS - Home. Web. 20 Jan. 2016."Economic History of Tractors in the United States." EHnet. Web. 20 Jan. 2016."Wessels Living History Farm, Inc." Wessels Living History Farm, Inc. Web. 20 Jan. 2016."Index of /." Index of /. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.Williams, Robert C. Fordson, Farmall, and Poppin' Johnny: A History of the Farm Tractor and Its Impact on America. Urbana: U of Illinois, 1987. Print.Manning, Richard. Against the Grain: How Agriculture Has Hijacked Civilization. New York: North Point, 2004. Print.Standage, Tom. An Edible History of Humanity. New York: Walker, 2009. Print. ................
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