Farm Equipment, Old and New
Farmers use many kinds of equipment. The equipment has changed over the years. It makes it easier for farmers to grow more crops and raise animals.
Plowing Fields
Long ago, farmers pushed plows by hand. Bigger plows were pulled by horses. Today large plows are run by tractors. Plowing is when farmers dig into the soil. Plowing helps seeds sprout faster and grow stronger.
Old Equipment
New Equipment
Milking Cows
Farmers used to milk cows by hand. They would squeeze the udder and collect milk in buckets. Today milking machines help farmers milk more cows faster and easier. There are even robot milkers!
Activity: Long Ago and Today
Look at the photo of cows being milked from years ago. Now look at the photo of cows being milked on a modern-day dairy farm.
Compare the two photos. Share with a partner what looks different and what looks similar.
Long Ago
Photo courtesy of Emerson M. Brooks Papers. Special Collections, USDA National Agricultural Library.
Mondern-Day
Photo provided by Midwest Dairy.