Almost all cows have been in a cattle trailer at least once in their life.
Farm Equipment
Air Seeder
An air seeder is used to seed and fertilize crops behind the tractor. Fans blow air into tubes and the seed and fertilizer are carried by air to the cultivators that break an opening in the soil. The seed and fertilizer are put into the soil in a straight line and they are packed into the ground with the heavy packers on the back of the air seeder.
This tractor is pulling an air seeder to plant seed and fertilizer into the soil.
A farmer explains the process of using an air seeder. This is the most accurate seeding method that uses air pressure to plant the seeds.
Auger
An auger is used for moving grain from one location to another. Augers can be used to load grain in or out of the bin, grain truck, semi, or cattle feeders. It has a blade that spins on the inside and moves grain from the bottom to the top.
This auger is being used to move grain from the grain truck to the grain bin.
Baler
A baler is used to pick up hay to make it into round or square bales. Making bales makes the hay easier to move and store. The bales are used to feed livestock in the winter.
This farmer is using a baler to pick up swaths of hay and roll them into bales.
An insight into the life of a father and son using a round baler to bale a hayfield.
This farmer is hauling bales out to cows to feed them during the winter.
Bale Wagon
A bale wagon picks up bales that are in the field. The farmer drives the bale wagon to the bale and it is picked up and stacked on the wagon.
Bale wagons can tip up to unload the bales into a stack.
Cattle Trailer
A cattle trailer is used to haul livestock between locations.
This cattle trailer is being pulled by a truck and is used to moved livestock.
Combine
A combine is used during harvest. It is used to pick up the crop and separate the grain from the straw. The grain gets put into the hopper to go into the bin. The straw cannot be eaten by humans so it goes through the combine, and out the back of the combine, back onto the field.
A combine is used to harvest a crop and it separates grain from the straw.
Combines sometimes have straight-cut headers on them. So instead of swathing the crop first, the combine can cut the crop and combine it all at the same time. If a crop is straight-cut, it usually needs to be sprayed first to kill the crop and weeds. This is called dessicating. A combine cannot harvest a crop that is green because it would plug the combine up and possibly wreck it.
This combine has a straight-cut header on it so the crop can be cut while it is still standing.
This is a straight-cut header on a combine that is being used to harvest this field while the crop is still standing.
This crop was swathed with a swather and now the combine is picking up the swath.
Watch this combine harvest a crop. After harvest, watch the process of turning raw grain into flour.
Cultivator
A cultivator is pulled by a tractor. It has shovels that dig into the soil to mix it up and kill the plants (weeds) that are growing in the soil. Cultivating the soil makes it easier to blow away. Most farmers do not cultivate whole fields.
In dry years when the sloughs dry out, farmers will cultivate the sloughs to be able to seed them. In wet years, sometimes farmers will cultivate around the sloughs to dry out the soil before seeding.
This tractor is pulling a cultivator to loosen up the soil.
Disker
A disker is pulled behind a tractor to mix the soil. They are good for hard, dry soils because they dig deep into the soil. A disker leaves the soil smoother than a cultivator. Diskers are often used to break up pastureland or sloughs when it is dry enough.
This tractor is pulling a disker to break up hard soil.
Drill
A drill is used for seeding in the springtime. The seed and fertilizer are put in a box on top of the cultivator. The seed and fertilizer are dropped into the ground when the wheels move at a constant rate, so the seeds are evenly spaced. The seeds are packed into the ground by heavy, round packers that are on the back of the drill. The drill is pulled by the tractor. Drills of this type are not used very often anymore because the land must be cultivated to seed like this.
This tractor is pulling a drill to plant seed and fertilizer into the soil.
Forage Harvester
A forage harvester cuts down forage crops such as alfalfa to make silage for animals to eat.
This forage harvester is being used to pick up crop swathes.
Grain Bins
Grain bins are used to store grain on the farm. Farmers can sell their grain all year long, so the grain can stay in the grain bins for a long time.
Grain bins can hold grain all year long, or until the farmer decides to sell their grain.
Grain Cart
A grain cart is used during harvest. Farmers unload grain from the combine into the grain cart while on the field. Often the combine doesn’t even stop while it is unloading. The farmer then unloads the grain cart into a truck or semi in order to move the grain from the field and into a grain bin. A grain cart saves a lot of time for the farmer.
A tractor will pull the grain cart which can go anywhere on the field.
Grain Dryer
A grain dryer dries wet crops before they are put into storage. It is important that the grain is dry so that it does not rot. Sometimes farmers have to combine the crop when it is not completely dry in the field and they depend on grain dryers to take the moisture out of the grain after it is harvested.
A grain dryer is connected to this grain bin so it can dry grain that has moisture in it.
Grain Truck
Grain trucks are used to haul grain from the field to the bins. Typically, the grain truck will park in an approach to the field and be filled by the grain cart. If the farmer does not use a grain cart, then the driver will go into the field to the combine. Once the grain truck is full of grain, it will transport the grain to an auger and fill a grain bin.
PHOTO CREDIT: SASKATCHEWAN MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
Lots of people are needed to help with harvest!
Harrow
Harrows are pulled by a tractor on the field. Harrows break up clumps of soil and straw and smooths the surface. After combining, harrows are often used to spread the straw so it can decompose more easily. Sometimes harrows are used to make the field smoother after seeding.
Harrows are used to smooth clumps of soil or to spread straw after combining.
Haybine
A haybine is used to make hay dry out after it has been cut down. The haybine crushes the stalks to allow the moisture to leave the hay and dry out quicker than if it would be left to lay on the ground.
Haybines are used to cut hay in a way that will help it dry out faster so that it can be rolled into bales.
Semi-Truck
A semi is used on the farm to haul grain. Farmers can fill up the semi in the field to move to the bin, or move the grain from the bin to the elevator.
This grain cart is dumping grain into the semi-truck to be hauled to an elevator or to a grain bin.
Semi-trucks are also used to haul bales.
Sprayer
A sprayer is used to apply crop protection products to fields. A small amount of pesticide is mixed with water to spread evenly over the field. Farmers spray their fields for weeds, insects, and diseases if needed. Sprayers can be pulled behind a tractor or their own unit often called a high-clearance sprayer. Spray can also be applied using crop dusters, which are airplanes specially made to apply pesticides.
This high-clearance sprayer is spraying pesticides on this crop to kill the weeds.
This crop duster is applying pesticide to this crop.
Swather
A swather is a piece of equipment that is used during harvest. It cuts crops down and puts them into rows for the combine to pick up. The crop dries for a few days or weeks until it is ready to combine.
This swather is cutting a ripe crop into a swath that the combine can pick up.
Swathing is the process of cutting a crop then leaving the crop in rows. The crop is held above the ground by the left-over stubble so that a combine can pick up the swaths to harvest the grain.
Tractor
Tractors are used on farms to pull equipment and trailers. There are many different sizes of tractors. Bigger, more powerful tractors are needed to pull big equipment in fields.
This tractor is pulling a wagon in the field.
The triangular tires on the tractor are not wheels but instead, a track. Tractors with tracks are more fuel-efficient and better in wet soil.
Learn about tractors and watch a farmer harvest potatoes.
Quiz
Drag and drop the name of each piece of equipment to its matching image!