Meaning of Farm Machinery and Implements/Equipment
Farm machinery according to the West African Examination Council (2012) are mechanical devices with specialized systems or parts working together to apply power in performing farming operations. They are farm machines driven by diesel or fuel and are used to carry or power other farming implements.
Farm implements / equipment refers to devices mounted or attached to farm machines to perform particular activities.
The advent of technology has resulted in the invention of modern farm machinery and equipment/implements. These equipment have made farming pleasurable and enjoyable. More so, the presence of modern farm machinery and equipment/implements has helped reduce drudgery in farming, boost food production, improve the quality of farm produce, and increase the timeliness of farm operations.
They are vital equipment used in the commercial agricultural industries to perform various farming operations. The uses of these farm equipment are independent of each other i.e. farm machines cannot function effectively without the farm implement.
Though the functions of this equipment are different, but uses are interdependent on each other. The farm machine is used for carrying or powering the farm implements, while the farm implements are usually mounted, connected, and attached to the farm machine for performing different farming activities. The combined use of farm machines and farm implements in carrying out farming activities is called farm mechanization.
These equipment are crucial devices used in land preparation, cultivation, weeding, fertilizer applications, watering, pests and disease control, harvesting, processing, grading, and transporting people and produce from the farm to the market.
Different types of farm machinery and equipment/implements in agriculture
The different types of farm machinery and equipment/ implements needed in agricultural development are:
- Tractor
- Bulldozer
- Sheller
- Dryer
- Milling machine
- Incubator
- Tree puller
- Combine harvester
- Lawn mower
- Power tiller
Farm Implement
- Plough
- Harrow
- Planter/seed drill
- Slasher
- Baler
- Cultivator
- Broadcaster (seed/fertilizer)
- Boom sprayers
- Combined drill
- Ridger
Difference Between Farm Machinery and Equipment / Implements
The noticeable differences between the farm machinery and equipment are:
| S/no | Farm machinery | Farm implement |
| 1 | They are mechanically operated devices (that is require the use of fuel or diesel for operation) | They don’t require the use of fuel or diesel for operation. |
| 2 | They can function with or without special attachments to farm implements. | They depend on farm machines for operations ( that require special attachment, mounted, hitched, added, and pulled before they can be used for an operation). |
| 3 | They are used to carry farm implements. | They are used in tilling, harrowing, planting, harvesting, spraying, etc. |
| 4 | They have different parts working together to empower farm implements. | They have different parts working together to perform operations related to crop production. |
| 5 | They are less capital-intensive than farm equipment/implements | They are less capital-intensive than farm equipment / implements |
| 6 | They are mobile farm machine | They are stationary farm machines |
| 7 | They are usually four-wheel tires or track crawlers | They have two or no tires |
| 8 | Examples of farm machinery include a tractor, Bulldozer, Sheller, Dryer, Milling machine, Incubator Tree puller, Mistblower/Motorised sprayer, Combine harvester, Lawn mower, Power tiller, Motorised slasher, etc | Examples of farm implements include Plough, Harrow Planter/seed drill, Slasher Baler, Cultivator Broadcaster (seed/fertilizer) Boom sprayers Knapsack sprayer Combined drill Ridger |
Descriptions and Uses of Farm Machinery
Tractor
The tractor is a powerful multipurpose farm machine used to carry or power other farm implements to perform specific functions.
The machine is driven with fuel or diesel and has four rubber tires consisting of two small tires at the front and two big tires at the back. The tractor has an internal combustion engine.
The machine is designed with a power take-off (PTO) shaft to power other equipment on the farmstead. The tractor has a hydraulic lever for performing various operations such as control of farm implements and more.
Uses of Farm Tractor
The uses of the farm tractor include
- With the aid of the buckets or haulage attached, the machine is used to move or transport farm inputs from the farm to the farmstead.
- It is an excellent machine for transporting farm output or produce from the farm to farmstead, processing center, and market for sales
- It is very suitable for the movement of farm labourers, and administrative staff, in and around the farm
- With the aid of the power take-off shaft (P.T.O) the machine can be used to power the water pump for irrigation purposes or other minor uses of water in the farmstead.
- With the aid of the inbuilt hydraulic system, the machine is used in lifting farm implements when mounted or connected
- The tractor is very suitable for pulling farm implements such as ploughs, harrows, sprayers, etc.
- It is an excellent machine for tilling or harrowing with suitable farm implements mounted or connected.
- It is used for sowing or planting seeds when mounted or connected to the planter.
- It is used for spraying agrochemicals when mounted or connected to a sprayer planter
- It is used for spraying agrochemicals when mounted or connected to a sprayer planter
- It is very appropriate for harvesting crops when hitched or added to a harvester
- It can serve as a stationary power source for farm machines such as the Sheller, grinder, power sharpening tools
- It can serve as a source of electric power in the farmstead.
INCUBATOR
An incubator is an electronically operated farm machine used to provide the required temperature, relative humidity, and air necessary for hatching fertilized poultry eggs.
A temperature rate of about 390c is required to hatch a fertilized egg. The incubators are designed with various sizes and designs and are powered with different types of power sources to supply needed heat to poultry eggs for adequate fertilization.
An incubation can be natural or artificial incubation. The natural incubator is done by the fowl, while the artificial incubator is done with the use of a powerful machine design like a room with trays to provide adequate room for poultry birds to be fertilized.
The incubator has enough space for turning the eggs to ensure good fertilization, and they have suitable devices for controlling the relative humidity in the incubators. Modern incubators have inbuilt censors that provide signals or alarms when abnormalities occur within the incubator.
Uses of the Incubator in Agriculture
The incubator is used to perform the following functions, they are:
- The Incubator is an excellent machine used in the hatchery for hatching eggs.
- It is used in the laboratory to detect the growth of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi during cultures.
- It is an excellent machine used to encourage premature farm animals.
- It is used in the laboratory to preserve or store cell
- It is used to store the eggs of farm animals.
- It is used to sterilize laboratory apparatus
Sheller
The Sheller is a mechanically, electrically, or manually operated farm machine. The machine is designed to separate the seeds of crops from the husk or cob.
The Sheller comes in Different types depending on the type of crops to be shelled. The machine has internal mechanisms such as the metal hand crank that will help to crack nuts to remove the shell.
The machine is made of various parts such as a bucket, hopper, winder, and drum with rubber or metal spikes. it is commonly used to shell crops such as e.g. maize, groundnuts, and cowpeas.
Uses of the Sheller
The uses of the Sheller in agriculture are:
- It is an excellent machine for dehusked maize cobs,
- It is very appropriate for separating nuts from legumes or pulses such as groundnuts, soybeans, Bambara nuts, etc.
- It is made of a special mechanism that helps to crack oil palm kernels to extract seeds.
- It is very suitable for threshing rice
- You can use the sheller to de-cob maize.
Bulldozer
The bulldozer is a powerful farm machine with a large metal blade for performing various farm operations. The motorized machine is made of a crawler chain specially attached to the machine for movement.
The machine has a powerful engine operated by diesel. The front blade is slightly curved, and made of heavy metal steel for lifting and lowering the blade for pushing and packing farm debris, soil, sand, or rock during construction work.
The bulldozer is designed and constructed like a tractor but different from the tractor in that the bulldozer has track crawler chains and a heavy curved metal blade located on the front of the machine.
Uses of the Bulldozer in Agriculture
The uses of the bulldozer in the agricultural industries are:
- The tool is an excellent tool for leveling land or soil surfaces.
- It is very suitable for moving large quantities of earth to backfill a slope.
- A bulldozer is used on the farm to remove stumps or other under-bench trees during land preparation.
- You can use the machine to remove obstacles such as trees logs, collapsed buildings, and other objects obstructing the access road
- The machine is used for uprooting or felling trees during land preparation or bush-clearing
- It is very appropriate for clearing virgin a forest or bushes
- The heavy-duty farm machine is used for road construction
- It is used to maintain lane or rural road
- A bulldozer is a vital machine for digging, excavating, and demolition of unused farm buildings and structures.
Combine Harvester
The combine harvester is a heavy-duty motorized farm machine with different metal parts working together to harvest different types of cultivated crops.
The machine has four rubber tires consisting of two big tires and two small tires that are fixed to four wheels. The motorized machine has a well-built structure with glasses for the operator to have a clear view of the operations.
The machine has a diesel engine with an internal combustion chamber. The Combine harvesters have different parts such as a thresher cylinder, concave, cutter barway, conveyor, reel, air blower, sieve, augur, chute, grain tanks, straw walker, and others.
The machine works in such a way that the cutter bar functions to cut the crop with straw, the reel rolls the straw and carries it with the conveyor through the straw chaff, the grain passes through the air blower, and the sieve, while the straw will pass through the auger and grain remain in the grain tanks.
The machines help perform many tasks which helps to reduce the amount of labour inputs.
Uses of Combine Harvester
The uses of the combine harvester include.
- It is used for harvesting cereal crops such as maize, paddy rice wheat, barley
- It is also used for harvesting legume crops such as pulses, soybeans, etc
- It is used to thresh cereal and other crops
- It is an excellent machine for Winnowing harvested grains
- It helps to bag harvested grain
Dryer in Agriculture
This type of farm machine consists of different parts working to provide required temperature to dry farm produce.
The dryer is a large machine comprised of an agitator, combustion chamber, central auger, built-in silo structure (hopper), and machine to empower build electrical features in the silo. The dryer machine has four tires mounted on a wheel, while others have two tires and two standing metal legs.
The machine is driven by diesel or gas, and it is designed specifically for drying various types of crops such as wheat, rice, maize, millet, barley, groundnut, soybeans, Bambara nut, and more. The dryer comes in different capacities and sizes depending on the nature of production and the quantity of grain drying available.
Modern agricultural dryers with automation and remote control are also available in the market to dry agricultural produce.
Use of the Dryer in Agriculture
The uses of the agricultural dryer include
- It is essential to treat grain before storage to eliminate excess moisture from the seed
- It is an excellent machine for drying harvested crops such as wheat, corn, rice, various grains, rapeseed, and legumes.
- It can be used to temporarily store farm produce.
- It is used to improve the quality of grain.
Milling Machine
The milling machine is a farm machine designed to process farm produce. They can be operated manually and electrically.
Different types of milling machines exist in agriculture. Some are used for peeling, grinding, grating, mixing, and extracting raw materials from agricultural produce. The milling machine has internal mechanisms that help to perform various processing operations.
The milling machine comprises of essential parts such as the hopper, auger, the process shaft, the adjuster level, the connecting port, and more.
Some of these machines have all their components built together while others are connected to power machines with the aid of belts or chains. Examples of processing machines are cassava milling, oil palm milling machines, rice milling machines, etc.
Uses of Milling Machines in Agriculture
The use of this type of machine in the agricultural industries are
- It is used to dehusk or peel paddy rice, and other agricultural produce.
- The milling machine is used to grind or crush farm produce such as maize, sorghum, wheat, beans, and cakes into flour or fine texture for making palp, custard, and other cereals food.
- It is an excellent machine for grinding and extracting starch from fresh cassava.
- It is used to mill dried cassava chips, yam chips, sweet potato, and Irish potato chips into flour.
- It is used in the industries to mill and compound animal feeds.
Tree Puller In Agriculture.
The Tree puller is a powerful farm machine used to remove trees and their root from the ground. The farm machine has serrated jaw teeth that provide an excellent grip to pull trees and other obstructions.
Just like the bulldozer with a large metal blade on the front, the tree puller has powerful serrated jaw teeth on the front for performing various farm operations related to pulling. Some of these motorized machines are made of crawler chains or four tires mounted on a wheel for movement.
The machine has a powerful engine operated by diesel. The serrated jaw with teeth is mounted on a hydraulic cylinder in front of the machine with the ability to stretch to a certain height to pull out a tree from the ground during construction work.
The tree puller is designed like a bulldozer but different from the bulldozer such that the bulldozer has a heavy curved metal blade located on the front, while the tree puller has powerful serrated jaw teeth on the front that provide a strong grip for excellent pulling.
Uses of the Tree Puller in Agriculture
The uses of the Tree Pullerin the agricultural industries are:
- The tool is an excellent machine for removing tree and their roots from soil surfaces
- A Tree puller is used on the farm for removing stumps, shrubs, or under-bench trees during land preparation,
- You can use the machine to remove obstacles such as logs of trees, and other objects obstructing the access road
- The machine is used for uprooting or feeling trees during land preparation or bush clearing
- The heavy-duty farm machine is used for road construction
- It is used to maintain lanes or rural roads.
Lawn Mower
This farm machine is designed for cutting grasses on the farm or the farmstead. They are designed for the purpose of cutting grasses in the garden. The lawn mower can be operated manually or electrically. Chargeable battery mowers also exist.
This small farm machine has a small engine, and two or four small tires mounted on small wheels. The lawn machine is designed with one or more blades revolving to cut down grasses at a uniform height. It has a rectangular handle that can be used to move the machine from one place to another.
Uses of the Lawn Mower
The lawn mower is used for the following
- It is an excellent machine for removing dead grass and weeds in the garden
- It is used for trimming grasses so as to beatifying street and lane
- A lawn mower is used for the maintenance of football fields, gardens, etc.
Power Tiller In Agriculture
The power tiller is a modern farm machine designed to till, and pulverize the soil to receive seed. The machine can be locally or internationally manufactured.
The machine was invented to be used by small-scale farmers due to the complaint that the conventional tractor is too expensive and requires technical know-how to operate.
The machines come in different categories, some have an engine mounted on the handle, while others have an engine mounted on the front of the machine. The power tiller is a gasoline machine with two small tires. The power machine has two handles that can be used to push the small tractor around to till and pulverize the soil.
The machine is lightweight and easy to use in the field and water log field. The machine is used to operate different types of farm implements such as plough discs, rotary, thresher, and other farm implements. All implements can be manufactured locally.
Uses of the Power Tiller
- It used for land-preparing
- The machine can be to harvest rice when converted to a mechanical harvester
- It is an excellent machine for tilling, weeding, and pulverizing the soil to receive seed.
- It is very appropriate for threshing grains in the field.
- It is used for spraying liquid fertilizers, and herbicides
Description of Farm Equipment/Implements, And Their Uses
Examples of farm implements or equipment used in agriculture are
- Plough
- Harrow
- Planter/seed drill
- Slasher
- Baler
- Cultivator
- Broadcaster (seed/fertilizer)
- Boom sprayers
- Knapsack sprayer
- Combined drill
- Ridger