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First Nations
Before the 19th century, First Nations inhabited the farm land in the Canadian prairies, including where Saskatchewan would be. They processed animals (buffalo, fish) and planted/harvested various grains and berries, in order to survive. -
Steel Plough
In 1837 John Deere invented the first steel plough, which was critical for breaking through the tough Prairie soil. Though not introduced to Saskatchewan farmers later on, this was still a very important invention. -
Europeans
At the end of the 19th century, and beginning of the 20th century, Europeans began to come to Saskatchewan. Even though they had been in the country (Canada) for quite a while, it was difficult to travel to the West Coast, for lack of a railway. The Europeans brought more of the 'traditional' grain (grain we grow today), such as wheat, growing only what was needed. Also, many of the European families created homesteads, allowing them to raise livestock (rather than following wild animals). -
Steam Engine
In 1869 the first steam engine was developed by the J.I. Case Company in Racine, Wisconsin. This steam engine greatly reduced the amount of manual labour and released the dependence on horses, but it was very difficult to use and hard to adapt to farm tasks, for it required an engineer to run them.
The large steam engines were able to turn about five acres per hour, compared to the one-quarter acre per hour possible with horses. -
Threshing Machine
The threshing machine was basically a stationary combine, powered by a steam engine. Technically, a self-propelling combine had been invented in 1896, but it was the threshing machine that dominated up until after the Dirty Thirties/Great Depression. Both the threshing machine and the combine separate the grain from the straw. -
Round Baler
The round baler was originally designed in 1910 by Ummo Luebbens. However, this invention didn't see production until 1947. In 1972, the next major generation of balers were invented- the modern day round baler. Until this time round bales were no more than lumps of grass tied together. The new design uses belts to compact hay into a cylindrical shape, as seen today.
Balers are designed to compress a cut and raked crop (hay, straw, silage) into bales, for easier handle, transport, and storage. -
Dirty Thirties
The time span from 1930-1940 was dubbed the "Dirty Thirties" because of the extreme drought. These affected the farming techniques of farmers in Saskatchewan, and proved to be a very difficult time to produce a good quality crop. However, from this drought came new farming techniques in attempt to preserve water, including soil conservation and crop rotation. Also, research began on developing drought-resistant crops. -
Herbicide
Herbicides have seen a high amount of usage since the late 1940's. 2,4-D was one of the first herbicides to be used on farmer's fields, and continue to be used today. 2,4-D is able to kill many broadleaf plants, and has been dubbed nonselective. Since then, there has been many other herbicides invented, which are more selective, meaning the amount of plants they kill is a much smaller number.
Along with this invention, herbicide-resistant crops have made their way onto the market. -
Sprayer
Sprayers are used to distribute herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers to agricultural crops. Most sprayers used for agriculture purposes are large, self-propelled machinery, similar to tractors. There are also backpack sprayers, which are used for very small jobs (such as killing weeds along a sidewalk).
Gradually over time, sprayers have increased in size and ability, in order to reach the maximum amount of work available to do per day. -
Grain Auger
Peter Pakosh invented the grain auger in 1945, in the basement of his Toronto home. His prototype was made of simple design, lacking few moving parts, and a motor. He took it to the executives at Massey Harris hoping to receive funds to mass produce, however, he was declined. Deciding to go ahead on his own, he ended up making a living off his inventions under the brand name Versatile.
An auger is used to transport grain by the use of a rotating corkscrew blade, a long tube, and into the truck. -
Air Seeder
In the late 1970's air seeders were invented. They used pressurized air and hoses to distribute seed (instead of just relying on gravity). At the time, these machines could seed over 300 acres per day, but still required a large tractor to pull them. (Air seeders are still used today, but can also apply all fertilizer requirements at the same time as seeding.) In the picture, the air seeder is the yellow peice behind the tractor. -
Genetically Modified Plants
GM (genetically modified) plants, or transgenic plants have been engineered and altered to produce desirable traits. Some are resistant to pests (bugs), herbicides, or harsh environments (extreme rain, snow, sun). Some have been modified to improve shelf life, and have a better nutritional value. For example, in 2008 scientists have altered a carrot so it could produce calcium. -
Autosteer
A relatively new invention, autosteer was initially a questionable and expensive option. After a few years on the market, the autosteer market erupted. Farmers saw the advantages of autosteer, including more production, less time, and less overlap of trips up and down the field. They found that an investment for such equipment created more of a profit in the long run. Even though it is a 'new' invention in the farming industry, producers expect it to be here for a long time. -
Size
Farmers used to grow and raise only what they needed to survive on. Gradually, farms have grown, and now many live off their profits from farming.
On average, Saskatchewan has the largest farms in Canada. Almost 50% of farms are larger than 1,120 acres. With larger production, there are fewer farms in total, for it is difficult for small-scale farmers to continue their work.
The picture to the left show the steady increase of acres per farmer from 1941 to 2001.
