-
1790
Cradle and scythe introduced,Invention of cotton gin,Charles Newbold patented first cast-iron plow -
Period: to
16th Century To Today
-
Steel Plows
John Deere and Leonard Andrus begin manufacturing steel plows; practical threshing machine patented -
Grain Elevator
First grain elevator, Buffalo, NY -
Irrigation
Irrigation begun in Utah -
Chemical Fertilizers
Mixed chemical fertilizers sold commercially -
Mason Jars
Mason jars, used for home canning, were invented -
Tractors
Steam tractors are tried out -
Gasoline Tractor
The first gasoline tractor was built by John Froelich. -
Southern Agriculture
George Washington Carver of Tuskegee Institute finds new uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans, helping to diversify southern agriculture -
Cotton Strippers
Cotton-stripper developed for High Plains; successful light tractors developed -
Bread-slicers
Otto Rohwedder introduced his bread-slicing machine -
All Purpose Tractor
All-purpose, rubber-tired tractor with complementary machinery popularized -
Frozen Food
Frozen foods popularized -
Number of Tractors
Number of tractors on farms exceeds the number horses and mules for the first time
1955 -
Mechanically Harvested Cotton
96% of cotton harvested mechanically -
Reducing Chemicals
After several slow years, the sale of farm equipment rebounds; more farmers begin to use low-input sustainable agriculture (LISA) techniques to reduce chemical applications -
Reducing Chemicals
After several slow years, the sale of farm equipment rebounds; more farmers begin to use low-input sustainable agriculture (LISA) techniques to reduce chemical applications -
Satellite Technology
Farmers begin using satellite technology to track and plan their farming practices -
Weed and Insect Resistant
The first weed and insect—resistant biotech crops-soybeans and cotton—are available commercially -
Number of Farms
The number of farms grew to 2.2 million -
Number of Farms
The number of farms grew to 6.4 million
