ADAM HENSON

THE COUNTRY’S FAVOURITE FARMER GIVES US HIS MONTHLY GUIDE TO AGRICULTURE IN BRITAIN FARM MACHINERY – WHAT’S WHAT?

An ID guide to modern farm machinery.

Tfamiliar sight at any time of year. Just a glimpse of one sums up UK agriculture in an instant and they really are the workhorse of the industry – an ironic description considering that the mechanisation of farming in the 1930s and 40s saw the tractor replace working horses almost everywhere. In fact, we still measure an engine’s performance in terms of horsepower. It’s widely thought that the steam engine pioneer James Watt devised the comparison between animals and machines when he studied the amount of power that draft horses used for lifting and pulling. But while the tractor might be familiar to everyone, the machinery and equipment that is used with them is more of a mystery. After all, a tractor on its own can’t do a great deal. So here’s my handy guide to the things you will see being pulled behind tractors in the fields of Britain. One of the oldest implements on the farm with a history going back 4,000 years, ploughs have long been used for sowing, planting and turning the soil. The basic design of a blade at the end of a beam hasn’t changed much over the centuries. But modern reversible versions have ploughs placed back to back and can be turned over hydraulically at the end of a furrow, ready for the return run. While one row is working the ground, the other sits upside down in the air. It means the furrows are all turned the same way, ensuring an evenly ploughed field. If you spot what looks like a row of wheels attached to a low arm behind the tractor, that will be a disc harrow. It’s designed to break up the soil and disturb weed seeds. Once they sprout and make their presence known, they can be sprayed and stopped from growing and taking hold. It’s a great cultivation tool with blades arranged in sets; the deeper the blade’s angle, the deeper it bites. When the time arrives to sow the seed, an automatic seed drill does the job brilliantly. Once the soil has been fertilised and cultivated, the seed is put into a hopper and delivered across the width of the machine automatically to a network of tubes, which sit side by side. It can place seed with pin-point accuracy and at pre-set intervals to make sure there is an evenly spaced crop. A large barrel-like contraption being taken across a field will almost certainly be spraying slurry. It’s an environmentally friendly way to deal with animal waste and helps increase grass yields. Liquid manure and waste water is pumped into a reservoir or slurry lagoon and later it’s applied to the land. The latest models feature ground-level pipes for accurate distribution. Huge booms either side of the tractor that resemble aircraft wings mean that spraying is underway. To help control weeds, insect infestations and disease, farmers can use approved agricultural chemicals, if the conditions are right. UK spraying regulations are very strict, so the safe and efficient way to do it is by using an electronically monitored sprayer.