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Agricultural engineering

Application of engineering for agricultural purposes

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Monterey, Calif. (April 27, 2006) - Combat Systems Sciences and Technology Program Naval Postgraduate student Ensign Tom Dunbar, works with an autonomous robot originally designed to maneuver in agric
U.S. Navy photo by Javier Chagoya · Public domain

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An agricultural engineer is an engineer with an agriculture background. Agricultural engineers make the engineering designs and plans in an agricultural project, usually in partnership with an agriculturist who is more proficient in farming and agricultural science.

History

The first use of agricultural engineering was the introduction of irrigation in large scale agriculture in the Nile and the Euphrates rivers before 2000 B.C. Large irrigation structures were also present in Baluchistan and India before Christian era. In other parts of Asia, agricultural engineering was heavily present in China. In South America irrigation was practiced in Peru by the Incas and in North America by the Aztecs.

The earliest plough was the ard or scratch-plough.

Settlers practiced irrigation in the vicinity of San Antonio in 1715, the Mormons practiced irrigation in Salt Lake Valley in 1847.

With growing mechanization and steam power in the Industrial Revolution, a new age in agricultural engineering began. Over the course of the Industrial Revolution, mechanical harvesters and planters would replace field hands in most of the food and cash crop industries. Mechanical threshing was introduced in 1761 by John Lloyd, Magnus Strindberg and Dietrich. Beater bar threshing machine was built by Andrew Meikle in 1786. A cast iron plow was first made by Charles Newbold between 1790 and 1796.

James Smith constructed a mower in 1811. George Berry used a steam combine harvester in 1886. John Deere made his first steel plow in 1833. The two horse cultivator was first about 1861.

The introduction of these engineering concepts into the field of agriculture allowed for an enormous boost in the productivity of crops, dubbed a "second agricultural revolution" which consisted of:

  1. Shift from peasant subsistence-farming to cash-farming for the market
  2. Technical changes of crop rotations and livestock improvement
  3. Labour being replaced by machinery

In the 20th century, with the rise in reliable engines in airplanes, cropdusters were implemented to disperse pesticides. Benjamin Holt built a combine harvester powered by petrol in 1911. Erwin Peucker constructed bulldog tractors 1936. Deutz-Fahr produced the rotary hay tedder in 1961.

In the late 20th century, genetically modified foods (GMOs) were created, giving another large boost to crop yields and resistance to pests.

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EngineeringApplied science and researchTechnologyUse of knowledge for practical goalsElectrical engineeringBranch of engineeringResearch and developmentGeneral term for activities in connection with corporate or governmental innovationCivil engineeringEngineering discipline focused on physical infrastructureProblem solvingProcess of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles