The internal combustion engine represents one of the great milestones
in the technical evolution of agricultural work.
The tractor, which initially appears in 1910 but does not actually
come into widespread use until the 1940s, becomes the preeminent
symbol of work on the farm.
It supplants the muscle power provided by the horse and is utilised
in all the links in the chain of the farm season: accordingly, ploughing,
harrowing, seeding, watering, fertilising, and, of course, harvesting
all revolve around using the tractor. This era of motorization is
none the less accompanied with a revival of the manual tools needed
for the maintenance and repair of the vehicles and machinery.
Starting in the 1950s, motorised machinery, such as the giant combine
harvester, becomes a common sight on the Prairies. More recently,
the automation of mechanical operations, adjustments, and calculations,
together with the computerisation of records, means that field and
barn work can be continuously refined and perfected. The family
farm as we know it today still exists but it is now highly capitalised,
with investments in equipment and machinery that constitute a huge
and growing part of the farm's total net worth.
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Agricultural
Work : Tools and Machinery