…of California agriculture. Automation and Agricultural Innovation To address labor challenges, Cameron’s operations are embracing automation and innovation. He described experiments with mechanical and laser weeders and drone technology, highlighting…
Horsepower to Tractor Power: A Turning Point in American Agriculture
…handling horses and mules. But engines, oil changes, and mechanical breakdowns required an entirely new skill set. Horses and Mules vs. Tractors For decades, farmers trusted what they knew best….
The Birth of the USDA and Land-Grant Universities
…agricultural and mechanical sciences. These institutions would become known as land-grant universities, designed to provide practical, research-based education to farmers and future agricultural leaders. Kansas Leads the Way in Agricultural…
History of Land-Grant Universities in U.S. Agriculture
…with making higher education more accessible and, importantly, with expanding agricultural and mechanical education to support the nation’s growing needs. Early Land-Grant Universities Among the first institutions to be designated…
Florida Citrus and Specialty Crops: Frank Giles on Challenges, Optimism, and Innovation
…center in the discussion. Growers are looking to drones, mechanical harvesters, and new precision technologies to offset rising labor costs. “Part of this whole labor discussion is we need to…
Cyrus McCormick and the Reaper Revolution
…tale of perseverance in the face of skepticism. In 1831, McCormick successfully demonstrated the world’s first mechanical reaper—an invention poised to transform farming. But while the machine showed immense promise,…
Lawnmower Origins in Agriculture History
…the rich history of agricultural innovation, names like Cyrus McCormick (mechanical reaper), John Deere (steel plow), and Eli Whitney (cotton gin) are firmly etched into the collective memory. These inventors…
Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin Revolutionized American Agriculture
…Whitney demonstrated his mechanical talent by crafting a handmade violin and later running his own nail-making business. Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin Revolutionized American Agriculture While attending college, Whitney stayed at…
Oliver-Hart-Parr: A Legacy of Innovation in Tractor History
…History The tractors that followed proudly carried the combined Oliver-Hart-Parr name, symbolizing a new era of mechanical advancement for American agriculture. As Mark Oppold notes, the “Oliver-Hart-Parr name proudly displayed…
Before Tractors: The Thresher That Changed Farming
…Daniel Massey launched the Newcastle Foundry in Ontario, Canada, producing some of the world’s first mechanical threshers. These devices separated grain from stalks—an essential but once backbreaking task. Above: A…
Senate Bill 628 provides Tax Credit for Agricultural Employers
Farm labor Weeding a Field Shutterstock Image CA Senator Shannon Grove has proposed Senate Bill 628 to provide a tax credit for agricultural employers to cover overtime wages for farm…
American Agriculture History Minute: Mechanical Corn Shellers Introduced
…by hand – was a difficult one for families, and the process normally was a community affair, family and friends gathering together for a shelling bee. Mechanical corn shellers were…
American Agriculture History Minute: Corn, and Corn Shelling
…By the way, this process is where the old saying, “hands as rough as a cob”, was born. Mechanical corn shellers were introduced in the 1800s as a means to…
American Agriculture History Minute: Ohio State University Founded
…university under the Morrill Act of 1862. And the name Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. Initially it was thought one of Ohio’s two existing universities. Ohio University and Miami University,…





















