Farm Equipment/Implements

General Information

Farm equipment size has been steadily increasing over the past 40 years since the acreages under production for a single farm operation have also increased. This is an index to images for production-scale equipment commonly used in South Dakota:

Selected Farm Equipment

Tillage Implements Summarized

Farmers use a number of implements and equipment to perform tasks. Tillage implements such as the moldboard plow, the disk, chisel plow, chisel disk combination are primary tillage implements which break up the soil. Secondary tillage implements which help smooth the seedbed for planting include the field cultivator and small disk. At the beginning of the growing season, crops grown under conventionally tilled production practices may be subjected to a rotary hoe operation which breaks up hardened crusts and allows germinating seeds to emerge. Later in the growing season, wide-planted row crops grown under conventionally tilled production practices also may have a cultivation operation which kills shallow rooted weeds, and breaks up the crust for better precipitation infiltration.

Planting Equipment

Seed planting equipment is tailored to the specific crop grown, the tillage practices (conventional, conservation till, or no-till), the planting row width, and the agrochemical application program. Wide-row planters for corn, soybeans, or sunflowers can have special adaptations for applying liquid or dry fertilizers in the seed furrow or next to the seed, and pesticides. Narrow row planters for cereal grains, soybeans, alfalfa can also have include special adaptations which allows the planting and agrochemical application to occur in one operation and under no-till practices, without tillage. The labor and time savings which modern planters afford is tremendous.

Hay Production Equipment

A small grain drill or seeder will be used to plant alfalfa grass seeds. Farmers growing alfalfa or grass forages for hay production will cut the forage using a self-propelled swather, or a haybine or straight cutter pulled along by a tractor which places the hay in a row, The drying hay will be raked or turned for complete drying. Then the hay will be baled with a small square baler, a large square baler, or a round baler. The bales can be moved off field storage or protected storage to a storage location for easy access. Hay that is bucked or stacked or haystacks requires less equipment to compact and transport the hay.

Surface Applications of Agrochemicals

Farmers may decide to surface apply fertilizers, herbicides, or other pesticides (agrochemicals) either before planting or during the growing season. A "high-boy" applicator or a "floater" is equipment which can apply liquid or dry fertilizers or other agrochemicals to a field very effectively because of it's great boom width and large high clearance tires. Some other dedicated agrochemical sprayers are not as heavy, but they are just as effective for covering large areas of fields in a short time. Under extremely wet conditions, an airplane or helicopter may be used to fly agrochemicals on a field for a nominal cost.

Harvesting Equipment

Cereal grains and soybeans planted in narrow rows utilize a small-grain combine for harvesting. The wide swath and large grain storage capacity of modern combines allows a farmer to harvest large fields in a short time. Corn, soybeans, and sunflowers planted in wider rows use a combine fitted with snouts which allows the combine to pick up fallen stalks and extract the grain that would otherwise not be harvested.

Soil Sampling Equipment

Farmers should monitor their nutrient status of the soil as well as some of their chemical parameters on an annual basis. Using an inexpensive soil sampling tube to sample soil is a simple way of obtaining the necessary sample of field soil to monitor these parameters and obtain any fertilizer recommendation to meet grain yield goals.The sample can be removed at the 0-6" depth and the 6-24" depth, dried and sent into a state-run or commercial soil testing lab for analysis. Some agriservice centers can provide soil sampling services for a nominal fee.

Geo-Positioning Technology (Geographical Information Systems)

The newest technology available to agriculture is Geo-Positioning System (GPS) Technology as an application of Geographical Information Systems technology. The application of this technology to agriculture is also called Precision Farming or Site Specific Farming. It relies on satellite signals and ground correction stations to provide an accurate positioning of a receiver which is mounted on a soil sampler, a fertilizer or agrochemical applicator, a grain combine, or another equipment. Agriculture has used this technology to fine-tune agrochemical or manure applications, mapping soil parameters, and monitor environmental compliance. At the present, few farmers own all of the technology involved in this technology, but many agriservice companies offer the use of this equipment as a normal suite of services for a nominal fee.

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