Mechanisation and Technology

Ford tractor

Tractors have revolutionised farming and massively increased productivity. Pictured above is a Ford New Holland. The first mass produced tractor was created by Henry Ford, who was born on a farm near Detroit, Michigan in 1863. He was the son of William Ford, who was born in Ballinascarthy, Co Cork in 1826. As the son of a farmer, Henry Ford believed that tractors were essential to increase food production. The first Fordson Model F was completed in 1916. Henry Ford & Son Ltd. came to Ireland in 1917 and built a factory at the Marino in Cork, the first Ford foundry outside of North America. The very first Fordson tractor left the assembly line on July 3, 1919. By the end of that year, 303 tractors had been built in Cork. massively increased productivity. Pictured above is a Ford New Holland. The first mass produced tractor was created by Henry Ford, who was born on a farm near Detroit, Michigan in 1863. He was the son of William Ford, who was born in Ballinascarthy, Co Cork in 1826. As the son of a farmer, Henry Ford believed that tractors were essential to increase food production. The first Fordson Model F was completed in 1916. Henry Ford & Son Ltd. came to Ireland in 1917 and built a factory at the Marino in Cork, the first Ford foundry outside of North America. The very first Fordson tractor left the assembly line on July 3, 1919. By the end of that year, 303 tractors had been built in Cork.

Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Ford tractor
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Ford tractor

Tractors have revolutionised farming and massively increased productivity. Pictured above is a Ford New Holland. The first mass produced tractor was created by Henry Ford, who was born on a farm near Detroit, Michigan in 1863. He was the son of William Ford, who was born in Ballinascarthy, Co Cork in 1826. As the son of a farmer, Henry Ford believed that tractors were essential to increase food production. The first Fordson Model F was completed in 1916. Henry Ford & Son Ltd. came to Ireland in 1917 and built a factory at the Marino in Cork, the first Ford foundry outside of North America. The very first Fordson tractor left the assembly line on July 3, 1919. By the end of that year, 303 tractors had been built in Cork. massively increased productivity. Pictured above is a Ford New Holland. The first mass produced tractor was created by Henry Ford, who was born on a farm near Detroit, Michigan in 1863. He was the son of William Ford, who was born in Ballinascarthy, Co Cork in 1826. As the son of a farmer, Henry Ford believed that tractors were essential to increase food production. The first Fordson Model F was completed in 1916. Henry Ford & Son Ltd. came to Ireland in 1917 and built a factory at the Marino in Cork, the first Ford foundry outside of North America. The very first Fordson tractor left the assembly line on July 3, 1919. By the end of that year, 303 tractors had been built in Cork.

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Farm techniques

The horse played a noble and essential role in Irish farming until the arrival of the diesel engine tractor from the 1920s onwards. Today the farming sector depends on horsepower of a different kind. The introduction of tractors and machines to undertake farm tasks has vastly increased output per labour unit and removed drudgery.

Jonathan Bell and Mervyn Watson, in their book “A history of Irish farming 1750 – 1950” chart the developments in farm techniques over that period. Ploughing and tilling the land is an essential task and they note that the first specialised mills to manufacture spades were documented in the late 1760’s.   By the 1870s spadework, while labour intensive, was regarded as a very effective way to till the ground. A model farm of five and a half acres at the Glasnevin Agricultural College in Dublin, where tillage was all done with spades, was claimed to be “one of the best tilled pieces of land in Ireland”.

Spreading fertilizer

Farmers in Ireland spread fertilizer to add nutrients to the growing crop. In 2011, farmers spent €490m on fertilizer (www.cso.ie). Nitrogen (N) is the most important nutrient, fuelling the growth of the crop. This can be applied mechanically throughout the growing season, or delivered organically through clover which is a legume (fixed Nitrogen in the soil). Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) are also required. Farmers purchase fertilizers with varying percentages of N, P and K, with 10-10-20 containing 10% Nitrogen, 10% Phosphorus and 20% Potassium. They come in granular form in easy to handle bags. Farmers use highly accurate mechanical spreaders to accurately apply fertilizer.

Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Spreading fertilizer
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Spreading fertilizer

Farmers in Ireland spread fertilizer to add nutrients to the growing crop. In 2011, farmers spent €490m on fertilizer (www.cso.ie). Nitrogen (N) is the most important nutrient, fuelling the growth of the crop. This can be applied mechanically throughout the growing season, or delivered organically through clover which is a legume (fixed Nitrogen in the soil). Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) are also required. Farmers purchase fertilizers with varying percentages of N, P and K, with 10-10-20 containing 10% Nitrogen, 10% Phosphorus and 20% Potassium. They come in granular form in easy to handle bags. Farmers use highly accurate mechanical spreaders to accurately apply fertilizer.

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Fertilizer

Modern farms are today equipped with a glittering range of powerful equipment that complete tasks with precision and with far less human toil than required by previous generations. There is also increased use of information technology. For example, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) based on satellites, is used to accurately spread fertilizer and seed and to track crop yields from individual fields. This increases efficiency by reducing waste and allows inputs to be used in a more targeted manner.

Dairy farming

In the case of dairy farming, modern milking equipment and labour saving technology mean that it is quite feasible for one man or woman to run a herd of 100 dairy cows, with additional labour only required to cope with peak seasonal demands of calving and breeding. Automatic calf feeders are common on Irish farms, while there are over 20 farmers in Ireland now milking their herds using robotic milking systems which greatly reduce the labour requirement in herd management.

Hay-making

Haymaking became widespread in Ireland during the late nineteenth century. In more recent times, it has been overtaken by silage as the most popular method for preserving grass. It is cut in the summer time and turned in the field for a number of days until it is dry. In the past, crops were gathered into heaps called “cocks”, which were then gathered in the haggard of the farmyard. Barns to protect hay from the elements were widely in use by the early 20th century. Today, hay is generally gathered in the form of round or square bales, which are formed after passing the crop through a mechanical baler pulled by a tractor.

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Hay-making
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal

Hay-making

Haymaking became widespread in Ireland during the late nineteenth century. In more recent times, it has been overtaken by silage as the most popular method for preserving grass. It is cut in the summer time and turned in the field for a number of days until it is dry. In the past, crops were gathered into heaps called “cocks”, which were then gathered in the haggard of the farmyard. Barns to protect hay from the elements were widely in use by the early 20th century. Today, hay is generally gathered in the form of round or square bales, which are formed after passing the crop through a mechanical baler pulled by a tractor.

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Haymaking

A modern farmer can choose to run a highly efficient unit with no machinery whatsoever, with contractors available in each local area to undertake the work on a per hour or per acre basis. Silage making, which involves preserving grass in times of surplus for use through the winter, is commonly undertaken by contractors with highly specialised equipment. A task that in the past would have taken weeks can now be completed in a matter of hours by these skilled and highly equipped units that can harvest a parish in a typical season.

While all tractors and combine harvesters in use on Irish farms are imported, there is a large and growing indigenous equipment manufacturing sector. Irish companies such as Dairymaster, Keenan, McHale, Malone, Abbey, Cross, Dromone, HiSpec and Tanco are now exporting farm equipment globally.