• The tractor is perhaps the most iconic piece of agricultural equipment.tractor image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
  
  Agricultural equipment covers a broad spectrum of different machines and tools used in farming. While some pieces of equipment, such as grain augers and cotton gins, are in fixed locations (and known as farmstead equipment), others are mobile like tractors (known as farm field equipment). There are also a variety of tractor attachments used for different agricultural activities, such as cultivation, planting and harvesting.
  
  

Farmstead Equipment

• One of the most commonly used pieces of farmstead equipment is the grain auger. Farmers use grain augers to transfer grain from one spot to another, such as from carts and trucks to storage containers. A typical auger features a rotating spiral or corkscrew-like apparatus (that pulls grain upward), and can be powered by an electric or internal combustion engine. Another common piece of farmstead equipment is a sorter, which is used to separate certain types of plant materials from others. Perhaps the most famous example of a sorter is Eli Whitney's cotton gin. The device uses wire hooks to pull cotton fibers through a screen, which separates the cottonseeds from the desirable cotton lint.
  
  

Farm Field Equipment

• Perhaps the most well-known and commonly used piece of equipment in agriculture is the tractor: a high-powered, four wheeled motor vehicle that typically features two oversized rear tires. Tractors are invaluable for farmers largely due to their hydraulic systems, which allow them to control a number of different attachable implements for cultivation, planting and harvesting. Many tractors now incorporate microprocessors and other advanced electronics to ensure both safety and efficiency.
  
  

Cultivation Equipment

• Two common pieces of cultivation equipment, or tools used for preparing soil for planting, are the plow and the harrow. While farmers use plows to overturn big chunks of earth, thereby loosening soil and covering up weeds, they use harrows to fine-comb the soil surface and to eliminate any remaining lumps.
  
  

Planting Equipment

• Planting equipment includes seed dispersers and seed sowing machines. While seed dispersers or seeders shoot out seeds from a distance, seed sowing machines utilize actual needles to create openings for seeds and to push them down into the soil.
  
  

Harvesting Equipment

• Reapers are tractor attachments that use sickles or curved blades to cut grain crops. They also feature sweepers or rakes, which push the cut-crops to the side after a certain capacity is reached. A harvester is a term that specifies a reaper that is also capable of binding crops in addition to cutting them.