Agriculture Revolution Inventions

Seed Drill (Jethro Tull, 1701)

A mechanical seeder that sowed seeds at the correct depth and spacing, drastically reducing waste and increasing crop yield compared to hand-sowing.

Iron/Steel Plows (e.g., Rotherham, John Deere)

Improvements over older wooden or cast-iron plows, such as the self-scouring steel plow by John Deere (1837), allowed farmers to cut through heavy, sticky soil more efficiently.

Threshing Machine (Andrew Meikle, c. 1786)

Mechanized the process of separating grain from stalks and husks, which had previously been a laborious, manual process using a flail.

Cotton Gin (Eli Whitney, 1793)

Quickly and efficiently separated cotton fibers from their seeds, making cotton a profitable cash crop and fueling the textile industry.

Mechanical Reaper (Cyrus McCormick, 1831)

A horse-drawn machine for harvesting grain, allowing a single farmer to harvest far more land than by hand with a scythe.

Crop Rotation (e.g., Norfolk four-course system)

While not a mechanical invention, this systematic approach to rotating crops (including soil-enriching plants like turnips and clover) was a critical innovation that prevented soil exhaustion and eliminated the need for fallow fields.

Tractors (e.g., Benjamin Holt's Track-Type Tractor, 1904)

Later inventions, especially gasoline-powered ones, replaced animal power, further revolutionizing farming and large-scale mechanization.