Before a crop is sown, the land is prepared.

This is done for four reasons : - To loosen the soil so that the roots can grow and so that rain can penetrate more easily; To turn organic matter (and sometimes manure or fertilizer) under into the soil; - To control the growth of weeds; - To shape the seedbed (into ridges, beds, or mounds). Land can be prepared in three ways: - By hand (using a spade, hoe, rake, etc.); - By animal-drawn implements (a plough, harrow, etc.); - By heavier tractor-drawn implements. Land preparation by hand loosens the top soil and gets rid of the weeds. I o9 Implements drawn by animals and tractors can penetrate more deeply into the soil and can do a better job of preparing the land. They can really plough it. Ploughing means turning over the top soil and burying all the weeds and organic matter. The depth of ploughing depends on the type of traction and the way the plough is adjusted. Ploughing should always be deep enough to loosen the soil where the roots will develop. A field can be sown in various ways: Broadcasting: The farmer throws the seeds around him while walking up and down the field; Sowing in plant holes: The farmer makes a hole in the ground with a hoe, puts a few seeds in the hole, and closes it; Sowing in rows: The farmer sows in plant holes which are regularly spaced along a straight line. The line to be followed and the spacing of the holes can be marked on a sowing cord, or the lines can be scratched with a cultivator. Sowing in rows is necessary if weeding or ridging is to be done later by animal traction; Sowing with a seeder: A seeder is an implement drawn by an animal or a tractor. It sows seeds in rows. The result is the same as manual sowing in rows, but a seeder sows much faster. Fertilizer stimulates plant growth by adding nutrients to the soil or by replacing nutrients taken away by the previous crop. Fertilizer can be either manure or chemicals. Manure has the added advantage of improving the structure of the soil because of its organic nature. The quantity of manure available to the farmer depends on the size of his herd and whether the farmer collects the manure. If the cattle are kept together, it is easy for the farmer to collect the manure and put it on his fields. Often, however, the cattle roam around freely and the manure is lost.

Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper.[1] The harvest marks the end of the growing season, or the growing cycle for a particular crop, and social importance of this event makes it the focus of seasonal celebrations such as a harvest festival, found in many religions. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-intensive activity of the growing season. On large, mechanized farms, harvesting utilizes the most expensive and sophisticated farm machinery, like the combine harvester. Harvesting in general usage includes an immediate post-harvest handling, all of the actions taken immediately after removing the cropcooling, sorting, cleaning, packingup to the point of further on-farm processing, or shipping to the wholesale or consumer market. The thrashing machine, or, in modern spelling, threshing machine (or simply thresher), was a machine first invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture. It was invented (c.1784) for the separation of grain from stalks and husks. For thousands of years, grain was separated by hand with flails, and was very laborious and time consuming. Mechanization of this process took much of the drudgery out of farm labour. Before you plant your first seed, answer this question: How will you sell your crops? A good marketing plan is an absolute must for a successful farm business. Know your market and your customers. Start by growing vegetables that are popular with people in your area. Make sure you grow enough of each crop, and make the quality of your vegetables good. Then consider the best way to sell them to your customers.