The development of agricultural machinery is directly linked to national and rural economic conditions. In developed countries, particularly the United States, where agricultural labor is scarce, agricultural machinery continues to develop in the direction of larger, wider, faster, and more productive equipment. Based on mechanization, it is gradually transitioning to automated production processes. Advanced technologies such as electronics and microcomputers are increasingly being applied in agricultural machinery and its design and manufacture. In the livestock industry, especially poultry farming, which has entered the stage of factory-based continuous production, enclosed chicken coops with automatically controlled microclimates are a new development in livestock machinery.
In field machinery, automatic control devices combining hydraulic and electrical control, or directly using electrical or electromagnetic control, have begun to be used, such as the raising and lowering control of the harvesting platform and the continuously variable speed of the reel on grain combine harvesters. The variety of electronic monitoring instruments is increasing, such as seeding uniformity monitors on seed drills, grain loss monitors and drum speed monitors on grain combine harvesters, and spray width and volume monitors on sprayers. Electronic technology is increasingly being used in machinery for automated grading of vegetables and fruits, and automated field irrigation management.
China still focuses on developing small and medium-sized agricultural machinery. Key development projects are agricultural machinery with high economic benefits, enhanced resilience to natural disasters, and the ability to ensure stable and high yields and increase production and income, such as irrigation and drainage, plant protection, and fertilization machinery. Machinery used for diversified rural operations will see significant growth, including machinery for processing agricultural and sideline products, livestock breeding, beekeeping, sericulture, pond fish farming, and mushroom cultivation.
Energy conservation in agricultural machinery and the development of diverse energy sources for agricultural use are receiving increasing attention. The development trends are: 1. Reducing fuel consumption in internal combustion engines by improving the combustion process and recycling exhaust gases and cooling water heat. 2. Internal combustion engines that use fuels derived from agricultural and sideline products or rural waste, such as vegetable oil, alcohol, and biogas, as well as dual-fuel internal combustion engines that can switch between fuels. ③ Using solar energy, geothermal energy, and waste heat from thermal power plants to dry grain and other agricultural products, or using them in heating systems for greenhouses and livestock houses. ④ Using wind power to generate electricity and pump water.
