Rural living on land Responsibilities of a farmer

What do farmers do? �Farmers are very busy people that work long and hard days. �There are three major responsibilities that farmers have. � 1. Crop management �Taking care of the plants � 2. Livestock management �Taking care of the animals � 3. Machine maintenance �Fixing machines that break

Crop management �Taking care of crops are just one of the many duties a farmer has. �The farmer needs to plan out what crop should be grown at specific times during the year.

Crop management �You can’t just pick a crop and plant it when you want. There are two things you need to know when planting crops. � 1. When to plant. �Many crops can only be planted at certain times of the year when it is warm. � 2. How much to grow. �Farmers decide how much of a crop they want to grow before planting it.

When to grow �Crops need to be planted at a specific time during the year or else they could die from the cold weather. �Farmers plant crops during this time because it is the best time for them to grow.

�Lets take a look at a crop schedule to see when it’s a good time to plant crops.

How much to grow �Seeds cost money so farmers need to know exactly how much they are going to grow. �Farmers calculate how much land they have and how much seed they will need to plant each crop. �Let’s see how farmers plant their crops!

Livestock management �Farmers also need to take care of livestock. �Livestock: Animals that are raised on a farm so we can use them for work or eat them. �Farmers feed and give water to the animals they raise so they can grow big and strong.

Livestock management �A few animals that farmers take care of are: Cows A baby cow is called a calf.

Livestock management �Farmers also take care of: A baby pig is called a piglet. Pigs

Livestock management �Farmers also take care of: A baby chicken is called a chick. Chickens

Machine maintenance �Farmers need to use machines to make their job easier. �Sometimes the machines they use break down and the farmers have to fix them. �Lets look at some machines that farmers use!

Farmers use tractors to help with the crops.

Sometimes those tractors break down and the farmer needs to fix them.

Farmers use ploughs to make straight lines for planting crops.

They also use a seed drill to plant seeds.

Farmers use rollers to make the soil flat.

The roller helps keep weeds away and makes harvesting easier.

Farmers use a fertiliser spreader.

Fertilizer helps the crops grow strong and fast. Lets watch one in action!

The farming process �Now that we know what a farmer does let’s take a look at the whole process of farming. � 1. First the farmer plants the seeds in the ground. He can use his hands, but the seed drill is faster.

The farming process � 2. Once the seed is planted the farmer waters the seed and gives it fertilizer.

The farming process � 3. When the crop is big enough the farmer harvests the crop. Harvest means to cut down and sell. Let’s see how the corn gets harvested!

The farming process � 3. After the farmer harvests the crop he takes it to the market to sell it!

Time to make your own farm! �Color all of the objects in the handout. �Then cut each object out and glue/tape them together to make your own farm. �Write down the animals and plants that will be found on your farm.