image_printPrint

Farm Equipment Badge

(Discover Agriculture or Discover Science and Technology)
By Kerry Cordy

 

Disclaimer: Farm equipment can be dangerous. Please learn and follow all safety rules while supervised by an experienced adult.

 

Preschool: Do three requirements including the two starred *

_____1.* Learn basic farm equipment safety including:

  • Wear seat belts whenever your ride in a truck, tractor, or other large machine.
  • Wear appropriate clothing such as heavy boots with no baggy or loose clothing that might get caught in machinery. Make sure you wear sun protection if necessary.
  • Wear long hair tied back or secured under a hat.
  • If your equipment requires safety goggles or ear plugs, make sure you wear them.
  • Always be aware of uneven ground, other equipment around you, and wandering animals or people.
  • Listen to and obey all adults in authority.
  • Do not operate any machinery until you have been fully trained and approved by an adult. Do not operate any machinery you are not completely comfortable with. Most states require children to be at least 16 years old before operating motorized farm equipment.
  • If you have any questions about what you should or should not do, ask an adult!

_____2.* Identify at least three different types of farm equipment. Examples might include a tractor, a milking machine, an ATV, a rototiller, a seeder, a sprayer, a mower, a backhoe, etc.

 

Level 1: Do four requirements including the two starred *

_____1.* Do Preschool requirements 1 & 2. Be able to identify at least four different types of farm equipment.

_____2.* Make a list of as many different types of farm equipment as you can think of (at least ten). How might the equipment needed on one type of farm differ from that on another – such as a dairy farm and a vegetable farm, or a cattle farm and a chicken farm?

 

Level 2: Do five requirements including the two starred *

_____1.* Do Level 1 requirements 1 & 2. Be able to identify at least five different types of farm equipment.

_____2.* Learn about the history of farm equipment. What affects has farm equipment had on the farming industry?

 

Level 3: Do six requirements including the two starred *

_____1.* Do Level 2 requirements 1 & 2. Be able to identify at least six different types of farm equipment.

_____2.* Choose a piece of farm equipment and create a timeline of its development. What could be done to make this piece of equipment even more useful and efficient? (This requirement may be repeated as an optional requirement)

 

Level 4: Do seven requirements including the two starred *

_____1.* Do Level 3 requirements 1 & 2. Be able to identify at least seven different types of farm equipment.

_____2.* Create a poster, essay, or booklet that compares and contrasts two leading brands of a specific piece of farm equipment such as tractors. Which would you purchase? Why?

 

Level 5: Do nine requirements including the two starred *

_____1.* Do Level 4 requirements 1 & 2.

_____2.* Teach someone how to do a skill from this badge or teach some knowledge about this badge to someone. You can teach kids, your spouse, seniors, anyone, just as long as you are sharing your new found knowledge. If for some reason you cannot teach what you have learned to someone else, you may choose an additional 2 optional requirements instead.

 

Optional requirements:

_____3. Visit a farm and learn about the equipment needed to run it. (This requirement can be repeated if you visit different types of farms with different equipment.)

_____4. Dream up an invention for a new piece of farm equipment. What would it do? How would it do it? What would the machine look like? How would it be powered and operated?

_____5. Create a 3D model of a piece of farm equipment.

_____6. Participate in a service project that has something to do with farm equipment such as helping to raise funds to buy equipment for a community garden.

_____7. Learn how to use a piece of farm equipment.

_____8. Create a poster, website, or booklet to show what you have learned about farm equipment.

_____9. Learn how a piece of farm equipment runs. Understand how the motor operates, how the moving parts work, etc.

_____10. How much does farm equipment cost? Create a realistic budget for an imaginary farm. How much money would you need to purchase the basic equipment needed to run your type of farm. Which pieces of equipment would be nice to have, but are not necessary and may be eliminated if the budget gets too tight?

 

Third Party Resources:

Wikipedia: List of Agricultural Machinery

 

Disclaimer:

Our web pages may provide recommendations and/or links to other digital and/or non-digital resources for the convenience of users. Curiosity Untamed LLC is not responsible for the availability or content of these external sources, nor does Curiosity Untamed LLC endorse, warrant, or guarantee the products, services, or information described or offered at these other digital and/or non-digital resources. Use these resources at your own risk and with a parent’s permission.