Farm Power PDF

Farm power Objectives: The students at the end of the lecture should be able to: i. State the form of power available for farming operations ii. State what each power source entails- advantages and disadvantages ...

Farm power Objectives: The students at the end of the lecture should be able to: i. State the form of power available for farming operations ii. State what each power source entails- advantages and disadvantages  1. Introduction Farm power concerns all the means to carrying essential farming operations. Typical agricultural operations can be broadly classified as: i. Tractive work such as seed bed preparation, cultivation, harvesting and transportation, and ii. Stationary work like silage cutting, feed grinding, threshing, winnowing and lifting of irrigation water. These operations are done by different sources of power. Farm power is used for operating different types of machinery like tillage, planting, plant protection, harvesting and threshing machinery and other stationary jobs like operating irrigation equipment, threshers/ shellers / cleaners/ graders, etc. The primary purpose of power units is to operate farm equipment for farming operations.  SOURCES OF FARM POWER There are different sources of farm power, which are classified as: 1. Human power ( Men, women and children). 2. Animal draught (bullock, buffalo, camels, ponies, mules and donkeys) 3. Mechanical Power. 4. Electrical Power. 5. Alternative Power e.g. Solar, wind, biogas etc  1. HUMAN POWER Human beings are the main source of power for operation small tools and implements. They are also employed for doing stationary work like threshing, winnowing, chaff cutting and lifting irrigation water. Human power is an important source of operating small tools and implements, chaff cutter, water lifting devices, threshers, winnower etc. A strong man can develop maximum power of about 75 watts (about 0.1hp) for doing farm work. Man power is an important input parameter for both strategic and tactical management levels in agricultural production systems, connected to management tasks such as capacity planning, task times planning, and scheduling. Advantages of Human Power Easily available and used for all types of work. Disadvantages of Human Power Costliest power compared to all other farms of power, very low efficiency, requires full maintenance when not in use and affected by weather condition and seasons.  2. ANIMAL POWER Animal power accounts for about 20% of agricultural mechanization in developing countries. Cattle, buffaloes, horses, donkey and mules are the main draught animals. Power availability from draught animals are related to its body weight. On the basis of body weight, draught animals are classified as small (200 to 300 kg), Medium ( 301 to 400kg), large (401 to 500 kg) and heavy ( above 500kg). Power developed by an average pair of bullocks about 1 hp for usual farm work. Start Advantages: 1. Easily available. 2. Used for all types of work. 3. Low initial investment. 4. Supplies manure to the field and fuels to farmers. 5. Live on farm produce. Disadvantages: 1. Not very efficient. 2. Seasons and weather affect the efficiency. 3. Cannot work at a stretch. 4. Require full maintenance when there is no farm work. 5. Creates unhealthy and dirty atmosphere near the residence. 6. Very slow in doing work.  3. MECHANICAL POWER Mechanical power that is available through tractors and fuel engines. Engines convert fuel chemical energy into mechanical power. Combustion of the fuel causes one or more reciprocating pistons, each contained in a cylinder to turn a crankshaft. It means power coming from machines. Examples include: Tractors, Power tillers, Stationary I.C engines ( Diesel engines and petrol or Kerosene engine) used for pumping water, flour mill, chaff cutter, sugarcane crusher, thresher, winnower etc, Self propelled machines. Advantages: Efficiency is high; not affected by weather; cannot run at a stretch; requires less space and cheaper form of power. Disadvantages: Initial capital investment is high; fuel is costly and repairs and maintenance needs technical knowledge.  4. ELECTRICAL POWER Used mostly in the form of electrical motor on the farms. Motor is very useful machine for farmers. It is clean, quiet and smooth running. Its maintenance and operation needs less attention and care. The operating cost remains almost constant throughout its life. Electricity has become a very important source of power on farms. The electrical power is used for irrigation, water supply, diary industry, cold storage, fruit processing and cattle feed grinding etc. Advantages: Very cheap form of power; high efficiency; can work at a stretch; maintenance and operating cost is very low and not affected by weather conditions. Disadvantages: Initial capital investment is high; require good amount of technical knowledge and it causes great danger, if handled without care. 5. Renewable energy It is the energy mainly obtained from biomass; biogas, solar and wind which is mainly used in agriculture for power generation and various agricultural processing operations. It can be used for lighting, power generation, water heating, drying, greenhouse heating, water distillation, refrigeration and diesel engine operation. This type of energy is inexhaustible in nature. The availability of wind energy for farm work is quite limited. Where the wind velocity is more than 32 km/h, wind mills can be used for lifting water. Main limitation for this source is uncertainty. Average capacity of a wind mill would be about 0.5 hp.  Benefits of Farm Mechanization Precision of operation Timeliness of operation Improvement of work environment Enhancement of safety Reduction of drudgery of labour Reduction of loss of crops and foodproducts Increased productivity of land Increased economic return to farmers Improved dignity of farmers Progress and prosperity in rural areas