Farming Vocabulary Terms

AGRICULTURE- farming; working the land in order to grow things

BEE- a group of people who gather to work together. A bee usually involves food, entertainment, and contests as well as work.

CHAFF- the husks of grains and grasses separated from the seed; the unused part

CROP- anything that is grown or created in one season; for example, a corn crop

HARROW- a tool used to break up clods of dirt and to cover seeds during planting

HARVEST- to gather crops at the end of the growing season. Fall is traditionally called the harvest season when many farmers’ crops are gathered.

OX- a steer which has been trained for work. They are generally used in pairs and called oxen. They might be used to pull wagons, plant fields, and do other strenuous work.

PLOW- a tool for cutting and turning up the soil; used by farmers when planting crops

REAP- to cut a crop, usually a grain when it is being harvested

REAPING MACHINE- a machine for cutting grain during the harvest

SCYTHE- a tool with a long curving blade fastened at an angle to a handle used for cutting grasses

WINNOWER- a tool used to free seeds from the unusable part of the plant (chaff) by using the wind

Courtesy of the Warren County Historical Society