Farmers have three main responsibilities - crop management, livestock management, and machine maintenance. Crop management involves planning what crops to plant and when, based on seasonal conditions. Livestock management requires caring for animals on the farm, such as feeding and watering cows, pigs, and chickens. Farmers must also operate and repair machines used in planting, harvesting, and other agricultural tasks.

1. Responsibilities of a farmer

2.  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

3.  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.

4.  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.

5.  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.

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

7.  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!

8.  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.

9.  A few animals that farmers take care of
are:
Cows
A baby cow
is called a
calf.

10.  Farmers also take care of: Pigs
A baby pig
is called a
piglet.

11.  Farmers also take care of: Chickens
A baby
chicken is
called a
chick.

12.  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!

21.  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.

22.  2. Once the seed is planted the farmer waters
the seed and gives it fertilizer.

23.  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!

24.  3. After the farmer harvests the crop he takes it
to the market to sell it!

25.  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.