1. The Agricultural Revolution
The major impetus for the Agricultural Revolution was to grow more food
But not only did they want to grow more food, they wanted to use less people to do it
They wanted to free people from the land so they could go to the cities and work in industry
And this is how the Agricultural Revolution inevitably led to the Industrial Revolution

2. Old School Farming So it was out with the old and in with the new
The “old” was during the Middle Ages
Peasant farmers would rent small strips of land and grow a variety of different crops
Their goal was to feed their families and pay their landlords
Any crop left over would be used to buy other amenities
It was subsistence farming at best

3. New School Farming
But the “new” involved getting rid of the small farms and small farmers
Small farms were consolidated into large productive farms
Instead of a variety of crops these new farms would grow one or two crops and do it very well
In other words, they specialized

4. New Type of Farm – New Type of Farmer
In fact, this new farmer was not worried about putting food on the table
He was worried about making a profit
He would use all the modern technology available
He was an entrepreneur and he had money
He was willing to experiment and invest money so he could make even more money

5. Jethro Tull
One of the major innovators or agricultural pioneers during this period was Jethro Tull
Tull’s methods were adopted by many large landowners and have essentially helped to form the basis for modern agriculture
Tull found that when soil was well broken up, or cultivated, and enriched with manure or fertilizer, crops grew much better
He also came up with a better method of planting seed

6. Out with Broadcasting
Because the old method of planting called “broadcasting” was not effective
Farmers would scatter seeds over a large area by hand
The disadvantage was that many seeds were lost due to wind or birds
Furthermore the farmer ended up with an unruly mass of crop mixed with weeds

7. The Seed Drill
Tull came up with an more efficient system of sowing seeds
He invented the seed drill
It would bury the seed neatly in rows
It was faster and much less wasteful than broadcasting
And now, rather than an unruly mass of weeds and crop, the farmer had neat rows that were easier to maintain

8. Horse Drawn Hoe
Tull also advocated the use of horses instead of oxen to cultivate the land
He created a horse-drawn hoe for clearing weeds
He found that if the soil was adequately pulverized, it would release nutrients from the soil, and help crops grow better
Using the Horse Drawn Hoe help to pulverize the soil to the point where fertilizer was not as necessary as in the past

9. Charles Townshend
Another major agricultural innovator during this period was Charles Townshend
He was a large land owner and member of Parliament
Former Secretary of State directing British Foreign Policy
This alone would have afforded him at least a foot note in history
But his claim to fame really came after he retired and devoted himself entirely to farming

10. Turnip Townshend
In fact he is most famously known as “Turnip Townsend”
This was because turnips and clover were the key to his success
Using the above crops, he was able to develop a more efficient field system that replaced the …

11. Three Field System
Which was the system of crop rotation used in the Middle Ages
Two fields would be utilized to grow crops while a third would be left fallow to allow the soil to rest and restore its nutrients
The following year a new field would be left fallow

12. Four Field System
Turnip Townshend, however, came up with a four field system that avoided the waste of a fallow field
He would grow four crops:
- Turnips (Year One)
- Barley (Year Two)
- Clover ( Year Three)
- Wheat (Year Four)
After this the cycle would be repeated

13. The Beauty of Turnips and Clover
The key to the four field system involved the use of turnips and clover
These crops naturally release nitrogen into the soil
This nitrogen release meant that it was no longer necessary to have a wasted fallow field
Suddenly, due to the four field system, farmers could produce up to four times the crop they produced before
Turnips and clover also had the added advantage that they could be used as inexpensive fodder to feed animals over the winter

14. It’s time for a BBQ
Prior to the Agricultural Revolution people did not eat much meat
Herds were only culled because there was not enough fodder to keep the whole herd alive
The use of the four field system now allowed farmers to feed and entire herd year round
This led to enormous year round herds of cattle and sheep
This, in turn, lowered the price of meat
Suddenly because of affordability, meat became an everyday part of everyone’s diet
Adding protein to everyone’s diet meant a healthier, more robust population

15. Summary of Productive Farming Advances during the Agricultural Revolution
Farm Consolidation
Specialization
Improved cultivation methods (Seed Drill/Horse Drawn Hoe)
Fertilization
Four field crop rotation
Use of fodder crops such as turnips and clover
Improved animal breeding
All the above led to a vastly improved agricultural system
Hence, England was growing more food and needed fewer people to do it
Furthermore, these unemployed farmers could now move to fill the employment needs in the growing industrial cities
And this is how the Agricultural Revolution inevitably led to the Industrial Revolution