About Amish Farming Tools

The Amish are a community of people committed to preserving their religious beliefs and customs. Amish culture is centered on farming, and they are considered some of the best farmers in the world. While the Amish don’t drive any gasoline powered farm equipment, they do own such equipment and use horses to pull them through the field.

Horses

Horses are by far the most important farming tool used in the Amish community. Horses have been used by the Amish for centuries to pull plows, harvesters and hay collectors. In modern times, the Amish have tools such as tractors, hay balers and gas powered plows, but they are forbidden from driving gas powered equipment and still use horses to pull them.

Tractor

Since the early 1900’s, the Amish have had an on again, off again relationship with the tractor. Tractors were first accepted into the Amish culture in the late 1910’s. While the tractors were difficult to use, some Amish farmers used them to plow their fields. In 1923, tractors were forbidden from field use and were only allowed to be used for threshing wheat. Over the following decades, newer, easier to use tractors would sneak their way into
Amish farming, but eventually become banned once again. The Amish leaders were
afraid that driving tractors would lead to driving cars.

Tractors are used on Amish farms today, but only for powering other equipment such as a feed grinders, pumps and silo blowers.

Plow

Because tractors are no longer allowed in Amish fields, plows are important in breaking up the soil to prepare for planting. Plows are pulled by horses while the Amish farmer guides. There are companies that specifically manufacture horse drawn farming equipment, such as plows, for the Amish farmer.

Hay Baler

The hay baler is an extremely important modern Amish farming tool. Many Amish farms are dairies, so the production of a lot of hay is necessary. While modern hay balers are frequent sights in Amish country, the Amish leadership does not allow that the hay balers be driven. They are still pulled by horses, as they have been since the 1950’s.