Farming Year

• Farming was dictated much more by climate in Medieval times than it is today. Farmers had to follow a specific calendar so planting time was in the spring and they were well prepared to do so. Winter was used to fix broken tools, mend any building deficiencies,and making sure your livestock remained healthy. Summer was for tending to crops. Fall was for harvesting of plants and livestock.
  
  

Feudal System

• Feudalism was how most farmers came into their lands in Medieval times. Land was owned by a single lord who would rent that land to peasants to farm it. Many of these peasants couldn't afford the rent and so worked the land as payment for living there. Sharecropping in 19th Century America worked in much the same way.
  
  

Beasts of Burden

• Without technological advancements, such as tractors and combine harvesters, farmers relied on beasts of burden, such as oxen and horses, to get their farming done. Making sure they were fed and taken care of was one of a Medieval farmer's main jobs. Many farmers couldn't afford a proper beast of burden so they would pool resources with other farmers in the area and purchase a team of animals. Farmers would then use these animals on a rotating basis.
  
  

Tools

• Many tools we still use today in farming were first introduced during Medieval times. Two of the most important tools involved how horses were used for farming. These were the plow harness and the nailed horseshoe. The new horse harness allowed for more production with less fatigue in the horse while the nailed horseshoe kept the hooves sturdier longer. Other important tools used heavily during this time were the harrow, which was used to break up earth pulled up by the plow, the scythe and the pitchfork.