ABSTRACT
Agricultural engineering is a multidisciplinary profession that relies on expertise in both the engineering and the agricultural ‰elds. The roots of agricultural engineering go back to the earliest civilizations with the origin of the hoe, early irrigation systems, and other early farming methods. Over time, advances in agricultural machinery resulted in more ef‰cient crop production; irrigation and drainage developments produced more usable land resources, while conserving natural resources; advances in agricultural buildings resulted in a healthier environment for livestock and increased ef‰ciencies in crop storage and production; and the use of electricity on the farm made possible the automation of many farm processes (Isaacs, 2003). Food engineers were also developing advances in food processing to increase the safety of foods with cost ef‰cient technology. Research in the heating, refrigeration, drying, chemical preservation, and packaging of food has advanced the development of these areas (Farkas, 2003). The importance of alternative energy has initiated numerous studies in the area of biofuels and bioenergy. Research has also shifted toward the molecular level with interdisciplinary work between engineers and biologists, geneticists and nanotechnologies (Ochs and Patterson, 2002).
