The 'Sickle to Satellite' working event organised in 1998 by Suffolk farmer Oliver Cooper offered a unique opportunity to see a hundred years of cereal harvesting equipment in operation.
Recorded at the event, this video ranges from the sickle and a scything gang, through trailed reapers and binders to a representative sample of combine harvesters. Interviews with some of the machines' owners are included and the informative script is by Brian Bell.
Among the machines shown operating are a 1930 McCormick Daisy sail reaper, a Lanz self-binder and a Case Model Q reaper-thresher.
Combines at work are Massey-Harris 21 and 780, a Claas Super Junior and a Ransomes 902. Finally, a satellite-linked Massey-Ferguson 40 shows just how far technology has advanced from the days of the scything gang.
Scripted by Britain's most experienced farm machinery writer, Brian Bell, and directed by Jonathan Theobald at Country Films.