The farmer controls the milking carousel via cell phone, while drones identify weeds that the weeding robot removes with pinpoint accuracy: Smart Farming around 2020. The first experiments with the steam-powered plow or machine milking date back to the mid-19th century. In the process, the agency and resistance of animals, plants and weather influenced the possibilities and limits of agricultural "industrialization." Last but not least, political ideas, social structures and economic goals shaped the use of technology in agriculture. In the seminar, we look at historical debates, practices, and sources from West and East.