Final answer:
John Deere's steel plow and Cyrus McCormick's mechanical reaper are important innovations in agriculture that increased farming efficiency and contributed to industrialized farming, transforming agricultural practices during the Industrial Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The steel plow invented by John Deere and Cyrus McCormick's mechanical reaper are important due to their innovations in agriculture. These inventions significantly increased the efficiency and productivity of farming, allowing farmers to work larger plots of land, leading to greater agricultural output. John Deere's plow, which could cut through tough prairie soil, made farming in new regions possible, while McCormick's reaper sped up the harvesting process, leading to a transformation in farming practices and contributing to the early stages of industrialized agriculture.
The mechanical reaper and steel plows were part of a broader move towards mechanization during the Industrial Revolution, which included the widespread use of steam power and the introduction of new farm machinery such as seed drills, threshing machines, and combine harvesters. These technological advancements, coupled with improved transportation networks like railroads, revolutionized agricultural practices, shifting from subsistence and small-scale farming to larger-scale, commercial agriculture capable of feeding rapidly growing urban populations and contributing to an overall increase in living standards throughout the country.