Daniel Massey was a farmer for several decades until he decided to focus his work on machinery repair and created the 'Massey Manufacturing Company' in 1847, in Newcastle (Ontario, Canada). That's how the story began. Fourty years later (1891), the company merged with 'A.Harris, Son and Company' to form 'Massey-Harris Limited'. We are 'Born To Farm' since the very beginning, just like you. Made by farmers, for farmers.

Harry Ferguson created his company by negotiating sales for tractor factories. However, he found that tractors and their implement towing coupling was too rudimentary and so he designed an integrated unit to couple tractor to implement. The Ferguson system was born, and became the global standard, allowing the effort to be transferred to the rear axle and the front axle for more grip and safety. This idea led to the production of the first ever prototype of the ‘Ferguson black tractor’, the ancestor of all modern tractors. This was the building block to bringing you straightforward and dependable machinery.

In 1936, the 'Ferguson Brown' tractor was introduced to the public and production began. Based on the 'Ferguson Black' prototype, this distinctive tractor was created by Harry Ferguson and manufactured by the David Brown Company. It was a true revolution and a special training school was set up to train farmers to maximize the performance of this new tractor. Farmers are at the core of everything we do, and everything we have done. You can be assured that it will never change.

In 1953, Massey-Harris (Canada) and Harry Ferguson ltd (UK) merged together to become Massey-Harris-Ferguson. The association of these two pioneering brands brought the very best in tractor technology to create the ultimate farm machinery supplier. Our purpose has always been to provide you with a large range of products to fit your needs.

On the 19th November 1957, four years after merging, 'Massey Harris Ferguson' became 'Massey Ferguson'. That's how our brand -as you know it- was born! ... And the rest is history.

In 1957, Sir Edmund Hillary and his team embarked upon the Antarctica 1 expedition, a three months journey to the South Pole, equipped with TE20 tractors. On the 4th January 1958, they reached their destination and Hillary sent a telegram to Coventry: “Our Ferguson's had brought us over 1250 miles (2000 km) of snow, ice, crevasses and blizzard to be the first vehicles to drive to the South Pole.” Providing you with reliable, straightforward and dependable machines which can work anywhere in the world, it’s in our DNA.

In 1962, we introduced the multi-power gearbox. For the first time in the industry, farmers could select high and low ranges in each gear by simply operating a dashboard switch. A few years later, at the end of the 70's, we introduced synchromesh gearboxes, allowing rapid and smooth acceleration up to full speed while hauling heavy loads. We’ve always aimed to help you increase your efficiency from the beginning.

In 1972, the MF 760 combine was known as one of the largest combines of its day and was used in Europe with 24ft (7.3m) tables. In the late 1970s, it sets the standard for harvesting 100 acres (41.6 ha) in a day’s work. Since that day, our combine range kept on growing to help you get the job done easily!

The PowerFlow table is an innovation that is still making a difference on MF combines today. Thanks to this technology developed by the MF engineers, the crop is powered headfirst to the table elevator by means of rubber belts. This ensures an even feed into the machine and reduces table losses and machine blockages. This innovation was awarded with a Silver medal at the UK’s Royal Show.

In the 70's, tractors continued to become bigger and heavier. MF engineers decided to use electronics to take the three-point linkage to the next level, that's how we introduced the first Electronic Linkage Control (ELC) in 1978. At first, it was featured on a MF 1505 tractor produced for North America. It was brought firmly within the reach of all customers in 1985, with its availability on the 110-147hp MF 2005 Series tractors.

In October 1986, a decade after our introduction of the Electronic Linkage Control, we launched the groundbreaking 68-107hp MF 3000 Series ‘intelligent’ tractors. Equipped with a fully-integrated electronic management system, including Autotronic (a transmission management system) and Datatronic (data collection and performance monitoring), these machines were a brand-new ‘clean sheet’ design that really set us apart from the existing set-up. According to the international farming press, it was “A revolution in agricultural mechanisation”. Datatronic won three European farm machinery awards and was judged by the Royal Agricultural Society of England Silver Medal jury to “represent a significant and important advancement in tractor design and utilisation.”

In 1991, we took farming industry technology to the next level by equipping for the first time ever, a combine with a GPS-linked yield mapping system. That's how the era of 'precision farming' began. This innovation brought a totally new dimension of accuracy to field and crop management. By 1995, more than 100 of these systems were in use. A year later, in 1996, we officially launched ‘Fieldstar’ to group together all our activities in this sector under the same name.

In 1992, we created MF Finance and became the first manufacturer to launch its own financing solution to make straightforward and dependable machines accessible. This service still exists and is now called AGCO Finance. This year sees its 30th anniversary!

In 1994 Massey Ferguson joined AGCO Corporation. This partnership allows us to provide the most dependable, hardworking equipment for Massey Ferguson customers across the globe. Additionally, it provides access to world-class services, including AGCO’s GenuineCare and AGCO Protection. Farmers can focus on the field, not equipment maintenance, confident their assets are protected by the financial strengths of a global brand.

In 2000, AGCO completed the purchase of Hesston, who were pioneering the concept of the large square baler since the 70's. This kind of product became one of the factory's best seller, with the production of iconic models such as the Hesston 4910 / MF 190.

On 25th march 2002, the MF 8280 Xtra became the new title holder of the World ploughing record by ploughing under 620.899 acres (251.376 ha) in 24 hours. This record has been beaten since, but it remains a phenomenal achievement as it was the last one performed with a standard wheeled tractor and serial production plough.

In 2015, we introduced an impressive range of new hay and forage equipment, which was made available for the 2016 season. Designed and built at AGCO’s Feucht facility in Germany, this comprehensive line-up encompasses a wide array of high quality and energy-efficient mowers, rakes and tedders. We aim to provide a full-line of reliable equipment, available through the #MasseyFerguson dealer network.

2017 : MF listened to combine owners and operators - people just like you whose livelihoods depend on bringing home the harvest - and, with the launch of the MF IDEAL combine, turned their wish lists into practical reality.

On the 24th July 2020, we stepped into #MasseyFerguson's new era by launching the MF 8S, a tractor like no other. A year later, we introduced the MF 8S.305 DVT during the #MFBornToFarm event. This model is one of the most powerful and popular in our range.

Stay tuned, this milestone will be revealed on Monday 24th October. Let's celebrate our 175 years together! In the meantime…be part of the celebrations and join us on our social media channels. See you on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.