Archive for March, 2011

This week we celebrate those who work hard to produce the food, fuel and fiber used around the world during the National Agriculture Week (March 13-19) in the US.

Part of this celebration is the official “Ag Day” where members of the agriculture industry gather and promote American agriculture.

Ag Day is about recognizing – and celebrating – the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives. The National Ag Day program encourages every American to:

• Understand how food and fiber products are produced.
• Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
• Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products. Source: www.agday.org

Throughout the whole week Farmers and Ranchers are sharing stories, hosting local events and using tools like Social Media to reach consumers.

We would like to use this opportunity of celebrating agriculture and encourage you to follow ag blogger Ryan Goodman’s great idea. He asks you to share why you are proud to be part of agriculture. He’s even holding a contest that we’re happy to sponsor by providing a few prizes. For more information on how to take part in his initiative see his blog: http://agricultureproud.com/2011/03/14/why-are-you-agproud

Why are you proud to be part of agriculture and what does your region do to promote agriculture?

The original Ferguson TE20 used by the conservationist Sir Peter Scott to landscape his world-famous bird sanctuary at Slimbridge in the UK has been fully restored and is now on display at the site thanks to support from Massey Ferguson.

Barry George, WWT Slimbridge’s resident mechanic, carried out the full restoration on Sir Peter Scott’s tractor and was delighted to find out that just how many original parts are still available for the 60-year-old machine.

Sir Peter, son of Antarctic explorer Robert Scott, bought the TE20 in 1950 and used it personally for all kinds of duties when he first set up the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Reserve (WWT) in Gloucestershire.

In 2009, an owner of a local garage discovered the tractor being stored on a nearby farm and bought it. When staff from Slimbridge heard about the discovery, he agreed to sell it back to them. Massey Ferguson funded the purchase and also provided parts through its 10+ programme to help restore the machine to working order.

Said Nick Rew, Parts Marketing Manager: “We were very pleased to help WWT Slimbridge. The parallels are obvious – just as Sir Peter Scott was a pioneer of world conservation, Harry Ferguson – the tractor’s designer – changed farm machinery forever with his revolutionary design.”

Have you nursed an old Massey Ferguson tractor back to good health?

Hello! My name is Calder Justice and I am here to rock your world with information regarding the technology that AGCO has to offer and how it can make your day in the field more time, fuel, and cost efficient! Our products are available throughout the world and I plan on updating you with pictures and stories from all the places we travel; regarding what our customers have to say and the cold hard facts of how our technology can save you massive amounts of costs with minimal overhead. So please follow me to find out more about AGCO technology and also check out our website to see the full line of the technology products we have to offer!

Introduced in North America in 2010, and soon to be launched in Australia, the Gleaner continues to be a big success. One of the main things that makes a Gleaner Super Series combine unique is Natural Flow™ feeding and threshing. With the rotor setting the width of the combine, the crop does not compress or change directions when moving from the feeder house to the rotor.

The process begins as grain enters the machine through the 69-inch (1,752 mm) long by 39.5-inch (1,003 mm) wide feeder house that is powered by an 8 5/8-inch (219 mm) diameter front feed drum. The feeder house can be reversed with the touch of a button from the operator’s seat in the event of a plug.

The feeder house pivots vertically at the first chain, anchoring the rear chain on a fixed angle regardless of header height. The second chain outpaces the first by 6 percent to prevent bunching. Four-strand undershot feed chains offer 33 percent more chain support than competitive three-strand feed chains to help prevent bent feeder slats.

In addition to keeping the crop moving in a smooth ribbon from feeding to threshing, the Natural Flow system has an additional feature that distinguishes it from competitors’ designs. Because the rotor is moving in line with the way the crop is fed into the machine, material is pulled into the rotor rather than being pushed in from the feeding system. This is a significant advantage in ensuring smooth feeding and reducing plugs. Bottlenecks are reduced because a Gleaner does not narrow the crop mat when moving from the feeder house to the rotor. The width of crop mat remains the same from the time it enters the feeder house to the time it enters the rotor, also reducing plugs and increasing threshing efficiency.

Stay tuned for an announcement of some live AGCO Chats with Kevin Bien, AGCO’s Product Marketing Manager for Combines in North America. What questions do you want Kevin to answer about the Super Series combines?

I have only ever promoted the Massey Ferguson brand and never regretted a single minute. This brand has always had a mission to improve the success and sustainability of global agriculture… and this is why you can find Massey Ferguson products working in every corner of the world. Our farmers are a special breed…  they are amongst the finest out there, and working with them to do a good job together provides  the best job satisfaction in the world.