A Mass of Massey Ferguson

Harley Ramirez, Account Manager for AGCO in Cottonwood, California, has known Greg Hawes for 25 years. While Greg, a multi-faceted farmer and businessman (see the full story on his operations here) is now a faithful AGCO customer, he and Harley have another connection. “Greg hired me to work his retail counter for the feed store,” says Harley, in 1996. Then a few years ago, with businesses ramping up in the enterprise, Greg contacted Harley about updating his fleet of farm equipment. Greg now has the largest AGCO fleet in Shasta County, California, including the three new Massey Ferguson 1844S small square balers that he purchased for his hay business.

Besides the new equipment, Greg also runs three Massey Ferguson row crop tractors from the 8700 line, a Challenger tractor and a Massey Ferguson 9870 windrower that proved to be yet another game-changer in the hay business. Like its newer-model 9900 Series brethren, it features twin roller conditioners that speed up drying. “I used to let my hay sit seven days, I knew it took seven days to dry,” he says. “And (now) I’m shaving two, sometimes three days off that.” Greg likes his hay in a tall, narrow row to prevent bleaching; his windrower sets the row as he likes it, and the 1844S balers, “they just eat hay,” he says.

CLICK HERE for product information on the MF1844S and the 9900 Series windrowers >>

Greg added two MF7715s to the operation this year, and they do everything from pulling balers to pulling customers in wagons when they visit the farm, all at maximum efficiency. “That thing holds a lot of fuel, and I’ll work all day long and won’t even be close to empty,” he says. “The computer will do the rest as far as maximizing fuel efficiency, and wow, what a difference over a day.”