Stand next to one 9-ton Fendt 700 Vario tractor and you’ll understand that AGCO is doing big things. Across a worldwide portfolio of 25 brands, including Fendt, Massey Ferguson, Valtra, Challenger, and Cumberland, AGCO manufactures tractors, combines, hay tools, foragers, tillers, sprayers, engines, and generators—in other words, equipment that the world’s farmers can rely on for every agriculture application. “The world is our farm,” as the folks here say. AGCO does it all… and does it all over.
AGCO rolled out the red carpet–Massey Ferguson red, to be exact—for the AEM Manufacturing Express’ visit to Duluth, Georgia today. Over platefuls of burnt ends and sweet tea (supplied by local favorite Jack’s Feed Store), AGCO celebrated the equipment manufacturing communities across the U.S. that comprise its family of facilities, all from right here in northeast Georgia.
For all that manufacturing might, AGCO is still a young company. Formed in 1990 through a splitting-off of Deutz-Allis’ North American arm, AGCO has quickly grown via a combination of strategic acquisition and bold expansion. This past year, AGCO closed the largest deal in its history, acquiring a controlling stake in Trimble, whose software and navigation technologies add a powerful new dimension to AGCO’s suite of offerings. CEO Eric Hansotia, who took the reins in 2021, is quick to point out their goal: To comprehensively service their customers throughout the crop cycle. “We’re farmer-focused,” Hansotia said. “That’s how AGCO has become the largest pure-play ag equipment manufacturer in the world.”
The future isn’t far off, though, and AGCO has big plans for the years to come. Part of that plan includes research into autonomous equipment, which reduces the costs and burdens for farmers who increasingly must do more with fewer operators and scarce farm labor. “We’re set to achieve driverless and autonomous solutions for the entire crop cycle by 2030,” Hansotia said. AGCO is investing in people, too, and right here in northeast Georgia: through their partnership with the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Science, AGCO works constantly to advance Georgia’s future leaders in agriculture and agriculture equipment.
The association with the University of Georgia—home to the Peach State’s best and brightest of the future—doesn’t end there. From the Manufacturing Express, Georgia Governor (and proud UGA alumnus) Brian Kemp explained how local equipment manufacturers like AGCO provide Georgia serious economic opportunities to Georgians, generation after generation. “I’m proud of our Georgia-based companies, Georgia-based manufacturers, and hard-working people,” Kemp explained. Kemp, who lives on a small farm outside Athens, has a 5710 Massey Ferguson tractor at home. Kemp likes that it’s painted black, white, and red, too—UGA colors. “Go Dawgs!”
Last year, AGCO posted $3.5 billion in net sales—in North America alone. Across brands, industries, and continents, their equipment remains synonymous with quality and capability for all seasons and any application. The AGCO team is rightly proud of what they’re doing here in Georgia and in their 22 facilities and communities around the U.S. At AGCO, success is a simple formula: put farmers first and build equipment to last.
