AGCO Provides Ramona Farms with Range of Equipment
From hay tools to track tractors, AGCO equipment plays a huge role on this desert farm.
AGCO Provides Ramona Farms with Range of Equipment
From hay tools to track tractors, AGCO equipment plays a huge role on this desert farm.On their 4,000-acre farm just south of Phoenix, Terry Button says he and his family “plant or harvest crops every month of the year.” He adds that their AGCO farm equipment—which he calls “as reliable and efficient as farm machinery comes”—plays a big role in the farm’s ability to keep pace.
The list is long, but among the tools are several pieces of Hesston by Massey Ferguson equipment, including a WR9870 windrower with a 9196 Razorbar™ Disc Header with Twin Max™ Advanced Conditioning. “We grow about 1,500 acres of alfalfa hay,” says Terry, noting that he sells to high-end horse farms and dairies, as well as export markets out of the Port of Long Beach, California. “The land is spread across a 200-mile area, and we get about eight cuttings a year.
“We have to move fast … and that advanced conditioner accelerates the drying time. We typically gain a day over a single conditioner.”
For a variety of tasks, the Buttons use seven Massey Ferguson 2650 tractors, which he says are “a perfect match for our [Hesston®] 1843S balers. They’re reliable, extremely fuel efficient, easy to service, easy to maintain and inexpensive to operate.
For higher horsepower requirements, he runs four Challenger® tractors, including two Challenger® 765D track units and an MT855B—all of which give the operation considerable muscle. The third is an MT675D wheel tractor that, he says, “has more power to ground than any of the wheeled units we’ve had before,” including several non-AGCO brands.
As for the AGCO dealership with which the family works, Empire Southwest: “The service department at our local dealer in Casa Grande is staffed with well-trained individuals who … have been unfailing in their ability to resolve difficulties we’ve had with any of the machinery. They’ll come out even after hours … especially if we’re in a time crunch, and they’re more than willing to help train our people on operation and service.
“Overall,” adds Terry, “Empire Southwest has a great dealer network for servicing the machinery that they sell … listening to what our needs are and getting us the equipment we need.”
Check out the story and the video about how Terry and Romana Button have developed a thriving farming operation that focuses on the health of their people: Harvest of Riches.
Written by: Richard Banks
