Massey Ferguson Tractors Worth Their Salt

Leading Australian Shellfish Company Trusts Massey Ferguson Quality in Marine Conditions.

Shellfish Culture’s MF2615 pulling a haul of oysters back to shore

Massey Ferguson tractors are versatile machines usually found working in a paddock, assisting farmers improve efficiencies and output.

But the versatility of MF tractors means that they are also suitable for applications that may seem a little surprising.

Shellfish farming in Tasmania, Australia’s southernmost state, is one such unique application.

With one of the most isolated stretches of pristine ocean lapping its’ shores, Tasmania is the perfect place to farm shellfish and reliable, quality built tractors are needed to do it.

Local Tasmanian company, Shellfish Culture, has been operating Australia’s first Pacific oyster hatchery since 1979. Thirty five years on, the company is at the forefront of innovation and excellence in aquaculture, growing from a cooperative to now the largest shellfish seed producing company in Australia.

Shellfish Culture uses Massey Ferguson tractors in their harvesting and management of oyster farms. Impressed by the quality and reliability of their older MF435 compared to other brand tractors, the company later purchased a new MF2615. Both tractors spend a lot of hours in salt water, instead of high and dry on a paddock.

The tractors are driven from the farm’s beaches into the sheltered water as part of the farm’s regualar operations. They are used to haul oyster baskets and barges back onto the shore and spend many hours partially submerged.

The tractors are washed down daily and checked regularly during routine maintenance by staff and are proving to be reliable workhorses in the corrosive salt water conditions, compared to the company’s previous tractors.

MF tractors are an integral part of the company’s production of high quality oysters that find their way into markets and on dinner plates around the world.