A poem to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the Ferguson System 1935 - 2025
Harry Ferguson (1884 - 1960) invented the modern tractor in the Ferguson Master Patent of 1925 after over ten years of research and development. Ten years later ideas in the Ferguson Master Patent would evolve from a Ferguson principle to become the Ferguson System that was finally perfected during the autumn of 1935. With so much of the testing and development done in County Tyrone the county is uniquely known as the home of the Ferguson System.
This is a little poem I penned in celebration of one of the greatest inventions for humanity that still helps feed the world and makes me so proud to be from the Northern Ireland the country that gifted a farming revolution to the world.
In County Tyrone’s fertile lands, and fields of green,
A visionary worked, to perfect his lifelong dream.
Harry Ferguson, genius with a mission, mind so bright,
Modern tractor he invented, a farming revolution, of might.
Linking implements and tractor as a unit, a first as one,
Touch of a finger, fight against hunger and poverty won.
From Ferguson Master Patent, of nineteen twenty five,
He changed the pace of Northern Ireland’s place, his drive.
Duplex hitch evolved to three point, converging, hydraulic linkage,
Ten years, new implements, a new way to farm envisaged.
Innovation born from heart, bettering lives, prosperity to command,
Harry Ferguson’s vision, transformed more than just farmland.
In nineteen thirty-five in perfection, he made his global mark,
The Ferguson Belfast Black Prototype tractor, gleaming in the dark.
Not just metal, but a technological wonder, combined,
The Ferguson System by design, in County Tyrone, refined.
From humble start to worldwide fame, Harry Ferguson’s name,
Father of the modern tractor, engraved in the all-time, hall of fame.
Northern Ireland’s legacy of innovation great, proudly celebrated stands,
Harry Ferguson who modernised agriculture, from tractor seat, across all lands.
The Ferguson System perfected at County Tyrone in 1935, by Stevan D. T. Patterson, 2025.