Copyright 2016 MIFun4U.com
Each year, the MMOGTA selects a specific name brand, model, or style of vintage farm machinery to be the centerpiece of the attention during our annual show. We set aside a defined area of our display field to hold just those units that match up with our seasonal choice. For 2023, the Featured Brand Spotlight will focus directly on one of the somewhat lesser known brands that tilled the fields in the middle of the 20th. The Cockshutt brand (named for the original founder, James Cockshutt) began in Brantford Ontario in 1872 as the Cockshutt Plow Company. They continued into the 20th Century building farm implements and eventually realized the need to add their own entry to the farm tractor world. They designed and began to build the Model 30 in the late 1930’s, but much of their attention got diverted to military hardware during WWII. They are recognized as the first Canadian company to manufacture a “modern” farm tractor. Post-war, they were able to expand their lineup to include models both smaller and larger than the original “30”, giving them an improved market position for the booming business.
As most collectors know, Cockshutt did not have a marketing network in the US, but certainly wanted to find an avenue to the high demand below their border. In 1945 an agreement was reached with the National Farm Machinery Cooperative (US) to allow them to market their tractors in this Country, in a different color, and with the brand name “Co-op”. They had well established their products as reliable, powerful, and easy to operate, they just needed access to the fertile farms of the Midwestern US. Cockshutt continued to build farm tractors and equipment that was well received during the late 1940’s and into the ‘50’s until corporate mergers began to change the landscape. In the early 1960’s, “White Farm Equipment” began to buy up many of the familiar brands of tractors and equipment, Minneapolis-Moline, Oliver, and Cockshutt were all eventually merged into the “White” nameplate, thus ending another of the many fascinating corporate stories of the 20th Century. Fast-forward to today, the beautifully designed and durable Cockshutt tractors are highly sought-after by collectors around the US and Canada alike.
On the 3rd weekend of August, (18-20) 2023, we look forward to welcoming those many collectors and their prized Cockshutt tractors and implements to the 49th Annual Mid-Michigan Old Gas Tractor Show. Vermillion Red and Cream White will be the colors of the year, but as always, all brands and colors are welcomed and appreciated. Hope to see you there !
