From a 70-acre farm in 1946 to becoming one of Scotland’s leading egg producers, the Chapman family has spent generations building a business focused on quality, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.

Now celebrating 80 years at the family farm in Aberdeenshire, Iain Chapman continues to grow and modernise the operation through a fully integrated approach that combines large-scale egg production with extensive arable operations – all supported by a reliable fleet of Scot Agri machinery and a strong dealer relationship. 

80 Years of Growth for the Chapman Family

Farmlay Eggs has grown significantly since the Chapman family first arrived at the farm in 1946.

‘We’ve been here 80 years this year,’ says Iain. ‘It was only a 70-acre farm that my Grandad bought back then, and we’ve built it up over the years.’

Today, the business farms around 2,500 acres, with approximately 2,000 acres dedicated to arable production. Alongside this, sits the poultry enterprise consisting of around 450,000 laying birds, with approximately 1.2 million birds reared annually across the wider group.

With crops grown on the farm being utilised to produce feed for the birds, maintaining efficient and productive field operations is critical.

‘The reason we continue to increase our land is to grow cereals to feed the birds,’ explains Iain. ‘It gives us control of supply, quality, and costs.’

The scale of Farmlay Eggs means machinery has to perform reliably across a wide range of demanding tasks throughout the year.

Investing in the JCB Fastrac 4220

The first machine Farmlay Eggs purchased through Scot Agri was the JCB Fastrac 4220, brought in to strengthen the business’s capabilities across haulage and general farm work. With a large-scale mixed farming operation to manage, versatility was a key requirement, and JCB Fastrac 4220 quickly established itself as an important machine in the fleet.

‘We were looking for a general-purpose tractor,’ explains Iain. ‘The Fastrac also has a loader on it, so it’s really good for taking bales off at harvest and haulage work.’

The comfort of the Fastrac was another major advantage for Iain, especially during the long hours required throughout harvest and peak seasonal workloads, helping make it a practical fit for the business.

The success of the first machine ultimately led to further investment, with the business now operating its second Fastrac. That continued confidence has been built on consistent reliability and strong performance across the demanding workloads required at Farmlay Eggs.

Building a Dependable Massey Ferguson Fleet

Following the success of their JCB Fastrac 4220, Farmlay Eggs continued to expand its fleet with the addition of high-horsepower Massey Ferguson machinery to support the increasing demands of the arable side of the business.

The first Massey brought into the fleet was the Massey Ferguson 8740S Dyna-VT Exclusive boasting 400hp and an 8.4l AGCO powered engine which was purchased primarily to handle the farm’s six-metre one-pass drill and wider sowing operations. With tight drilling periods and significant acreage to cover, having a dependable high-horsepower tractor was essential.

‘The first Massey we bought was the big one, which is the big 8740S,’ explains Iain. ‘At the time we were looking for a tractor to go on our six-metre one-pass drill and do all the sowing.’

Alongside performance, value for money was also an important factor in the decision-making process. After comparing several competing brands, the Massey Ferguson stood out as a strong overall package for the business.

‘We were pricing competitor brands,’ says Iain, ‘and the Massey was significantly cheaper.’

The positive experience with the MF 8740S led to further investment in the brand, with the addition of two Massey Ferguson 8S.305 Dyna-VT Exclusives helping strengthen the fleet even further. Together, the tractors now play a central role across cultivation, drilling, and general arable operations, providing the reliability and efficiency needed to support a large-scale integrated farming business.

Reliability has been one of the standout benefits of the Massey Ferguson machines. In an operation where downtime can have significant impact across both the arable and poultry sides of the business, dependable performance is critical throughout the year.

‘The reliability has been really good,’ says Iain. ‘We’ve had competitor brands in the past, but those Masseys have generally been really good.’

Supporting Farmlay Eggs

Alongside investing in the right machinery, having the right support behind it is equally important for any business. With Farmlay Eggs’ operating scale, responsive service and dependable dealer backup are essential to keeping everything running smoothly throughout the year.

When asked what the business was originally looking for in a machinery supplier, Iain’s priorities were straightforward; ‘Service, backup, and quality of the machines.’

A key part of that experience has been the relationship built with Murray Bremner, our Agricultural Sales Representative, and the wider team at the Huntly Depot. Iain credits both Murray and the Scot Agri team with helping to build their relationship over recent years.

‘Murray’s been good,’ says Iain. ‘He’s keen, he’s on the ball, and he’s always keen to have a deal.’

Alongside the machinery itself, the ongoing support from the Huntly team has played an important role in maintaining confidence in the fleet. For Iain, having responsive backup and fast turnaround times has helped ensure disruption is kept to a minimum, reinforcing the value of strong dealer support alongside reliable machinery.

The relationship has also extended beyond the day-to-day running of the fleet, with Iain attending the JCB factory and Massey Ferguson events with Scot Agri.

Confidence in Scot Agri

Looking ahead, Iain is clear that both machinery and the support behind it have delivered for the business. From the reliability of the Massey Ferguson tractors and JCB Fastracs to the responsive service provided by the Huntly workshop, the partnership with Scot Agri has helped support the demands of a large-scale farming operation.

When asked whether he would recommend Scot Agri to others, his answer is straightforward.

‘Yes, definitely,’ says Iain. ‘The reliability has been really good!’