Laverda

Laverda is a manufacturer of combine harvesters and hay equipment, based in Breganze, Italy. It was founded in 1873 by Pietro Laverda to produce farming implements in the Province of Vicenza. 1956 was the year the first self-propelled Laverda combine, the M 60, was manufactured. The combine maker was originally owned by Fiatagri and then became part of New Holland, which was created when Fiat bought Ford’s agricultural operations.

The Morra family's holding company, ARGO SpA, bought Laverda in 2000 as Fiat was merging its New Holland Agriculture group with Case IH to form CNH Global. In 2007, ARGO sold 50% of the Laverda business to AGCO, the remaining 50% of the joint venture was eventually sold in 2011 and the Breganze plant became AGCO's European center of excellence for harvesting.