According to Gary Ryan, CEO of the FTMTA around 20,500 farmers and agri contractors visited the 2019 Farm Machinery Show in Punchestown - which was a similar attendance for the previous show in 2017.

Gary said, “Feedback from the trade exhibitors and visitors has been very good - possibly the best I can remember.

"I am certainly aware of quite a number of tractors, as well as baling and slurry equipment, sold from scratch at the event.

"The mood, both among exhibitors and visitors, was upbeat - perhaps surprisingly so."

He went on to say, "The changed layout of the event, along with the increased size and standard of presentation of many stands, got a very positive response.”

The FTMTA Farm Machinery Show, an exhibition that it describes as the “flagship event for the Irish agricultural machinery sector", had over 160 trade exhibitors, the largest such event ever held.

The show was fully sold out by the end of October.

However, additional space was subsequently made available most of which was booked.

The winner of the six short-listed ‘Working Wonders’ that featured at the FTMTA Farm Machinery Show - as part of a country-wide competition - was a tractor belonging to the Bailey family from Gorey, Co. Wexford, which received the most votes at the event in Punchestown.

Bob Bailey’s son Ben said that their Fiatagri 160-90 DT was purchased from Kelly’s of Borris, Co. Carlow, in 1994.

The tractor is now spends its evenings distributing feed rations to cattle (with a diet feeder in tow).

During past harvest seasons it was driving a beefy Hesston 8X4X4 big square baler.

It also pulled a 4m-wide Cousins press/roller during the sowing season.

Ben explained, "There are about 28,000 hours on it.”

The Baileys have now won €3,000 worth of tyres – kindly sponsored by FTMTA member firm AgriGear who are based in Bailieborough, Co. Cavan.