I received an interesting email this week.

The 'marketing development manager' from a company based in Baghdad, wants to order 50 lawnmowers from me.

He sent me an invoice which detailed the specifications required ("Personal Pace Variable Speed Gas Walk Behind Self Propelled Lawn Mower with Blade Stop System Spin-Stop Blade Stop System – Stop the Blade, Not the Engine 22 in. Steel Deck with Recycler Cutting System and Atomic Blades 7.25 ft. lb. Gross Torque 163cc Briggs & Stratton Engine" to be specific!). And he wants 50 of them!

I just need to provide him with my offer in EURO or USD, FOB and my delivery time as well. How lucky am I to have this fall right in my lap?!

However, I suspect the more Sherlock Holmes-ian of you are ahead of me and have already spotted the slight flaw in the marketing development manager's plan here. I don't sell lawnmowers. I just edit a magazine about them.

If we're giving the marketing development manager the benefit of the doubt, something has got slightly lost in translation between here and Iraq and he's got the wrong impression of what it is I actually do.

The other, perhaps more likely explanation, is that someone was trying to scam me. Although what's quite concerning is that rather than the exiled Crown Prince of the Congo wanting me to transfer $$ to his account in exchange for some gold bars, it's quite a targeted scam. The person knows I'm vaguely related to lawnmowers - albeit in my case tangentially.

I think what I received this week would be termed as a phishing email. Phishing is defined as "The fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers." I guess if I'd been intrigued by the potential sale of 50 lawnmowers to Iraq, once contact had been made I would most likely have been asked to reveal further personal information.

We all must be vigilant in our dealings online - perhaps more so as a small business. We at Service Dealer are all too often informed by our readers of scams perpetrated against dealers, most often via phone or by email. Some, like the Iraqi marketing manager, lack a degree of subtlety and would be comical in their naivety if it weren't for the malicious intent behind them. Others are far more sophisticated and can lead blameless individuals down an unfortunate path where they suffer losses of both cash and equipment.

Online security advisers would say that the best defence against falling victim to scams is to be aware. If individuals can be as informed as possible regarding what tactics the criminals are employing, hopefully if you are unlucky enough to come up against one, you'll at least be able to spot it and avoid getting drawn in.

There are many articles online offering advice on how to recognise scams. A useful one which was brought to my attention recently was this one on the Comparitech website which runs down through 70+ common online scams used by cyber criminals and fraudsters. It's a useful, if somewhat depressing, read to familiarise yourself with the various cons currently doing the rounds.

And of course, our community of independent dealer readers should be a vital resource of information. If you have dealt with any recently that you feel our readers should know about, please leave a comment below detailing your experiences.

Or indeed please always feel free to drop me a line if anything occurs throughout the year which you feel would benefit from being brought to the attention of your fellow dealers. Let's look out for each other out there!

Kubota Holdings Europe has announced the appointment of David Hart as managing director of Kubota (U.K.) Ltd.

With over 28 years of leadership experience, Kubota says David Hart brings a wealth of knowledge and experience of the agricultural and construction industries. After graduating with a degree in Agricultural Engineering, David started his career in agricultural construction & grounds care equipment at Ben Burgess & Co. In 1990 he joined John Deere and after several sales and marketing roles, became the division manager for Commercial and Consumer Equipment in 2004, managing both sales and marketing for turf and utility equipment (homeowner, commercial and golf).

David built a strong commercial track record in sales and marketing for the UK and Ireland and in 2011 was appointed regional leader for strategic and key account management, responsible for John Deere’s agricultural and non-agricultural strategic and key account business in Europe, Near Middle East, North Africa and CIS. During this time he was also a member of the John Deere Ag & Turf Regional Leadership Team.

Dai Watanabe, President & CEO of Kubota in Europe, said, “We are very proud of the fact that we have a leading market position in the UK & Ireland with our current product portfolio. Our ambitions reach even further than that. With David on board we have a leader that can support that ambition by bringing his extensive experience and knowledge to identify and exceed our dealers and customers’ needs and requirements.”

On his appointment, David Hart said, “Kubota has a deserved reputation as market leader in many areas. We have a big opportunity to grow further and continue to diversify into new sectors, bringing our strong business values and quality delivery to match the demands and rightly high expectations of our dealers and end user clients. Kubota’s brand, values and proven quality are facets I have respected as a competitor over many years, and I am excited to be part of the team that will take these to the next level.”

According to tractor registration figures released by the AEA, May 2018 saw 1,222 units registers - which equates to a +21.2% change compared with May 2017.

The year to date registrations stand at 5,343 units - which is a +4.7% change compared with January-May 2017.

Stephen Howarth, Agricultural Economist at the AEA said, "The brief slowdown in UK agricultural tractor (over 50hp) registrations recorded in February and March seems to be well and truly over. Registrations in May were over 20% up on the same month last year and the highest May figures since 2014.

"The 1,222 machines registered in the month bring the annual total to 5,343, around 240 (5%) more than in the first five months of 2017."

Service Dealer freelance features editor Martin Rickatson was awarded the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists’ Arable Photography Award at the BGAJ reception held after the first day of Cereals 2018, the arable farming event held near Cambridge this week.

Taken in an early evening sunset last summer after a day spent not far from the event site visiting a combine operator to discover how his machine was performing, the winning picture was published in the German magazine Profi.

All at Service Dealer offer our wholehearted congratulations to Martin!

Event organisers have announced that visitor registration for SALTEX 2018 is now officially open at www.iogsaltex.com.

The event, for which Service Dealer is an official media partner, takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, on 31 October and 1 November and visitors can now register their attendance for free via the newly-designed website.

The organisers say the new website has been built to provide a user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality throughout, allowing both visitors and exhibitors to access all the information they need in preparation for the show.

In a statement, the organisers of SALTEX said, "The site is compatible with many browsers and all mobile devices meaning that visitors and exhibitors alike will have easy access to the site and stay informed with the latest show news and exhibitor event previews. With over 230 exhibitors signed up to date, visitors to the website will see an extensive exhibitor list complete with individual profiles - each containing relevant information on products, services and show offers."

Visitors will also be able to find out more about new show attractions as well as features such as Learning LIVE; Outdoor demonstrations; the SALTEX College Cup; Pathology & Soil Science LIVE; Ask the Expert; the Job Clinic; and the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) 10th annual Industry Awards celebration.

SALTEX exhibitors will also notice some improvements to the portal. All of the exhibitor forms, such as the Health and Safety Declaration and the Risk Assessment Form, have now all been digitalised, meaning that exhibitors can fill out the relevant forms online without having to print them off.

Visitors can register to attend SALTEX via the website. Visitors will receive a confirmation email with their badge to print and take along to the show, to gain free entry.

Employees from Husqvarna, dedicated their working day on Monday this week (11th June) to the area around Darlington’s Cocker Beck giving it a much-needed makeover.

The Husqvarna team

The area, which was chosen by Husqvarna staff to benefit from its Husqvarna Loves Parks initiative, quickly saw an improvement as a total of 28 volunteers got hands on in clearing the area.

Husqvarna outdoor power tools, including riders, chainsaws and brushcutters were put to the test, as specially trained staff members got to work in clearing the debris. A park bench which previously hadn’t been seen for five years due to overgrown grassland was unearthed and brought back to life, as well as one of the parks ornamental stone archways.

The team also widened the walk ways and spent time getting their hands dirty collecting around 20 bags of litter, making the area much more usable and attractive to the local community and its visitors.

At the beginning of the year, Husqvarna, partnered with Darlington Borough Council and asked its staff to vote for a local park or green space which they thought was in desperate need of regeneration.

Cocker Beck received 39% of the overall votes, out of the four shortlisted parks put forward by the council, and staff from the Newton Aycliffe factory, including sales and marketing director Ken Brewster, HR director Anne Marie Gardener and manufacturing director, Caraline Robinson all dedicated their time and got involved.

L-R: Husqvarna's Ken Brewster, Anne Marie-Gardener and Caraline Robinson

Commenting on the day, Caraline said, ”As a company, we feel it’s important to give back to our local community in anyway that we can, and helping to regenerate a popular habitat such as Cocker Beck seemed a great way for Husqvarna to give back.

”It’s been fantastic to see so many staff come out in force to dedicate their time to keeping the green spaces on their doorsteps clean, tidy and more habitable for wildlife.”

Cllr Nick Wallis, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for leisure and the local environment, said, ”We’re delighted that we were chosen to benefit from the Husqvarna Loves Parks initiative and it’s great that so many of the company’s staff volunteered their time to help.

”With pressure on the council’s resources continuing, we are immensely grateful to them and all the other volunteers - individuals, friends groups and businesses - who help us look after our green spaces that make Darlington such a great place in which to live, work and visit.”

Husqvarna say they are passionate about caring for green spaces, and their “Husqvarna Loves Parks” project is a global initiative born of that passion. Since the effort began, staff members have used Husqvarna products to improve natural areas in Australia, the Netherlands and Charlotte, North Carolina.

AJ & R Scambler & Sons Ltd, better known as Scamblers, have been appointed authorised Polaris dealers.

Ed Scambler, left, with Polaris’ district manager Neil Everett

Established in 1974 and based in rural premises in the village of Bourn, between Cambridge and St Neots, Scamblers specialises in supplying compact tractors, utility vehicles, bank tractors, mowers and turfcare and groundcare machinery for every aspect of turf and grounds maintenance.

“We’re very pleased to have such a highly regarded dealer join the Polaris dealer network,” says Ben Murray, Polaris UK and Ireland National Sales Manager, “and we’re looking forward to working together to meet the demands of Polaris customers in the area.”

Scamblers cover Cambridge, Norfolk and Suffolk and whilst their main market had traditionally been groundcare and horticulture they have expanded to meet the needs of agricultural businesses, gamekeeping and golf courses in their area.

“It was after setting up demonstrations with Polaris to existing customers we reached the agreement to become authorised Polaris dealers,” says Scamblers’ director, Ed Scambler. “The customers said how much they liked the Polaris Rangers and were impressed by what they saw as superior quality in the ATVs and UTVs. We’re very much looking forward to selling the product.”

OPICO Ltd has announced the appointment of A B Wight Engineering to their Maschio Gaspardo dealer network.

L-R: Andrew Wight, Managing Director A B Wight Engineering, with Colin Grigor, Territory Manager, Maschio Gaspardo

Based on the Charlesfield Industrial Estate, St Boswells, this relatively new dealership has a wealth of agricultural engineering experience and will sell the full Maschio Gaspardo tillage line-up of ploughs, cultivators, drills, combination drills and rotovators, as well as the range of Maschio flail mowers. Opico say they are ideally located to grow the franchise in the Scottish Borders area.

Commenting Rob Immink, Maschio Gaspardo’s Sales Manager said, “A strong engineering background led Andrew Wight to establish A B Wight, five years ago. We have been impressed with the company’s enthusiasm, experience and the portfolio of farmers they deal with. Andrew’s brother Garry joined A B White last year and has a credible history of selling and servicing agricultural machinery. We couldn’t be more excited to have them on board.”

Andrew Wight, Managing Director at A B Wight added, “We took on Maschio Gaspardo earlier this year to complement our existing machinery portfolio. We’ve already enjoyed second place success at our first ploughing match with the UNICO plough and are busy with requests for plough demonstrations. Garry, and the rest of our sales, service and parts team are fully up-to-speed with the Maschio product range and are ready to get the machines out for demonstration.”

Agricultural machinery dealer, Oakes Bros. Ltd., has been appointed as a full line distributor of KUHN’s minimum tillage cultivation equipment.

Kuhn OPTIMER+ stubble cultivator

From its four depots at Micheldever in Hampshire, East Ilsley in Berkshire, Horsham in West Sussex, and Coombe Bissett near Salisbury, Oakes Bros. has historically been selling and servicing machines from KUHN’s fertiliser spreader, plough, landscape maintenance, and hay and silage making equipment ranges.

Going forwards they will also be an approved supplier of the full range of KUHN minimum tillage machines, stubble cultivators and combination seed drills.

“We are excited to extend our relationship with KUHN and to be able to offer a wider range of minimum tillage machines to our loyal customer base,” explains Richard Haines, Business Development Manager for Oakes Bros. Ltd.

“We have already instigated a comprehensive training programme to ensure all our sales and engineering staff are 100% familiar with the ins and outs of each of the key machines in the range and to ensure our customers throughout the south of England receive the high-quality level of service and practical advice that we pride ourselves on providing.”

Oakes Bros. will be attending Frontier’s field days near Basingstoke on 21st and 22nd June, and the Agrii Focus field day near Aldbourne, Wiltshire, on 4th July. A range of KUHN equipment will be on display at both events.

NSTS unveiled a new look at the Cereals event which took place this week.

The organisation said this bright, modern design brings together the wide range of environments covered by the scheme, both currently and in the future. In a statement they said the logo redesign shows how the industry has moved forward since the original logo was designed to represent only the National Sprayer Testing Scheme.

Ian Forman, NSTS Manager, explained, "The new logo needed to show that NSTS do not test only sprayers but also other equipment including fertiliser spreaders, granular applicators and slug pellet applicators. This fresh new design brings conformity to everything covered by the scheme."

With the legal requirement for all types of pesticide application equipment to be tested, along with the introduction of fertiliser spreader testing in 2015, NSTS have continued to have an excellent coverage across the whole of the UK, providing these services to all sectors using relevant types of equipment.

The John Deere garden celebrating 100 years of tractors was awarded a Silver Gilt medal at the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show.

Elspeth Stockwell and Jo Fairfax in the John Deere garden: 100 years of tractors

Designed by Elspeth Stockwell and Jo Fairfax, the garden featured a striking ring of 100 golden tractors rising above upright grasses that represented fields of crops and meadow style planting portraying the rural landscape. The charred oak circular seating and backdrop hinted at farm buildings dotted across the countryside.

Nature looks on as tractors cultivate the fields.

Elspeth Stockwell is a qualified horticulturist and medal-winning garden designer. Artist and sculptor Jo Fairfax develops lighting and sculptural installations and his work has won many awards. Both designers live in the East Midlands, near to John Deere’s UK & Ireland headquarters at Langar, Nottingham.

This year is a special anniversary for John Deere as the company marks 100 years of selling tractors. 

Garden Trader is a product and dealer search website/directory only for specialist garden machinery dealers in the UK. It has been designed to support and promote our dealer industry to consumers who are specifically searching for garden machinery products and services.

It costs just £95 + VAT per year to be listed and all revenues this year will be reinvested into promoting the site online.

Join the country’s only independent specialist website, created by the team that bring you Service Dealer. Join our 180+ subscribed Garden Trader dealers now by clicking on “Register Dealership”.

FIND OUT MORE