THERE was an intriguing story in the Farmers Weekly last week about growing dissatisfaction amongst some farmers about the coverage given in a recent BBC Countryfile to the views of an animal rights activist and members of the vegan community. “Might as well call it Townsfile” said one poster to the British Farming Forum. “We want a new programme that deals with true countryside matters”

That seems to be an unfair reflection on a prime time programme that consistently pulls in high viewing figures, and regularly outperforms X-Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and the like.

The view was that Countryfile should not give airtime to the animal rights lobby, given that there are estimated 560,000 vegans in the UK, around 1% of the adult population. The report, by Tom Heap, was balanced by an interview with a livestock farmer who was receiving a high number of abusive messages and threats from the animal rights community – and felt endangered

I recall a conversation with Adam Henson at a recent Service Dealer conference in which he said that the Countryfile editorial team had constant, heart-searching discussions about what the viewers, would, or would not, find palatable. Let’s face it, much of farming can be a messy business, however high the welfare standards. It is unlikely that we are ever to be tempted by a programme such as Abattoir Live!

The problem with social media is that encourages myopic activity from those with vested interests, whether they be those who wish to push their agenda in the strongest possible and often abusive terms, or indeed farmers who cannot see the bigger picture.

The question on how you portray food production is a vexed one, and was one of the themes from speakers at the AEA Conference this week.

There is no doubt that we tend to hide our light under a bushel. Farmers are often portrayed on TV or in adverts as a glossy reminder of bygone days.  Provocative questions are asked.  What is your view on pesticides? Bad!  Yet as Anthea McIntyre MEP said “Modern pesticides such as Glyphosate have proved to be safe and are vital to progressive farming.  Decisions on their use need to be based on scientific evidence, not on politics”

Perceptions abound. Few appreciate that many pesticides today are applied selectively and only to the plant that needs eradicating using complex technology and plant recognition cameras. Or that irrigation is not sprayed willy-nilly across the acres but targeted at specific crop roots.

We can argue all we like about the pro and cons of Brexit and the likely impact of the removal of subsidies to farmers, but the fact remains that are more ticks in the positive boxes than in the negatives. Economist Derrick Wilkinson praised the ingenuity, the commitment and the commercial-savvy of many farmers in the UK “They will survive and prosper post-Brexit” he said “the inefficient will struggle and ultimately their land will be used by those prepared to face-up to a new dawn”.

Subsidies have all but disappeared in New Zealand but that country’s farming is going from strength to strength, both at home and internationally.

Another tick in the positive box, is that the UK is a global leader in science and innovation, particularly in the field of agri-tech. Anthea McIntrye told the AEA conference that only this month the UK had been awarded more research Advanced Grants for 2018 than any other EU country. “We took 66 out of the 269, followed by Germany (42) and France (34)"  That kind of talent and scientific infrastructure will surely transcend the detail of Brexit yet to agreed.

That’s the problem, there are so many good news stories that simply ‘don’t sell papers’. So instead of the negatives (which should never be swept under the carpet), ‘we’ and I mean every trade association, every manufacturer, every dealer, everybody working in the industry should spread the word on the remarkable success story of the route from farm to fork to provide the nation with safe, nourishing and affordable food.

And if signs are needed that attitudes could be be changing, then look no further than the current debate going on in Parliament with a view to schools offering farming studies as a GCSE.

Editor Steve Gibbs is back from the US next week - and I can rest my quill

Chris Cooper, product marketing manager of Hayter and Toro,has been elected President of the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA). He was appointed at the AEA AGM held at the Institution of Civil Engineers on 10 April 2018 and holds the post for a 12 month term.

Chris started out in the industry at Ransomes Jacobsen Ltd, after graduating from college as a design engineer in 2002. A year later, he joined Hayter as a design engineer and assumed the role as product manager in 2006 when Toro acquired Hayter. Chris is now responsible for product management and marketing of the Hayter and Toro consumer brands in the UK.

“The AEA is all about diversification and making sure member companies have a voice from within the association,” he said “As incoming President, I will be helping with the development of the AEA, and continuing the great work that has been done by the Board and Director-General, Ruth Bailey, and through the member companies. We will also be looking at ways to help future proof our industry.

“At the moment, there is a lot of discussion around how we can get young people into our industry. However, I believe the bigger challenge is not how we recruit these young people, but how we retain them and continue to advance their professional development. For myself, I never thought I would follow the path I have taken; however, once I got more familiar with the industry and started working with the likes of Real Madrid CF and Arsenal FC, I realised it was completely different to what I first thought.

“This industry can give young people a great chance to get out and talk to people from all different backgrounds, experiences and cultures around the world. There is great scope to make a difference in this industry.”

Chris is the second youngest president in the association’s history. He hopes to use his recent experiences and career journey to help younger people develop and have a voice within the industry.

Well-known, garden machinery and chainsaw dealer, John Bufton of Morris Bufton Ltd passed away aged 71 on 17 March 2018.  A regular attender of shows and trade events, John has been universally described by those who knew him well as a real gentleman, the ‘salt of the earth’ and with an impish sense of humour.

The son of Morris Bufton who founded the Ludlow-based business in 1954, John leaves a wife Dorothy, two daughters Cindy and Johanna, and two sons Steve and Dan who both work in the business.

John, joined his father in the business after leaving school and immediately established a lasting rapport with customers in and around Shropshire, and with key suppliers. He became one of the earliest Stihl dealers after meeting up with the late Peter Baker and continued to build the business through strong links with the likes of Mountfield, Hayter, E P Barrus and Ifor Williams Trailers.

The last few years had been marked with several bouts of ill-health, including the fitting of a pace-maker and severe pneumonia but this did not stop him continuing to be heavily involved in the business, particularly trailer sales which he concentred on after son Steve took over the running of the garden machinery business.

Steve says “We bought Dad a scooter which he used virtually every day, ‘buzzing’ around the business, invariably on the phone doing deals whilst on the move.  He didn’t let his health get in the way of continuing a full life and doing what he liked best – closing a deal!”

Robert Muir, MD of E P Barrus recalls John attending the company’s 100 year celebrations in 2017. “He came to the hotel complete with oxygen tent and scooter laden with oxygen bottles, determined to enjoy our special event. That was John all over, one of the old school, absolutely genuine and always wore his heart on his sleeve. You always knew where you were with John, he loved a deal and was never a push-over, but he was always straightforward and honest with a open attitude. We’ll all miss him tremendously"

Another long time associate, Duncan Martin, md of Stiga UK knew John for over 30 years. "When I joined Hayter on the road, John was one call I really looked forward to. I was always made welcome. He was a tough businessman, always liking 'a deal', but totally fair and honest. Whatever deal you ended up doing with him, often for huge numbers of machines which were then 'networked' to fellow dealers in his circle, you could always count on payment straightaway. John was a man of his word."

Robin Lennie, md of Stihl GB, recalls John as a colourful character, totally committed to the heritage and future success of his family business. “I was privileged to be invite with my wife to John’s surprise 70^th birthday party. Unsure of the gift to take I was asked to dig out and frame a photo of the Morris Bufton stand at the Ludlow Show back in the late 1970’s that featured in a Stihl booklet which I’m told he really treasured.

Another long-term industry colleague, Ron Miller says that one of the earliest calls he made as a rookie salesman with CSP (Chainsaw Products) was to meet up with John. “I learned from the very outset, that you didn’t sell to John, he only bought what he needed!. We then became friends and business colleagues for over 30 years”

Possibly one of the most satisfying deals that John concluded in recent years was when he bought the adjacent office building to extend his premises that had previously been occupied by the Inland Revenue"  That really tickled John" says Duncan Martin "as he considered that he had bought it several times over!"

John’s funeral takes place on 20 April at the Parish Church of St Laurence, on Friday, April 20th, at 2.30pm, followed by burial in Ludlow Cemetery. Family flowers only please with kind donations received in John's memory being shared between The Midlands Air Ambulance and Ludlow RDA. All enquiries please to Victoria Allen Funeral Services, 8 Charlton Rise, Ludlow, SY8 1ND. 01584 879035    

More than 180 members and guests, the best attendance for some years, enjoyed a thought-provoking AEA Conference last Tuesday (10 April) at the headquarters of the Institution of Civil Engineers in the heart of Westminster.

Inevitably, much of the conference was devoted to the likely impact of the ongoing Brexit negotiations, particularly on farming and the management of the countryside.

Leading economist, Derrick Wilkinson, a former Chief Economist at the National Farmers Union and the CLA (Country Land and Business Association) opened up by saying that since the referendum “Brexit has been good for farmers with increases in CAP payments”  However, he warned that the ‘fork in the road’ would be happening from 2020 when the transition period commences and there was clear evidence that ‘over the following 5-7 years, there would likely to be a significant drop in farm incomes”.

He added that the UK also faced “more competition from international food suppliers, so the farming industry has to ensure that it was ‘match-fit’ to survive and prosper during the transitional period”.

Liquidity and gearing across the farming sector was generally OK, he said, but the return on capital of around 2% (compared with 12-15% in manufacturing) meant that many farmers could be exposed during the transition period.

Despite that, he considered that whilst the landscape for UK farming was bound to change after the transition period, the overall prospects were good. “Yes there are likely to be fewer farm businesses and land management will change, but improved efficiency coupled with technological change and product innovation will mean a bright future for the UK’s most efficient farmers”

 Anthea MacIntyre, is MEP for the West Midlands and authored a report in 2016 on ‘Technological Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture in the EU’. She said that technological change will drive the farming sector in the future, but that it had to be accessible to all farmers. “We are fully behind the EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme, and the UK gets more out of it than it puts in” she said “only last week, the UK was awarded the most research grants for the next year, far more than countries such as Germany and France”

The final speaker was Dr Simon Moores who is described as a leading futurist. He took delegates behind the scenes of information providers such as Google and Facebook and said that the window of change is closing rapidly. “Forget long term planning, nobody has a clue what ill happen in 5 years time” The mind set of new consumers is now not about ownership, but of renting or experiencing products and services.

He foresaw days ahead when Amazon would track your purchases and deliver items to your door automatically – which you would then return on the spot if not required. Or the development of ‘blockchain’ which meant that if a customer missed a regular payment on a car, the finance company could remotely turn off the starting mechanism so that the vehicle could not be used!

The speaker at the lunch, following the conference was Alfie Moore, a serving police officer and comedian who has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and comedy clubs – and is about to tour a new show called Getting Away with Murder.

CONFERENCE QUOTES

Derrick Wilkinson

“The highest performers (farmers) will prosper after Brexit whatever the outcome”

Anthea McIntyre MEP

“Glyphosate has proved perfectly safe and is important to progressive farming techniques. Science needs to decide these matters, not politics”

Dr Simon Moores

“Alexa talks to me more than my wife”

“Data is the new oil”

Returning to the Oxford Belfry Hotel this November, the 2018 Service Dealer Conference and Awards will benefit from BAGMA (British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association) as a Networking Sponsor

The date of this year's event has been confirmed as Thursday November 15th. 

Keith Christian, Director of BAGMA says ““BAGMA is very excited to continue sponsoring the Service Dealer Conference and Awards. They are both important events and a great way for the industry to get together, learn something and to celebrate success.”

Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke said, "We are delighted to welcome back BAGMA to the Service Dealer Conference & Awards.

"We will soon be announcing our theme for this year's event as well as some key speakers. It's great to have Bagma on board for what will be a very special day, in this, the magazine's 30th year."

Keep a look out for further announcements regarding this year's Service Dealer Conference & Awards.

Kubota’s Autonomous Tractor ‘Agri Robo’ received the ‘FIMA TECHNICAL NOVELTY’ Award in the ‘Agricultural Management Solution’ category announced during the recent FIMA show in Spain.

The ‘Agri Robo’ is described by the manufacturer as a revolutionary product, which, thanks to its integrated remote control system, allows a farmer to monitor up to two autonomous Kubota tractors, saving time, money, and resources.

The Technical Innovation Contest is held every year in FIMA. This award is granted to new developments that stand out in terms of sustainability, work safety, and innovation and R&D.

The management operations software has been developed by Kubota, along with the Japanese company Topcon, and the Kansas State University. Its main goal is to speed up autonomous tractor management in real time and thus improve and ease farmers’ work.

Agri Robo combines the functions of existing tractors, such as the L-series, and delivers a previous accurate planning of its tasks. The combination of its sonar and scanner means that this tractor can spot and avoid any obstacles for maximum safety. In addition, its low engine speed and its lighter weight enable a smooth operation in tough conditions.

Etesia UK has announced the appointment of Country Machinery Ltd, based in Driffield, East Yorkshire as its newest dealer.

Country Machinery, a family run business providing sales, services repairs and parts for all grounds care machinery, has enjoyed rapid growth since its establishment in 2012.

Managing director, Karl Terry said, “Initially I started working for a local dealer and then I came out of the trade for a short period before setting up by myself. I started with a single garage, then went to a triple garage and as of September last year I took the plunge and rented a purpose-built retail unit. Also, last year Thomas Sissions, an agricultural engineer who has worked with Claas, McCormick, Case and New Holland, came in as my business partner.

“We’ve got dealerships with some great brands and the recent Etesia partnership is a sign of how far we have come. Everything is just going in the right direction.”

Karl, having been in the grounds care industry for the majority of his working history, says that Etesia is a brand he has been keen on adding to his portfolio for a long time and that a visit to SALTEX last year proved to be the ideal opportunity.

“We met Etesia at SALTEX and I approached Andrew Roberts (northern area sales manager) on the stand and explained that I was keen on adding the Etesia products to our portfolio. Everything just moved on from there.

With immediate effect Country Garden Machinery will now be supplying the complete range of Etesia pedestrian and ride-on mowers along with the Attila range of brushcutters and Karl believes that they will be a big hit with his customer base.

“When we first started we were only working in a 15 mile radius but now we are covering a 50 mile radius from base. Word of mouth is spreading in a big way and as well as domestic customers we are mainly covering the high end market where people are making a living from using machines like these.

"Every model in the Etesia range is ideal for the commercial market and I am confident that the machines will be hugely popular with existing and new potential customers.”

New Holland recently introduced 42 dealer personnel to the new T9 Auto Command tractor at a High Horsepower event that took place at Lodge Farm, Oxfordshire.

The new T9 features New Holland’s Auto Command Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), and the five-model range produces maximum outputs ranging from 429hp to 605hp. The company boasts that the range-topping T9.600 AC is "the world’s most powerful CVT tractor today". 

The event featured the only T9 Auto Command model currently in the UK and a line-up of New Holland’s other high horsepower tractors, including models from the T8, T7 long wheelbase and T7 Heavy Duty ranges.

The group were taken through product training sessions with New Holland specialists, covering the new features across the four ranges. The dealers were also able to test drive and review the features first-hand.

More information about the T9 Auto Command and its availability in the UK and ROI is available from New Holland’s high horsepower marketing specialist, Tim Lowden.

Currently ranked as the UK's 40th best course by Golf World Top 100 and by National Club Golfer as an England Top 20 course, Notts Golf Club Hollinwell is renowned as one of the country’s finest inland courses, with heather, gorse, bracken and pine in abundance.

L-R: Notts Golf Club Hollinwell green chairman Nick Jones, John Deere Limited territory manager Nikki McKenzie, machinery/maintenance manager Peter Armson, James Robson of Henton & Chattell, course manager Phil Stain, Sam Russo of Henton & Chattell and club secretary/manager Martyn Bonner MBE

The club has continued the course and environmental improvements accomplished over recent years and for the second year running will host a Final Qualifying tournament for The Open, at Carnoustie in July 2018.

In 2017, Notts (Hollinwell) successfully staged Final Qualifying for The Open at Royal Birkdale. The course was presented in excellent condition and the event ran very smoothly, thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of staff - not least the greenkeeping team led by course manager Phil Stain - members and volunteers.

“The club is always pushing for higher standards and there’s been a lot of investment in the course over the last couple of years, so it’s very satisfying to be recognised at this level,” says Phil. “The course is now being managed more intensively and our bent/fescue overseeding programme is progressing really well, as we try to get the greens back to predominantly fine grasses. Mowing frequency has also been increased, so the reliability of our course machinery continues to be a major requirement.”

Part of the ongoing investment programme has seen the purchase of a new fleet of seven John Deere machines from Nottingham based dealership Henton & Chattell, on a John Deere Financial five-year operating lease. These include four 2500E electric hybrid triplex greens mowers, an 8800A TerrainCut rotary rough mower featuring the programmable TechControl display, and two ProGator heavy-duty utility vehicles.

“The machines were due for replacement, as it’s been five years since the last upgrade,” says Phil. “We’ve been more than happy with our previous John Deere 2500E greens mowers, which were the first ones we bought. They’ve provided the standard of finish and reliability we look for, and the dealer service from Henton & Chattell and sales manager James Robson has been very good.

“We always choose the best machines for the job, in our opinion, so we’re not particularly committed to one individual brand over any other. However, having tried the competition we found the John Deere greens mowers ticked all the boxes, so we had no reason to change - we’ve had virtually no problems with them whatsoever, so there was no need to look elsewhere. All round the 2500E is a very good, reliable machine - our old models still have plenty of life in them and are going back to the dealer in very good condition.

“The 8800A cuts all the semi-rough and provides a massive time saving, as well as a good quality finish, plus it’s also a very reliable mower. The ProGators are new machines for us, as we’ve only had them on demonstration before. The industry feedback I get is that the Gator is one of the most robust machines out there, so I’m very happy to go with the opinions of other greenkeepers that I trust.”

AGCO have announced a number of senior appointments which they say will help the company in their pursuit of " excellence in its relationship with its dealers and customers by rethinking the whole customer experience."

The appointments are:

• Dr. Rainer Scholz appointed as Vice President, Digital Customer Experience, as of March 2018
• Torsten Dehner appointed Vice President, Global Parts and EME Parts & Services, as of April 2018. He will replace Boris Schoepplein, Vice President Global Parts and EME Parts & Services, who has decided to pursue new opportunities outside of AGCO
• Konstantin Meier-Kulenkampff promoted to Vice President, Purchasing and Materials, EME as of April 2, 2018

AGCO say their aim is to offer end-customers a seamless experience from the digital to the physical retail network.

“2018 firmly marks the beginning of AGCO’s transformation to a digitally enabled, customer-centric, data-driven business,” explained Dr. Rob Smith, Senior Vice President and General Manager, AGCO EME

“With Dr. Rainer Scholz, Vice President, Digital Customer Experience, we are bringing a leader with important capabilities and extensive digitalisation experience to the organisation to steer us through this digital transformation journey,” said Rob Smith.

L-R: Konstantin Meier-Kulenkampff promoted to Vice President, Purchasing and Materials, EME and Torsten Dehner appointed Vice President, Global Parts and EME Parts & Services

Rob Smith went on to explain that main mission of Torsten Dehner is to "continue strengthening the EME Parts performance and to further improve the Aftersales Service including AGCO’s commercial services business".

He also said Konstantin Meier-Kulenkampff responsibility will be "to lead the EME Purchasing and Materials team to deliver benchmark performance with a lean and capable supply base to support on time delivery, best cost, quality, sustainability and innovation."

Get ready, the summer could be about to arrive.  After one of the coldest and wettest Easter weekends on record, the long-awaited warm weather appears to be just round the corner.

At long last, temperatures are set to reach 18-20C in many parts of the UK next week, bringing to an end a desperately difficult time for farmers - and for garden machinery dealers. (it was the No1 topic of conversation at the AEA Conference this week)

But beware, April can be fickle as everyone knows. Met office records for the period 1981 to 2010 show an average of 2.3 days of snow in the UK during April.

And just in case the sunshine should lull you into a sense of false security, it is worth recalling that on 26th April 1981, 25cm of snow fell in Okehampton, Devon, whilst in snowed every day somewhere in the UK between 1-6 May 1979.

Still, hasten on with those winter repairs, it’s just about to get hectic!

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