It is wonderful to witness nature at this time of year. Seeing the birds busy building nests and hearing the sound of hungry chicks gives a lift to the day.

Summer has begun in earnest and temperatures are on the rise. The downside of these warm days is that the risk of getting sunburn is higher. With that in mind it is important to remember to apply sun screen lotion, particularly the sales reps who are mostly outdoors on the road visiting customers. 

There is a lot of pressure being placed on governments to make agriculture more sustainable. This has caused a lot of heated debates between farmers – the people to whom we sell our machines to, and environmentalists. The world population is continuously increasing and more mouths are needing to be fed from the same area of land on our planet.  It is our farming customers who are feeding the world so we must try and help them to do this in a sustainable way.

Precision Agricultural Technologies (PATs) are becoming ever more important when it comes to sustainable farming practices. We are already seeing this when sowing seeds and applying fertilisers and sprays to crops. Precision spraying technology, where spraying machines can distinguish weeds from crops in a split second, is becoming more popular. This technology can reduce chemical use by more than 50%.  

Last year, in the US, John Deere unveiled its green-on-green technology called See & Spray Ultimate, which company officials say will cut chemical use by two-thirds of that normally used in normal broadcasting applications that target both crops and weeds. AGCO have done something similar using targeted spraying technology.  

Using this technology has environmental benefits. Reducing the amount of fertiliser and chemicals also enhances farmer profitability, which is good for them and for our industry as well. Through PATs, our industry can deliver an important contribution to sustainable farming practices.

Combining PATs with alternative fuels will lead to a better and improved environment for farming. I already mentioned in an earlier edition of Service Dealer Ireland how alternative fuels are being developed for tractors. Fuels such as Methane and Hydrogen are being tested on New Holland and JCB tractors respectively with encouraging results.

However, it is important to remember that all this wonderful technology is not just aimed at the large scale farmer. The small farmer and grower also need to buy into the digitalisation of farm equipment so that they too can contribute to sustainable and environmentally friendly farming (and benefit from the potential profits). Marketing campaigns may be required, on our part, to persuade them to come on board using this technology.

Going digital and converting to PATs is not cheap. As interest rates are constantly on the rise, securing a loan to buy this equipment is becoming more expensive. We need to show our customers their advantages, not just from an environmental point of view but that it could also be a profitable move. 

Supported by Bord Bia, GLAS is back on July 20th at the National Basketball Arena, Dublin.

Organisers of the trade show say Ireland has an exceptional horticulture sector, with a well-trained workforce and a strong reputation, putting the country in an excellent position to further accelerate its growth in 2023.

GLAS is a key focal point in terms of sales, networking and learning opportunities, an unbeatable opportunity to reach trade buyers across the garden, landscape, amenity and sportsturf trade.

This year it will feature the Bord Bia Thinking House and the return of the show’s popular Learning Theatre, which will include talks on the latest trends and buyer behaviour shaping the market, as well as attracting, retaining and nurturing talent, regenerative gardening & landscaping and more.

While the outdoor area at the main entrance proved so popular with visitors, the organisers have developed this to facilitate the demand for the return of the Machinery Park and for more outdoor exhibits and demonstrations.

To book your space at GLAS 2023 contact Eamon Maguire on 087 1235167 or visit www.glasireland.ie.

Service Dealer Ireland are delighted to announce that Kress will be returning to the Conference & Awards again this year, as the event's Principal Sponsor.

A new venue has been announced for this year, with the Crowne Plaza at Stratford-Upon-Avon taking on hosting duties - with the date to mark up in your diaries being 30th November 2023.

Service Dealer Ireland owner Duncan Murray-Clarke (pictured above) said, "We couldn't be more pleased that Kress have chosen to join us again this year as Principal Sponsor of the Service Dealer Conference & Awards.

"It's clear that Kress share our ethos that a strong, independent dealer network is vital for the industry - so their support for our event fits perfectly.

"We pride ourselves that the Conference & Awards builds upon its reputation each and every edition and it's great that Kress have recognised it as the key occasion in the industry's calendar."

Tony Macer, national sales manager UK & Ireland for Kress said, “Kress are proud to again be the principal sponsor of the Service Dealer Conference & Awards.

"We work closely with our dealers to build true partnerships to help bring our exciting innovations to market. The pace of growth across our business this year has been simply outstanding. We would like thank every dealer for their continued support.

"We hope you all have a fantastic season and we look forward to seeing everyone at this year's Service Dealer Conference & Awards in November."

Further details about this year's Conference & Awards, including the theme of the event, will be announced soon.

From its beginnings in a field in County Armagh, SlurryKat say they are proud to have recently won the Best Medium-Sized Business Of The Year at the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards 2023.

The team from SlurryKat receiving their award

Founder, Garth Cairns started his farm contracting business in the 1990s, providing local farms with silage harvesting and slurry spreading services.
With his design and fabrication skills, he acquired the SlurryKat brand in 2007, and began manufacturing umbilical slurry, spreading equipment.

After accepting the award from Darren McDowell of sponsor Harbinson Mulholland, on behalf of SlurryKat, general manager Jonathan Hassin said, "We are very proud to have been recognised for this award.

"We are company established from a field in County Armagh, so it is nice to be recognised for all the hard work put in by our team. It makes a big difference to us all.

"We were delighted to be nominated but to win just makes all of our work worthwhile.From here we will push to keep moving forward.

"Our aim is to keep getting bigger and better at what we do. We want to be the number one farming equipment machine manufacturer in the world and that is what we're aiming for."

The judges said they were impressed by the quality of entrants in this category, but SlurryKat were a stand-out business. They said, "A great success story of growth from humble beginnings. Their use of cutting-edge technology and investment in research and development was particularly impressive.

"From those humble beginnings the company now has an international presence and client base. A real Northern Ireland success story."

The New Holland T7 Methane Power LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) prototype tractor has won the 2023 Green Good Design Award.

The award, which is bestowed by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, identifies and emphasises the world’s most important examples of sustainable design, with the aim of heightening awareness among the general public about the best efforts of global companies to adopt sustainable design.

The winning model is described by the manufacturer as the world’s first liquefied natural gas-powered tractor. Seen for the first time during CNH Industrial's Tech Day in December 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona, the company says the T7 builds on the heritage of the commercialised T6 Methane Power, fuelled by compressed natural gas, but this new model will more than double the autonomy of their current methane-powered products.

CNH Industrial’s in-house design team say they created a tractor with a new ‘Clean Blue’ colour and " . .an aesthetic designed to accent the tractor’s use of sustainable alternative fuels."

Carlo Lambro, brand president of New Holland Agriculture said, "The New Holland T7 Methane Power LNG marries great design with great tech and innovation, the result of our continued investment of our energies in creating something that is not only useful, sustainable and functional, but also beautiful to see."

Organisers of the SALTEX trade show say they are on track to have one of their biggest years yet as exhibitor demand sees the floor plan for 2023 increase by 20 percent to accommodate bookings. 

The Grounds Management Association have confirmed early bird bookings are up ten percent from the 2022 show and there’s a 12 percent increase in exhibitor numbers with 6000 sqm of hall space already sold. 

Sarah Cunningham, director of commercial and events at the GMA, who has been joined on the sales team by Jill Rodham, said, “Thanks to the early interest in the show the footprint has been increased by 3000 sqm to accommodate the extra demand for space from exhibitors, making it 20 percent bigger than the 2022 show. And plans are well underway for this year’s event with visitor registration due to open in early June.” 

The GMA put this early success down to returning exhibitors and an influx of new exhibitors.

Sarah continued, "To be in the 77th year of a show and still commanding this level of commitment from the sectors we represent, is proof that the show is as relevant now as it ever was.

“I think people appreciate this is a show which contributes significantly to the growth and success of the industry. SALTEX and the Grounds Management Association work hand in hand - SALTEX is powered by the GMA and in turn SALTEX feeds into the GMA's extensive work in supporting, and raising the profile of, the groundscare industry in all its guises.”

The show takes place at Birmingham NEC on 1-2 November 2023.

Equip Exposition, the international trade show based in Louisville, Kentucky has opened registration for the 2023 event, held from October 17-20th at the Kentucky Exposition Center. 

“Equip Exposition is the experience of the year for anyone in the landscape, hardscape, outdoor living, and power equipment business,” said Kris Kiser, President of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, which owns and manages the trade show. “Last year we saw a sold-out exhibit hall and brought more than 25,000 people to Louisville. As we celebrate 40 years of Expo together, it’s going to be a can’t-miss event.” 

Early-Bird discounted registration is available until September 7t.

This year in addition to Expo’s 30-acre Outdoor Demo Yard and expansive indoor exhibit space, downtown Louisville will feature several major events for attendees, all included in their registration: 

• A first-ever arena concert, sponsored by Bobcat Company and Senix, at the Yum! Center featuring headliner Third Eye Blind and Dylan Scott.
• A Welcome Reception, sponsored by Cat Compact Track Loaders, hosted at the downtown Kentucky International Convention Center with a concert from Expo house band, The Crashers.

Other new show experiences for 2023 include:

• Keynote speech by Polar Explorer and master storyteller Ben Saunders.
• Expanded exhibit space in the West Wing allows exhibitors to showcase and demonstrate more products indoors.
• A first-ever Women’s Reception, open to all women attending Expo to network and connect, hosted Thursday, October 19, at the KEC
• Expanded education tracks designed to help attendees expand into new business segments and increase their profits.
• New business lounges, meeting spaces and expanded seating areas at the KEC.
• Landscape education for young people will be sponsored by the TurfMutt Foundation. Children ages 12 and up may attend the show.
• Improved shuttle bus, rideshare and transportation logistics will make getting around easier.
• More coffee shops, breakfast, and food offerings on-site

Equip Exposition will also feature live in-tree climbing demonstrations from the Women’s Tree Climbing Workshop and Davey Tree, Mulligan’s Fun Run & 5K, the UTV Test Track, the Drone Zone, and Mulligan’s Mutt Madness, a national dog adoption event, sponsored by the TurfMutt Foundation.