The FTMTA Farm Machinery Show 2019 will be held again at the Punchestown Event Centre near Naas from Thursday, February 7th to Saturday, February 9th.

The FTMTA Farm Machinery Show 2017 proved to be the most successful such event ever with a total of nearly 21,000 visitors as well as the highest number of exhibitors and largest area of exhibition space to date.

It is hoped that is will be possible to expand the exhibition area further and to deliver a larger even event in 2019.

The 2017 event had four exhibition pavilions totalling nearly 14,000 square metres of indoor, heated, exhibition space as well as a substantial area of outdoor displays.

A record number of 165 agri machinery firms had over 200 distinct exhibits including shell and open stands or outdoor display areas.

The event is run on a biennial basis by the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA), which is the representative body for the farm machinery industry in Ireland. Every other year, the organisation holds its Grass & Muck event.

The FTMTA’s membership comprises businesses engaged in the manufacture, importation, distribution, retail sale and servicing of farm machinery - right across Ireland.
One of the main attractions and benefits for visitors and exhibitors is that the FTMTA allows no duplication of the same machines on different stands. Nor is any used machinery allowed at the show.

AJS Promotions run smaller regional three day spring farm machinery shows in the Cavan equestrian centre, Ecclesville centre, Fintona, Co. Tyrone, Green Glens arena in Millstreet, Co. Cork and at the Eikon centre, Balmoral Park in Lisburn.

These shows are less expensive for trade exhibitors and suit farm machinery dealers with a local or regional franchise.

LAMMA Show is the leading agricultural machinery equipment and service show in Britain. Since 1982 the show has grown to over 900 exhibitors, with in excess of 40,000 attendees. Since 2012 the show has been owned by the Farmer’s Guardian. LAMMA'16 took place at the Peterborough Showground on January 20 & 21.

LAMMA 2019 will be held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham on Jan 8 & 9. The NEC is an expensive venue so exhibitors can expect to pay more for their stands. However the LAMMA show is free to attend and they also provide free car parking while the NEC is far more accessible by air, rail & road so exhibitors can expect a bigger attendance. Accommodation is also more available in the Birmingham area.

Important exhibitors such as Fendt are extremely excited about the move of the LAMMA Show to the NEC in 2019. They say that this location will bring the show to a new level, which is needed for the Agricultural industry and will “allow us to launch new products alongside our existing portfolio and to meet existing and new customers within a much improved environment."

As can be seen from the table hereunder (data courtesy of Irish Revenue Commissioners) Irish Tractor Registrations for September and year-to-date are well up which is very encouraging news for the farm machinery trade.

However used tractor registrations are down on the same period of the previous year and for year to date.

The significant increase in new tractor registrations is somewhat surprising given the reduced milk price and extra feed costs incurred by livestock farmers due to adverse weather conditions.

It was also a tough year for tillage farmers with yields well down for spring crops and much increased oil prices.

However prices for cereals & straw were much better than expected.

As usual the three counties with the highest levels of registrations continue to be Cork, Tipperary and Wexford

AGCO has appointed G Hegarty & Sons as a new dealer for Massey Ferguson in the south-east.

Gordon Hegarty & Sons is a long established company - located at Tullow, Co. Carlow, and in Clifden, Co. Kilkenny. It deals in new and used agricultural machinery.

G Hegarty & Sons

The dealership’s exclusive new territory includes north Kilkenny, Carlow and south Kildare.

The company will be responsible for the sales and support of the full-line of Massey Ferguson machinery, including tractors, combine harvesters, balers, hay and forage tools, grounds-care equipment and materials handlers.

According to AGCO their product line-up provides a huge choice of award-winning equipment, backed by MF’s world-class after-sales service.

Full training on the Massey Ferguson product line for G Hegarty & Sons’ staff has already begun and G Hegarty & Sons plan to hold an open days in due course.

In a ruling that will be noted in many other US States, an agreement has been signed by representatives of California farmers and equipment dealers which will make it easier for farmers to diagnose and repair equipment without accessing or downloading proprietary software or code.

Leaders of the Far West Equipment Dealers Assn. (FWEDA) and the California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF) signed the agreement at the Belkorp AG equipment dealership in Stockton, California

With the “right-to-repair” agreement, equipment dealers commit to providing access to service manuals, product guides, on-board diagnostics and other information that would help a farmer or rancher to identify or repair problems with the machinery. The agreement includes restrictions. Among them: Source code for proprietary software would not be accessible, and owners would not be able to change equipment in ways that would affect compliance with safety or emissions regulations.

“Reliable farm equipment is crucial to the success of any farming operation, and farmers have long depended on their ability to make repairs quickly in order to keep their equipment running during harvest and other key times,” CFBF President Jamie Johansson said. “This agreement gives farmers the information they need to do just that, even as equipment has become increasingly complex.”
“This agreement says a lot about the relationship between dealers and their customers,” FWEDA President and CEO Joani Woelfel added

Under the agreement, maintenance, diagnostic and repair information not already available will be made available for tractors and combines put into service beginning 2021.
Major corporations in the US, including John Deere, Apple and AT&T have been lobbying to prevent consumers gaining access to technical information citing safety, security and intellectual property concerns.

John Deere has gone as far as to claim that farmers don’t own the tractors they own but instead receive a “licence to operate the vehicle”. They lock users into license agreements that forbid them from even looking at the software running the tractor or the signals it generates

Read US trade magazine, Farm Equipment, editorial on Right to Repair ruling

Husqvarna has warned its third-quarter core operating profit would halve due to unfavourable weather, restructuring costs and rising trade tariffs.

The outdoor power tools manufacturer said in July that it would restructure its Consumer Brands division partly due to weak demand in the United States. “In addition to the restructuring, the third quarter has also been impacted by the extended warm and dry weather” the company has said

In the year-ago quarter, operating profit excluding one-off items was 433 million crowns ($48.7 million).

Husqvarna said the profit drop came mainly on the back of a “negative product- and regional mix for its core Husqvarna division as warm and dry weather in Europe hit demand”. It said both Husqvarna and Consumer Brands, including petrol lawnmowers and garden tractors, also had higher costs for raw materials and new tariffs.

“For 2019 the expectation is that these will be mitigated by price increases,” it added.

Husqvarna said that the restructuring it plans to carry out this year and next would cost an estimated total 1.2 billion crowns ($135 million) before tax, and predicted annual savings from the restructuring of around 250 million crowns with full effect from 2020.

Husqvarna is due to publish its full third-quarter report on Oct. 19

During BTME 2018 last January, the event hosts, BIGGA (British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association), promised that the annual exhibition would be drastically transformed for 2019. 

And with registration for the event now open, the Association has revealed that the event has expanded by 25% and that it will feature a host of new conferences, forums, exhibition platforms and more opportunities than ever to network and gain knowledge and experience.

Utilising a new hall layout at the Harrogate Convention Centre, in Yorkshire, England, BTME will feature 4,800sqm of exhibition space and feature Golf Course Construction Live!, a golf simulator competition, a new product and innovation area and a TED Talk-style theatre, where short presentations will be delivered by some of the leading names in the industry.

As always, Continue to Learn will kick off the week, with the education programme evolving to better suit the needs of BIGGA members. Taking place from Sunday 20 to Wednesday 23 January, the association’s Learning & Development team has put together its largest-ever package of education with more than 250 hours of education.

There will be a Deputies’ Conference, a Links Forum, an Ecology and the Environment Forum and a panel discussion looking at The R&A’s Golf Course 2030 plan.

Other workshops will discuss Gadgets & Gizmos, The Disturbance Theory: 10 years on, Work-Related Stress, while regular favourites such as the Turf Managers’ Conference and the Young Greenkeepers’ Conference will also return.

Last year, 50% of Continue to Learn workshops and seminars sold out within five weeks of registration opening, so BIGGA members have been encouraged to get their places booked soon to avoid missing out.

BTME 2019 itself begins on Tuesday 22 January with the Welcome Celebration taking place on the opening evening. Housed in a new location in the HCC’s main auditorium, television presenter Naga Munchetty will once again host the event, which will see a number of BIGGA members recognised for their achievements throughout the year, including the announcement of the winners of the annual BIGGA Awards, revamped to coincide with the new, expanded BTME offering.

Throughout the show itself, which runs from Tuesday until Thursday 22 January, there has been an increased offering for members, including more social space for networking and a larger BIGGA stand featuring a Wellness Area where skin cancer screening, hearing screening and mental health advice will all take place.

Also on the stand will be a Membership Benefits advisory service, where experts will provide information for members regarding legal advice, HR, health & safety, volunteering and member opportunities.

BIGGA Chief Executive Officer Jim Croxton said, “The expansion of BTME arose due to the exhibition’s incredible popularity among our exhibitors, of which in 2018 there were more than 140 and we’re due to expand on that number this year. In providing more space, we were presented with an incredible opportunity to create a greatly improved visitor experience, further enhancing BTME’s position as the premier turf management exhibition in Europe.

“We anticipate BTME 2019 being our most popular event ever. By registering early for BTME, you can ensure you skip to the front of the line and increase your BTME experience to the limit, ensuring you won’t miss a single part of what promises to be a historic event for the greenkeeping industry.”

Click here to register now for BTME 2019.

You can also download a copy of the Continue to Learn at BTME 2019 brochure here.

The Association of Farm Contractors in Ireland (FCI), has presented €12,000 to six charities following the success their Annual Charity BBQ & Auction which was held on Sunday, July 15, 2018 at Farrelly’s Yard, Carnaross, Co. Meath.

Pictured at the presentation of cheques from the FCI, Annual Charity BBQ & Auction held at Farrelly’s Yard, Carnaross, Co. Meath were five members from the six recipient charities (Meath region), with their cheques totalling €12,000

Host contractors and brothers, Patrick, Peter and Michael Farrelly staged the annual FCI Charity Event, which this year included the Mickey Farrelly Tractor Run, in memory of their late father, who began a farm contractor business from his farm more than 40 years ago.

The charities supported include Meath Palliative Care (€3,500), Save our Sons & Daughters (SOSAD) (€2,000), Support Organisation for Trisomy (SOFT) (€2,000), Order of Malta, Kells (€1,000), and Swords (€1,500), and Carnaross Community First Responders (€2,000). The cheques were presented at a function held at Killian’s Lodge Hotel, Mullagh at the weekend.

Peter Farrelly, General Secretary of FCI, who staged the event, along with his brothers Patrick and Michael, said, “We are indebted to all who supported the 2018 FCI Charity BBQ. We also thank the contributions from huge attendance. To date, the FCI Annual Charity BBQ and Auctions have raised over €115,000 for many local and national charities,” he added.