The recent fine weather has put a spring in people’s steps. Machines are back out on the land cultivating the fields for the summer crops, and the birds are now busy building nests. These sights are much needed tonics from the winter blues of Covid-19 restrictions. It looks like Level 5 restrictions will stay in place for some time, as case numbers have not yet fallen enough.

In the March 1st edition of Service Dealer Ireland I wrote about how advanced technology in machines can benefit the environment. I am heartened to see that one of the topics up for discussion at the upcoming CEMA Summit is ‘What is the role of farm machinery technology in delivering more sustainable agriculture?’ Another topic that will be discussed is ‘Are farm technologies and agricultural robots the gamechangers for the farming of the future?’.

The CEMA Summit will take place virtually on the 14th of April from 9:00am – 16:30pm and is open to farmers, agricultural dealers and distributors. The theme of the summit is ‘Seeding the Future of Sustainable Farming – Advanced farm machines & solutions to deliver on the European Green Deal’. You can register to attend by visiting www.cema-agri.org 

So what is the European Green Deal? In a nutshell it aims to transform the 27-country bloc from a high to a low carbon economy, without reducing prosperity and while improving people’s quality of life, through cleaner air and water, better health and a thriving natural world. The hope is that the EU will become climate neutral by 2050. From a machinery point of view, particularly the agricultural sector, the European Green Deal aims to reduce engine carbon emissions. It is anticipated that jobs will be created, for example from electric vehicle manufacturing. This is a highly ambitious plan. Time will tell if it will be successful or not. 

I read with interest that the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) have organised a brand new outdoor festival and exhibition called Festival of Turf. It will take place at the Warwickshire Event Centre from the 21st – 22nd of July. It was originally scheduled to take place from the 8th – 9th of June. This is will be one of the first real life events, within the industry, to take place in the UK since the pandemic. The UK’s vaccination role out programme has been the envy of many countries around the world. By July, most of the British population will have had their 2nd vaccination. However, given the recent clampdown on people travelling into Ireland, I’m not sure if there will be many from Ireland attending the BIGGA event.

To conclude, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Tracy Martin (née Coburn) on the 21st of March. Tracy was a former work colleague of mine in our GCSAI days and she later became administrator with the Irish Links Initiative (ILI), which was established by her late father, Brian Coburn. Many in our industry would have known Tracy through her work with organising GCSAI trade shows, conferences and setting up the ILI and organising its seminars. She is survived by her mother Elizabeth, husband Phillip and sons Kyle and Ross, along with her extended family and friends. Being a mother, it was ironic that Tracy died on Mothers Day. May she rest in peace. 

Husqvarna Group has published its 2020 Sustainovate Progress Report, that reports a 32% cut in CO2 emissions compared to 2015.

The company say these absolute reductions include emissions from suppliers, in operations and when products are in use. In a statement the company says this is an important milestone in the Group's " . .striving to lead the industry in low-carbon, resource-smart solutions."

Henric Andersson, CEO and President of Husqvarna Group commented on the Group's 2020 results, saying, "We feel a sense of urgency for climate action and with a 32% reduction since 2015, we took a big leap forward to achieving our 2025 carbon target."

The Group's Science-based target (SBT) takes into account the CO2 emissions that occur both in its own operations and when products are being used.

The company says they are committed to reducing CO2 in line with society's ambition to limit a temperature rise of 1.5 °C. It also commits to net-zero emissions across the value chain by 2050 at the latest.  

Sustainovate to 2025 is the Group's plan of action to, as they put it, "lead the industry in the shift to a low-carbon, resource-smart economy".

Some of the year's highlights are:

Carbon:  For the third consecutive year the Group has reduced its absolute CO2 emissions while increasing sales, demonstrating the business case for climate action.

Circular:  By 2025 Husqvarna Group will launch 50 circular innovations. The Group launched Sustainovate Open, an accelerator that hosted more than 20 start-ups in a circular innovation challenge. A 300,000 SEK pilot budget was awarded to Ekkono Solutions for its Edge Machine Learning software.

People:  By 2025 the Group will empower 5 million customers and colleagues to make sustainable choices. Ten sustainability awareness workshops with the employees were held during the year.The Group also closed the books on Sustainovate 2020, its five-year plan covering five areas necessary for integrating sustainability deeper into the business-carbon, teams, suppliers, safety and community.  The Group achieved four of five 2020 targets. Supplier audits was slightly below the stated target due to impacts of the COVID pandemic.

Since transferring the production of Jacobsen mowers to the Turf Care Centre of Excellence in Ipswich, the manufacturer says their three-hole golf course has become more important than ever to product development and testing.

Justin Hunt, golf course greenkeeper at RJ National

The beginning of 2021 has seen new product lines start up with the new AR530, Eclipse ELiTE 360 and HR800 all in the later stages of testing and development.

The company says it is at this point the 3-hole course comes into its own, with the product development team able to test the mowers in real-world situations and often pass the machines onto greenkeeper, Justin Hunt. 

Justin began his working life as an apprentice at Ransomes before becoming a product demonstrator in the UK and Europe. Despite leaving the company, he stayed in the turf industry working with Ernest Doe and Bartrum Mowers before joining Woodbridge Golf Club as a greenkeeper where he eventually became course manager for six years.

During his time as a demonstrator, he says he and others at Ransomes knew the land could be a useful asset for product testing.

"Initially, I found preparing a golf course in the middle of an industrial estate a bit strange," Justin begins. "Where we're sat in the main building now would have been our workshop back in the day, and the land across there that's now the golf course was wasteland. 

"That whole area was full of ploughs ready for sale because agricultural machinery was still made here then, and over time all of those ploughs disappeared, and we as demonstrators needed somewhere to test the equipment we were going to take out. We actually built in the loosest terms a little golf course. We fabricated a green out there so we could test greens mowers before we took them out. We knew its possibilities, but several years later it turned into what we see out there today, which is a fantastic facility. 

"It needs to simulate the best it can a proper golf course because they are trying to gather data and information that will be taken forward into the real world. Because of that our aim is always to keep it as close to a commercial golf course as possible. 

"To do that we use traditional methods just applied in a slightly different way. We aren't under the same pressures that you would be at an ordinary golf course. We haven't got a society of 60 or 70 people teeing off at eight o'clock, so it's easier to manage in that way. Because if you've decided you're going to do that job today, you can get on and do it, there's no reason you shouldn't apart from perhaps the weather. 

"There are different challenges, for example, if there is a big visit to the factory obviously everything needs to be spot on for that day, so all the focus goes onto getting it prepared for that occasion. So it does have different challenges and different things to have to cope with."

The three-hole course and adjacent football pitch were constructed using as much of the natural materials as possible whilst introducing a new body of open water. Having been constructed and operated in an environmentally conscious way, the course was certified by the Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) in 2010, and operating in that way has continued with the focus now turning to stop the use of fungicides on the site. 

Organisers of SALTEX say they are looking for the best speakers in the grounds management industry to showcase their knowledge at the show, which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on 3 and 4 November 2021. 

Learning LIVE, SALTEX’s education programme, provides advice, insight and solutions to issues faced by the grounds management industry. Organisers say they aim for the seminar programme at this year's event to be engaging, informative and educational for attendees.

Since its creation in 2015, the GMA say the most popular Learning LIVE sessions have been case studies and presentations from companies or individuals who are prepared to share personal experience and learnings.

In a statement the GMA said, "If you have a story to share or consider yourself a field specialist, then we want to hear from you.

"Each proposal will be evaluated and those that most closely match the needs of the attendees will be selected."

To submit a proposal, click here.

SDF has announced it will not participate in EIMA and Agritechnica in 2021, saying " . . protecting people's health and safety is, now more than ever, of crucial importance."

In an official statement the company continued, "This decision was taken after a deep analysis of the pandemic situation in Europe; despite the control measures and the vaccination campaign worldwide, the future scenario is very uncertain. SDF has prioritised the safety of its employees, dealers and customers from the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. 

"Consistent with the current scenario and focused on safety, SDF has decided not to participate in EIMA and Agritechnica in 2021 and more generally in trade fairs across Europe.

SDF marketing and communication executive director Massimiliano Tripodi said, “Safety has been our priority since the beginning and accordingly, we took the difficult decision to not participate in international fairs.

"We are facing a new era in business relationships where new technologies give us opportunities to get in direct contact with customers overcoming physical distances.” 

SDF say they will continue to invest strongly in digital and marketing communication in order to showcase new products and services. They also say they interact with its customers and all agricultural stakeholders throughout the year.

They also say the company continues to monitor the evolution of the pandemic in each country, and is looking forward to the time when it will be over and will be able to personally welcome its customers and dealers. 

Kramp UK have announced that through a new partnership with the recently founded Kerbl UK, Rutland fencing products are now available on their webshop.

Kerbl took over the Rutland brand at the beginning of January 2020. Simultaneously the company Kerbl UK Ltd was founded.

Kramp and Kerbl have been working together for a number of years, which has made it possible, Kramp says, to provide easy access to these livestock farming product lines.

In a statement Kramp said, "The extensive experience of Rutland is now being combined with the competence of Kerbl as a producer of product ranges such as animal breeding, stable and yard supplies, hobby farming, equestrian sports and pets for the UK market.

"Kramp and Kerbl are very similar in their history - both companies started by a man with a grand vision and as family-run businesses, and grown significantly over the years. It is only fitting that this partnership was renewed and expanded in Kramp’s 70th year. 

"We are really excited to be able to offer these products and we look forward to be working closely with this fantastic brand."

It has been announced that Fendt has entered into an agreement with tyre-maker, Continental.

The partnership between the two German manufacturers means all new 200 and 300 series tractors will now be available with TractorMaster tyres.

The move is described by Continental as another boost to the investment they have made to produce tyres with new technology at their dedicated agricultural production facility in Lousado, Portugal.
 
“This partnership with Fendt further strengthens the Continental tyre range for agriculture. It also demonstrates that the research and development we have carried out at our production plant in Lousado has attracted the interest and support of one of agriculture’s most influential brands,” says agricultural tyre specialist Richard Hutchins.
 
The TractorMaster tyres feature N.Flex Technology, a patent pending, heat-treated nylon that sits beneath the tyre rubber to help it return to its original shape after impact and heavy use. A further technological development is in the wire, or ‘bead’, that helps the tyre hold the rim of the wheel. Many agricultural tyres use as many as ten individual wires to create one bead which can cause weaknesses at the joins. Continental say their bead however, is made of a single wire construction wrapped around the circumference of the tyre up to one hundred times creating an agricultural tyre that holds the rim, even when run at very low pressure.
 
Mr Hutchins adds: “The bead is as important as the rubber and nylon in a tyre. Our research showed that tyres with a single wire bead can operate at up to 3 psi lower. In field operations this increases the footprint area which reduces soil compaction.”
 
Fendt is the second OEM from ACGO that Continental has been able to partner with, after Valtra, whose tractors have been equipped with Continental tyres since 2018.
 
Reacting to the partnership, Fendt’s UK marketing manager, Charlotte Ellis said, “We welcome partnerships with innovative suppliers who can help our products perform more efficiently in the field and on the road. Tyres are an extremely important part of any tractor and the new technology in Continental’s TractorMaster tyres shows how research and development is helping to drive agricultural efficiencies.”

Lemken have announced that they have ended the past financial year with sales at an almost unchanged high level of EUR365 million.

The manufacturer said demand was particularly high for seed drills and hoeing technology. They also claim the new year has started well with very good levels of incoming orders.

Antony van der Ley summarised the past year by saying, "We are happy and grateful that we were able to maintain our production throughout the past year without placing the health of our 1,631 employees worldwide at risk. We have achieved our ambitious goals for both sales and results and are very satisfied, even though we exited the field sprayer sector.

"We have also been able to bolster our service for specialist dealers, farmers and contractors at the highest level. We managed the challenges of COVID well by providing many smaller-scale demonstrations and digital offerings. However, we would certainly be delighted if we were able to have face-to-face contacts and events again soon so that we can demonstrate the benefits of our methods on the fields for everybody to see." 

Last year Lemken took a decision on its future direction by stopping field sprayer production and focusing its strengths fully on the manufacture of modern precision hoeing technology. They say this has already yielded initial success: their subsidiary Steketee has increased its sales by 30 percent.

Sales in the German home market have remained consistently high, although international sales dominate with a 77 percent share in total sales. In 2020, the company's largest markets included France, Russia, the USA and the United Kingdom, with substantial increases in sales for the last three of these countries.  

The family-run business also say they are very optimistic for 2021, given the high levels of incoming orders.