I hope you managed to stay safe during storm Éowyn. Those of you living along the western seaboard got it particularly rough as record breaking wind speeds were recorded there. I hope that there was no serious damage done to your homes or business premises and that you have power and water restored.

For dealers in the domestic machinery market the winter months can be relatively quiet. Fewer lawnmowers, strimmers and hedgecutters are sold during this time. A bottleneck situation can occur in the spring, or when the weather begins to get milder. During this time people dust off their mowers only to find out that the machine has broken down and won’t start. Others may decide to purchase a new mower. Adding these two groups together can lead to dealers finding themselves inundated with repairs and new machines to sell. If this bottleneck could be spread out over the quieter times it would be much better.

Now may be a good time to encourage your customers to bring their machines to your workshop to get serviced. Creating an advertising campaign promoting the importance of having ones machine serviced could be worthwhile. Campaigns can easily and cheaply be done through social media such as Facebook and Instagram. The different platforms will depend on the age group of your customers. For example Instagram favours the younger age group. Get as many followers as you can.

You could also advertise your promotion through regional newspapers, though this could be a bit more expensive but this risk/reward strategy could be worthwhile.

Having mowers brought in for servicing sooner than later has many advantages. It would give extra work for the workshop mechanics and possibly avoid the congestion that would occur a few weeks later. It will also give the opportunity of early diagnosis of major faults. Doing this early allows time to order in unusual parts. 

The economic outlook for our customers is looking good. If your winter servicing promotions come to their attention they may be inclined to spend that bit extra to get their mowers ready for the summer season ahead. Many will have already received their first pay packet of the year and are seeing the benefit of the tax cuts that were announced in last October’s budget. These tax cuts took effect in January. This should put extra money in many people’s pockets. 

This makes for a favourable environment for our customers to spend money especially on upgrading homes and gardens. The future looks bright for a good trading year ahead for dealers so make sure to have your showrooms stocked up with plenty of spare parts and new stock.

The European Agricultural Machinery Association’s (CEMA) report for January 2025 shows that the general business climate index for the agricultural machinery industry in Europe has risen further but continues in negative territory. In January, the index increased from -37 points to -31 points (on a scale of -100 to +100).

Less negative total turnover expectations (mainly driven by positive expectations for transportation and livestock equipment) are once again the main reason for the improvements in the general business climate, while total current business evaluations have improved only slightly and are basically continuing close to record low levels.

A further and significant improvement can especially be seen in expectations for the coming order intake (an indicator that is not included in the calculation of the overall barometer index): For the first time since 2022, a majority of survey participants expect incoming orders to rise in the coming six months (based on a low order volume).

With a view to the market side, the confidence index for almost all European markets has improved, with some countries back in or close to positive territory for the first time since the start of the recession period. While the direct customers of the manufacturers ,i.e. the dealers, have still not been able to pass on all orders to the end customers and the dealer stocks continue with above-average levels in almost all European markets, a considerable improvement can be seen compared to previous months. 

The final part of our roundtable discussion between UK dealer Jo Balmer of Balmer's GM, Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke and American dealer training experts Sara Hey and Bob Clements of BCI, is now available to view on our Equip Digital Special Report.

It in you can watch the panel sum up the Equip show – and discuss the future of battery recycling.

You can catch up with all the rest of our video content from Equip here.

Jeremy Clarkson is set to host the Cereals Event next year at Diddly Squat Farm, in what is a new site and collaboration for 2026.

Jeremy Clarkson

Organisers say that Cereals at Diddly Squat Farm will deliver a technical, progressive arable event, while further raising the profile of British farming. Event director Alli McEntyre explained, “Hosting Cereals at the high-profile farm under the auspices of host farmer, Jeremy Clarkson, will help to draw attention to the ongoing issues that arable farmers, and the wider farming industry, are facing.”

Over two days, 10-11 June 2026, the larger site in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, will see an estimated 550 exhibitors and upwards of 25,000 visitors call the famed farm home. 

“Farmers across the country are facing some of the toughest conditions seen in decades,” says Jeremy Clarkson. “So we wanted to be involved in something positive, and hosting Cereals was an opportunity for us to run a large-scale, practical event for UK food producers.

“For us, it will be interesting to see how the event’s crop plots perform on our Cotswold brash land, and of course there will be the pop-up Farmer’s Dog bar to enjoy.”

Helping to curate this key date in the 2026 calendar is Cereals’ agronomy partner Ceres Rural, led by the farm’s agronomist, Charlie Ireland, managing partner at Ceres Rural, and who’s known as 'Cheerful Charlie' in the farm’s popular TV series.

“There are a lot of conversations that happen every day on any given farm,” says Charlie. “And now more than ever the industry needs solutions to meet the challenges and priorities on both sides of the farm gate. Diddly Squat Farm is very much like any other arable and diversified farm, despite the cameras; it is still subject to the vagaries of the weather, volatility of markets, and navigation of industry transition and policy.

“So the event will be a great platform for conversation, demonstration, and exploration of how farm businesses can best deliver sustainable food production while achieving profitability - because the two should not be separated.”

With a global reach, the goings-on at Diddly Squat Farm have been shared with viewers as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa - captivating a broad audience worldwide. “Another consideration for the future of the sector is how we can attract the best and brightest into the industry – and I think that is where the farm’s popularity will be advantageous,” adds Charlie.

Cereals 2025 meanwhile, will be hosted by recent Service Dealer Conference speaker, Andrew Ward at Heath Farm, Lincolnshire, on 11-12 June.

JCB has celebrated a major machine milestone with the production of its one millionth backhoe loader.

A cavalcade of 16 backhoes from down the ages on the road outside JCB’s World HQ

The first JCB backhoe rolled off the production line in Rocester, Staffordshire in 1953. Called the Mark One, it brought the new wonder of hydraulic power to construction equipment for the first time.

In the first full year of production in 1954 just 35 of the machines were built and it took more than 20 years for the first 50,000 to be made. It took 59 years for the first half million JCB backhoes to be manufactured – but less than 13 years for the next half million to be produced, culminating in today’s celebrations.

JCB now manufactures backhoe loaders in the UK, India, Brazil.
 
Hundreds of backhoe loader employees lined the road outside JCB’s World HQ, joining company Chairman Anthony Bamford to watch a cavalcade of 16 backhoes from down the ages. These spanned a 1954 Mark I through to a 2025 3CX model. Also joining in the celebrations was retired JCB employee Ken Harrison, aged 100, who joined JCB as a welder in 1952 when only 29 people worked on the shop floor. Ken, one of the last known survivors of the production team that built the first JCB backhoes, retired 36 years later in 1988.
 
Lord Bamford said: “I am the only person in the business now who can remember the early days when we first started to make backhoes in what was a former cheese factory in Rocester. Looking back at that time, I could never have imagined that we would make one million of these diggers after such humble beginnings. Looking back is a fun thing to do but it’s always been JCB’s way to look forward and I’m looking forward to the production of the next one million backhoes.”
 
The one millionth JCB backhoe to be produced was a 4CX model, which has been decorated in graffiti art by London-based artist and illustrator Dave Smith, and presented to Lord Bamford at the celebrations.

New Holland Agriculture announced that it has been honoured with three prestigious AE50 Awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

These awards recognise innovative designs in engineering products or systems for the food and agriculture industries. New Holland's IntelliSense Bale Automation, CropSpeed Monitoring System, and UltraFeed Pickup have each been acknowledged for their groundbreaking contributions to agricultural technology.

“These awards highlight New Holland's unwavering commitment to hay and forage innovations. By continuously developing advanced technologies in this segment, New Holland ensures that farmers can achieve higher efficiency, better crop quality, and reduced operational costs.” Says Carlo Lambro, brand president at New Holland.

“The IntelliSense Bale Automation, CropSpeed Monitoring System, and UltraFeed Pickup are all designed to enhance the productivity and profitability of hay and forage operations, symbolising New Holland's dedication to supporting farmers in their pursuit of excellence.”

The AE50 Awards will be presented at the Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference (AETC), which is scheduled to take place from February 9-12, 2025, in Louisville. This event will celebrate the most innovative designs in agricultural engineering, including New Holland's award-winning technologies.