Since February 10th this year the Low Pay Commission has been open for invitations for people to submit their opinion on what the National Wage should be. This Friday (March 6th) is the last day for submissions on what you think should be the minimum wage. It is open to all members of the public including both employees and employers.

If you are an employee in the machinery industry on the minimum wage, you may feel that the current minimum wage rate is too low to make ends meet. If that is the case you can make a submission to the Low Pay Commission on what you think would be a reasonable level for the National Minimum Wage.

On the other hand, if you are an employer, you may think that the minimum wage is too high and that if it was lower your business would prosper that bit better, especially if your business is struggling to survive.

The service dealer industry is currently finding it difficult to employ staff, especially qualified or trainee mechanics/technicians. Is this because the wages offered are perceived to be too small by prospective employees? The agricultural and horticultural industry is probably one of the least paid industries in Ireland. In order to encourage more people to this sector, would a more attractive wage/salary package be the answer to solving the problem?

It is all very easy for me to say, as I write this article, what the National Minimum Wage should be without knowing the circumstances of each business out there, trying to survive in the current economic climate. And with the coronavirus threatening global economic growth, who knows what that will mean for service dealers around the country. More about this in a future blog.

I do think though that one should set aside some time to analyse what a fair minimum wage rate would be and, when you have made your conclusions, submit your opinion to the Low Pay Commission by 5pm this Friday.

All opinions are important. Following a review of the public’s submissions, the Low Pay Commission will make its recommendations to the Minister of Employment Affairs and Social Protection from the information gathered from the public, which it feels is a minimum wage that is both fair and sustainable. You should seriously consider making a submission as all opinions will be important in setting the appropriate National Minimum Wage for 2021.

The national minimum hourly rates increased from the beginning of February this year. Now an experienced adult worker must receive at least €10.10 per hour. A person aged 19 must receive at least €9.09 per hour, an 18-year old at least €8.08 per hour. Those under 18 must receive at least €7.07 per hour. Since 4th March 2019, trainee rates were abolished. For a more detailed list of the National Minimum Wage you can visit www.gov.ie

You can email your comments and opinions as to what the minimum wage should be to the Low Pay Commission at secretarylpc@welfare.ie or alternatively you can phone them on 01 7043957.

Farmhand Ltd, the family owned, exclusive importers of Krone, Amazone and Quicke, Zuidberg and APV have appointed TJ Doyle to their board of directors, effective immediately.

TJ, a Carlow native, joined Farmhand in 2008 as an area service manager and later became overall service manager where he has been instrumental in Farmhand’s after sales professionalism.

“We are delighted that TJ accepted our offer to join the board and as technical director, we believe he will consolidate Farmhand’s wholehearted commitment to after-sales service and be a good advisor for Farmhand into the future” said Chairman of the board, John Scrivener.

“I am delighted to accept this new role, but I really see this as recognition of the hard work and dedication of the whole service department over many years” said TJ Doyle. “I am looking forward to not only representing the after-sales department on the board but working hard with the other directors to help guide Farmhand from strength to strength."

The current Farmhand board of directors is: John Scrivener, John Brady, Bernard Krone, David Borland, Paul Scrivener, Sinead Scrivener, Stephen Scrivener and TJ Doyle

TAP, the owners of Service Dealer and TurfPro, triumphed at the UK national Rural Business Awards, which were held last Thursday (February 27th) at the stunning Monastery in Manchester.

TAP owners Duncan Murray-Clarke and Emma Craigie with the award for Best Rural Digital, Communications or Media Business

Representing the South-East, the company scooped the title of Best Rural Digital, Communications or Media Business, ahead of companies representing the Midlands, North, Wales & NI, South West and East.

Owner of TAP, Duncan Murray Clarke said, "We are absolutely delighted to win this top award in a competitive category and at an event that fits right in with our ethos as a team and as an agency. Thanks to the judges for choosing us, the event organisers, the category sponsor O2, but mainly to our great team at TAP.

"In our industry clients are starting to look for more value and point of difference. That is why we believe businesses are seeking out small agencies that offer real value and comprehensive market knowledge.

"TAP is a global business, but with genuine rural roots. We work closely with innovative rural businesses and rural initiatives - with the independent dealer trade being the epitome of that."

A spokesperson for the Rural Business Awards said, "The competition was close, but, through our lengthy judging process, a panel of around 25 judges selected the very cream of the crop to take home our national awards."

The organisers say the aim of the awards has not changed since they were first presented in 2015. They aim to give recognition to businesses operating right across the rural sector, to acknowledge the breadth and depth of opportunity presented by the Great British countryside, as well as to celebrate the achievements of rural businesses, from engineering through to artisan food producers and professional services organisations.

The eleven awards are decided by an independent panel of judges drawn from the rural business sector, official agencies and rural charitable organisations.

The Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) have announced that FTMTA Grass & Muck will return to the Gurteen College, Co. Tipperary site on May 14th, 2020, in what will be the sixth such event held since it was first introduced in 2010.

This event, focused around working grassland machinery demonstrations, has proven very attractive to both exhibitors and visitors from the outset, having grown on each occasion that it has been held. Any firm interested in exhibiting at the event can register their interest by contacting the FTMTA office on 045 409309 or at admin@ftmta.ie .

There is already very strong interest in exhibition and demonstration space from previous and new exhibitors with all the indicators at this early stage pointing to another great FTMTA event. 

FTMTA has confirmed that, building on the addition of a substantial extra area of grass demonstration plots at the 2018 event, the site will be further increased for 2020 bringing the total grass demo area to well in excess of 100 acres. It will also be possible to increase the size of the trade village area significantly. It is intended that exhibitors will showcase a wide range of products from many brands of tractors, farm machinery and accessories to animal care products, seeds and agro chemicals. In keeping with the FTMTA ethos, for both Grass & Muck and the FTMTA Farm Machinery Show, only stands from genuinely agricultural focused businesses will be accepted.

Iseki UK & Ireland have announced that they have been appointed as the exclusive distributor for Raymo products throughout the UK, Ireland and the Middle East.

Following numerous discussions and feedback from their customers, Iseki say that they noticed a gap in the market where contractors are being asked by their customer base for all-electric options for their grass cutting needs. Iseki believe one of the problems with electric mowers is that the weight of transporting an operator (and all the associated hardware) negatively impacts on the run time that can be achieved from the batteries. By taking the operator off of the mower and making it remote control, Iseki says the Raymo products can give "unrivalled run times from its lithium battery pack".

Commenting on the appointment David Withers explained, “Over the last few years there have been several manufacturers that have wanted us to distribute their products for them but in each instance we decided that it might distract from the core mission of growing the Iseki customer base. In the case of Raymo though, the product offering was so unique and so different to anything in the Iseki range and so ‘absolutely of the moment’ that we have decided to enter into this distribution arrangement.”

After launching in 2019, John Deere’s 2700 and 2750 PrecisionCut and E-Cut hybrid electric triplex mowers have been honoured as a 2020 AE50 Award winner by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

Each year the AE50 awards highlight innovative designs in product engineering, as chosen by a panel of international engineering experts. John Deere say the development of these new cylinder mowers was based on customer needs and challenges - most importantly, the struggle to find quality labour and tight operating budgets.

With this in mind, the mowers are equipped with the TechControl system, which is passcode protected and allows course managers, technicians and other trusted supervisors to input commands that control nearly everything regarding the operator's performance. This includes frequency of clip, turn speed, clean-up pass speed and how fast the cutting units raise and lower.

“Our customers are battling a variety of challenges, from labour to budgets. The 2700 and 2750 triplex mowers have been designed to directly tackle these concerns and take the stress out of mowing,” says John Deere Golf product manager Brad Aldridge. “From the TechControl system to the open platform design and excellent cut quality, these machines deliver a precise, uniform cut, regardless of who’s driving.”

ASABE is an international scientific and educational organisation dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food and biological systems. Each year the Society announces and presents the AE50 awards at the ASABE Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference held in Louisville, Kentucky in February.

Jacobsen say they have started a new era of end-user focused products with the launch of the AR530 rough mower.

The manufacturer says the AR range has been redesigned from the ground up with the focus on re-establishing their commitment to engineering "best in class mowers with their famous quality of cut".

To achieve this, customers and dealers participated in one of the largest ever research programmes commissioned at Jacobsen to establish the everyday challenges greenkeepers and groundsmen face. The results focused on features, quality and durability. These were crucial elements in the design process for Jacobsen Product Manager, Lee Frie.

Lee explained, “We had a machine that did well in the market, and we learnt a lot in seven years, so this was really a ground-up redesign of a good machine that we wanted to make better.

“We wanted to improve the experience of cutting with the AR and the results you get from it, and I think operators are going to find quite a bit different about this machine. We’ve improved the cut quality as well as the after cut appearance with grass clipping dispersal. We’ve also improved the traction system, so it does a fantastic job of climbing and side hill performance.

“The ergonomics are greatly improved, and it’s much easier for operators to get on and off because you don’t have to climb over the units. All of the controls are at the user's finger tips, so it’s very easy to operate, and I think they are going to see a vast improvement.”

The new models are available with five or seven floating 58cm articulated contour rotary decks, with the AR530 providing a cutting width of 2.3m and the AR730 - which is due to launch in September 2020 - 3.15m.

The new TrueDeck design uses smaller decks to follow tight undulations. The company says this eliminates clumping and produces a better after cut appearance while height of cut adjustments can be made quickly and easily.

To harness the cut quality, the traction system has been enhanced using SureTrac II 4WD. According to Jacobsen this parallel-cross diversion hydraulically powered traction system, with momentary 4WD differential lock, provides superior traction when climbing difficult contours and slide slopes by transferring power from the wheel that slips to the one that grips. Using this system allows the AR to glide over hilly terrain with acute undulations while giving an even cut by utilising the weight transfer system.

The sound level of the machine has been lowered to make it quieter for the operator and to reduce passer-by noise. Vibration has also been looked at in detail. 

The seat position and InCommand II control system have all been adjusted for maximum comfort and productivity while the new step design has been installed to make getting on and off the machine significantly easier.

All of these features have been combined into a Stage V compliant unit.

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is giving one lucky reader plus their guest, the chance to visit GIE+EXPO, the international landscape, outdoor living, and equipment show in Louisville, USA, in October 2020.

The winner of this amazing free to enter competition, who must currently work at a dealership, will win two tickets to the show as well as travel to the US, transfers and accommodation.

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Between the 21st-23rd October, GIE+EXPO will showcase the hottest products and technological innovations in the global outdoor power equipment industry - and you could be immersed in the latest developments plus be able to network with peers from across the world.

Throughout the three days you will be able to visit over 1000 exhibitors across the showfloor. There is even 20 acres of outdoor space for demonstrations and test-driving, so you can put the equipment through its paces.

You’ll also be able to attend a raft of insightful seminars aimed at boosting your efficiency and bottom line.

This really is an incredible opportunity to get away from the business for a few days and to come back with a wealth of new ideas from across the globe.

To enter the competition and for full terms and conditions click here.