The past two years has been the most peculiar in my lifetime. It began with the Covid-19 pandemic in February 2020 and now, just when we are about to put the pandemic behind us, we find ourselves caught up with the Russian/Ukraine conflict. Unlike other world events, what makes these two events peculiar is that they have affected every individual on the planet. Covid-19 had a more social impact on our lives. It forced us to isolate, prevented us from travelling, we had to wear masks, all social events were cancelled and many of us ended up working from home. Never did I think that so many changes would happen so fast. Strange as it may seem, Covid-19 allowed many people to save like never before as there weren’t many outlets for them to spend their money. 

The war in Ukraine has had the opposite effect. It abruptly ended the saving spree. The conflict has forced oil prices to go through the roof, which has increased the cost of deliveries and keeping sales reps on the road. The rate of inflation is at its highest in over twenty years, forcing central banks to increase interest rates. When you add to this the increased cost of commodities such as wheat, copper and aluminium, you have the perfect recipe for an economic u-turn. The cost of living has become very expensive forcing people to dip into their savings just to keep their heads above water.

With so little disposable income available I wonder how this will affect the domestic dealers around the country? There is already a supply shortage of machines, leading to lots of frustration among dealers (and customers). I am interested to see what the end of year sales figures for lawnmowers and garden equipment will be. The commercial sector that sells to the agricultural, horticultural and sportsturf industry may have a completely different set of figures for the same period. 

As bad as it is, the Ukrainian conflict has brought out a lot of good in people. I was delighted to watch on YouTube the owner of Service Dealer Ireland, Duncan Murray-Clarke reveal how £4000 was raised to help the Red Cross and other charities involved with helping Ukrainian refugees. People and businesses can be very generous in times of difficulties.

Most of the tractor manufacturers have already released their Q1 results. Many have shown positive results along with company directors forecasting a similar trend to continue for the rest of the year. With healthy wheat prices in Europe, tractor manufacturing directors believe there is confidence in the tillage segment, leading, they believe, to strong levels of investment. However, recent figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) showed that fertiliser sales were down by as much as 50% in February. The cost of fertiliser has sky rocketed since the Ukrainian conflict, putting pressure on farmers’ margins. It will be interesting to see how all this will pan out over the year. Will there be a sharp decline in machinery investment?

There might be a few false smiles on some company directors when the second quarter results will be published.

Following April's Ukrainian Initiative fundraising, Service Dealer Ireland has contributed a portion of the collected monies to Project Linus.

The volunteer organisation provides a sense of security and comfort to sick and traumatised babies, children and teenagers through the provision of new, homemade patchwork quilts and knitted blankets.

The organisation's Ani Catt said, "Many thanks for your lovely donation to Project Linus UK Oxfordshire - greatly appreciated!  We provide free patchwork quilts to children 0-19yrs old who are going through a difficult time and need and extra hug or two.

"We are proud to support the Ukrainian families arriving in UK, with quilts for the children and also Welcome Bags for mums, granmas, aunties and single women being hosted in Oxfordshire. Your contribution enables us to continue supporting families throughout Oxfordshire so again - thank you very much!"

More news of donation allocation next week!

New Holland has announced the winners of its 2021 UK and Ireland Dealer of The Year Awards, which celebrate excellence in performance and service quality across its extensive dealer network.

In a statement the manufacturer said, "In a year where the whole dealer network delivered fantastic results, the four main category winners together with the product Line category winners should feel justifiably proud."

Main category winners:

• Overall UK Dealer of the Year: Ernest Doe & Sons Ltd
• Medium Dealer of the Year: Ravenhill Ltd
• Small Dealer of the Year: Hawkins Agri Ltd
• Ireland Dealer of the Year: Armstrong Machinery Ltd

Product line category winners:

• Combine Dealer of the Year: Lloyd Ltd
• Hay and forage Dealer of the Year: T H White Ltd

Pat Smith, New Holland business director for the UK and Ireland, said, “The purpose of these awards is to acknowledge and reward the performance and effort that our dealers put into the service they provide to our customers.

"The past two years have presented a unique challenge, not just in the agricultural machinery sector, but to all of us. That 2021 was a very successful year for New Holland and our dealers shows the excellent teamwork across our whole dealer network”.

Limerick-based Bobcat Authorised Dealer, Adare Machinery, will be showing new Bobcat products for the first time in Ireland at the FTMTA Farm Machinery Show 2022 at the Punchestown Event Centre outside Naas in County Kildare from 13-14 July 2022. 

Adare will be showing Bobcat’s new TL38.70HF R-Series telehandler and L85 compact wheel loader for the first time at an Ireland show. 

L85 compact wheel loader 

The FTMTA Farm Machinery Show is a biannual event held at the Punchestown event centre and has grown to become the flagship event for the Irish farm machinery industry over the past 30 years. One of the key attractions for exhibitors like Adare Machinery is the calibre of visitors that attend the show - attracting people with a genuine interest and need for farm machinery.

Adare Machinery is an award-winning machinery dealership established by David and Marian Cuddy in 1984, which has developed into a fully-fledged family enterprise, with son, William, and daughter, Caroline, involved in the running of the business. 

For the Bobcat range, Adare Machinery is the Authorised Dealer for the whole of Ireland. Operating out of state-of-the-art premises at Patrickswell near the city of Limerick, Adare Machinery is also offering service and warranty work on all existing Bobcat machines in its area, backed by a full selection of genuine accessories and parts

The efforts of UK and Ireland McCormick dealers to support their customers, build their businesses and boost the brand’s sales have been recognised at the brand’s annual pre-LAMMA dealer dinner and awards, where new and long-established McCormick dealers were among the winners.

Held at Birmingham’s Crowne Plaza NEC hotel, the awards recognised a number of dealers who have excelled in sales, service and parts provision. The awards were presented by Simeone Morra, director corporate business of McCormick parent Argo Tractors and shareholder of Argo Tractors, and Franco Artoni, director parts and marketing, as well as Adrian Winnett, managing director of McCormick distributor Argo Tractors UK & Ireland.

Simeone Morra and George McLaren

Appointed only just over a year ago, Dingwall-based McLaren Tractors (above), which covers the Scottish Highlands and Islands, was awarded the Sales Dealer of the Year prize. Reflecting the high number of units sold in its inaugural year as a McCormick dealer, the dealership was praised not only for achieving a high local market share, but also for its commitment to stocking and pipeline orders, as well as a determination to conquest other brands and the development of its overall approach to consultative selling.

Simeone Morra, Franco Artoni, Shaun Roberts, Simon Roberts, Adrian Winnett

Recognising not only parts sales, but also dealer commitment to the ArgoTech parts support programme, the Parts Dealer of the Year award went to Devon dealer RSM Beares (above).

Simeone Morra, Colin Catley, Derek Bailey, Adrian Winnett

The McCormick Service Dealer of the Year award was given to Leicestershire firm Catley Engineering (above). Acknowledging commitment to high levels of aftersales support though the service department, the award also recognised use of the latest technology in fault diagnosis and repairs.

Simeone Morra, Franco Artoni, Garry Wight, Adrian Winnett

Commitment to building the McCormick brand was also recognised, with the award of Brand Ambassador of the Year given to AB Wight Engineering (above), based at St Boswells in the Scottish Borders. An addition to the annual awards, the new award recognises the commitment of the dealer to marketing of not only the McCormick brand but also their own dealership, through website, social media, branded premises and vehicles and overall approach to raising the profile of McCormick in its area. 

Simeone Morra, Terry Hughes, Dan Roberts, Adrian Winnett

The overall McCormick Dealer of the Year prize, recognising all-round commitment, was awarded to HJR Agri Oswestry (above), from Shropshire. The award is given annually to the dealership that has excelled in all of the above areas and continues to be an excellent representation of the brand across all areas of the business in sales, parts and service.

Commenting on the awards, Argo Tractors UK and Ireland MD Adrian Winnett said: “Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our dealers continued to support our customers as localised food production became key to helping support the nation during this challenging time."

Equip Exposition (formerly GIE+EXPO), the international trade show based in Louisville, Kentucky has expanded its Outdoor Demo Yard - adding more than seven acres for outdoor exhibits at this edition.

“Year after year, attendees tell us that the Outdoor Demo Yard is one of the most valuable parts of the show,” said Kris Kiser, president of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, which owns and manages Equip Exposition.

“Outdoor booths are always at a premium, and adding this highly visible space inside the main gates will allow longtime indoor exhibitors to move outdoors for the first time.”

Registration is now open for this year’s event, which takes place October 18-21.

AriensCo has announced the purchase of Thomas Equipment from A-L Parts Inc.

The company says this development allows them to offer a new four-season product line under the Gravely brand to serve the rental and construction markets.

Thomas Equipment has been a manufacturer of outdoor equipment for 79 years based in Beechwood, New Brunswick, Canada. Started in 1943 by the Thomas Brothers as an agricultural repair business, they expanded into manufacturing equipment for agricultural purposes, namely potato harvesting and handling. In 1969, the company introduced the world’s first hydrostatic drive skid-loader. Thomas Equipment was purchased by A-L Parts Inc. in 2013.  

AriensCo say they are partnering with Al Downy and Leon Butterfield, owners of A-L Parts Inc. to launch the production of the Gravely branded Mini Skid Steer line in their Canadian facility. 

“We think this is a perfect extension of our Gravely product line,” said Dan Ariens, chairman and CEO of AriensCo. “This multi-tool piece of equipment is great for hardscape work with accessories like a tree auger, stump grinder, pallet forks, etc. It’s a big tool but is small and compact so it can fit through a gate and can be hauled on a trailer with other mowers. We think it will be a great offering for commercial landscapers.”   

AriensCo is providing management support for the increase in production. They say five Gravely branded Mini-Skid Loaders (3 diesel and 2 petrol powered models) are planned for the autumn.

Homeowners and lawn care professionals alike have been delighted with the Kress range of Mission robotic mowers. The owners of the most advanced robotik mower to date have now been able to enjoy and get on with other jobs around the garden, rather than lug around a heavier, smellier and all round more time consuming petrol alternative. 

One of the biggest benefits of using robotic mowers is that the mower can cut little and often so the lawn is constantly and regularly cut. Although you might worry that a robotic mower can’t take care of large areas of lawn, the Kress MEGA Mowers will cope with lawns as large as 6,500 square metres. 

Another benefit of Kress robotic mowers are that they are environmentally friendly, there are no emissions or petrol fumes due to the battery power. The Kress 60V garden range also shares this benefit and when it comes to power and effectiveness, the 60V max battery technology easily matches the performance of a petrol engine.

The 60V range has one battery for all applications, so whether lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, blowers or chainsaws you can use Kress 60V batteries in all our tools. This is the range for every job in the garden and as a result, are a green alternative to cable-based and petrol tools, even for challenging jobs.

All batteries feature the unique SmartLink battery control system, which adds more power, gives optimal protection and provides longer runtime. Through SmartLink, the chosen tool always gets exactly the right amount of power to increase runtime and performance of the tool.

Both the Kress range of robotic mowers and 60V garden range feature brushless motors, which are wear-free and provide longer service life. Kress motors are designed for high loads and optimal combination with our batteries. The battery energy is efficiently transformed into performance.

The whole Kress range is only available through selected independent dealers. Find out more and where your local dealer is here: https://eu.kress.com/en/