Goodness me, is it safe to go outside yet?

I'm lucky in that I spent Monday and Tuesday this week - when UK temperature records were broken every five minutes - indoors, sat at my computer, with all the curtains and windows closed, a constant supply of cold, weak orange squash at my side, wet flannels adorning my person and zero intention of venturing out into the inferno!

I am fully aware however, that this would not have been possible for the majority of our dealer readers, who had businesses to run and machinery to sell and fix. So how did you manage? Let us know in the comments below.

The serious aspect of this week of course, is that experts tell us events like this will become ever more frequent and ever more extreme. I read a quote from the Met Office saying that we should be expecting these +40degree occurrences every three years from now on. 

So changes do need to be made in the way the world works. And whilst it can feel overwhelming and beyond our own personal capabilities at times, our industry can help in some small way.

And when I say help, I don't just mean by reacting to an emergency situation as I saw some amazing farm machinery users so wonderfully doing as wildfires were breaking out on Tuesday (take a bow Farmer Tom). But rather, in helping to change consumer attitudes in the long term, for the better. 

I suspect most reading this today won't be fans of artificial turf - and nor should the general public be if they want to help do their bit to reduce the planet's temperature. Our sector can rightfully shout about the benefits of naturally grassed surfaces - and the modern tools used to cultivate them - as being an integral part of the solution to cooling our urban areas.

I spoke to my colleague Laurence Gale, editor of our TurfPro sister title, who as an ex-greenkeeper, groundsman and parks officer, is an experienced agronomist, with comprehensive knowledge regarding the benefits of turfed areas. He told me lawns function as an excellent natural thermoregulator. He said, "Lawns absorb carbon dioxide, which is the main cause of global warming, by storing carbon while releasing oxygen. They clean the air, acting as purifiers, absorbing nitrogen oxide, ammonia, sulphur dioxide and ozone and returning oxygen to the atmosphere."

So the more well kept lawns outside people's homes, rather than a plastic carpet, the better.

There was a great article in The Guardian this week, entitled Why fake grass is far from green in ways you might not guess that covers how harmful these artificial surfaces can be to the environment. And further bad press was generated for the fake grass industry last month when the Advertising Standards Authority upheld complaints against adverts claiming artificial grass produced by Evergreens UK Ltd was eco-friendly. The ASA judged that boasts made in three advertisements were “unsubstantiated and misleading” - a perfect example of corporate greenwashing.

Laurence continued by telling me, "From my own experiences, replacing natural grass with artificial products is absolutely not the way forward. Creating a nondescript, non-natural landscape is a recipe for disaster."

Hopefully with the events of this week, the conversation can shift from the two extreme ends of the spectrum. It feels that often we're only exposed to the archaic views of those who choose to deny climate change and pretend it's just summer - and to the views of those who decide to superglue themselves to motorways, turning off the masses from even hearing their message due to their extreme behaviour. Perhaps now the rest of us who are concerned about what's happening, and who want to make worthwhile changes to our lifestyles, can hear practical solutions as to how we can make a difference.

And our industry can surely be at the forefront of letting the public know just how important their areas of natural grass can be.

TAP, the publishers of Service Dealer and TurfPro, gathered national and international staff in Oxfordshire on Tuesday 19th July, to celebrate the company's 20th anniversary.

Members of TAP and TAP Spain celebrating the 20th anniversary

Owner Duncan Murray-Clarke said, "Wow, where did that time go! I mean 20 years is quite a while and during that time we have worked through financial crashes, wars and massive people displacement, climate change, the birth of Social Media and the death of the traditional media channel mix as we know them. Oh, and a world changing pandemic that will impact us for years to come."

"So it does beg the question, why on earth is TAP still in business? Lots of very strong advertising and communications agencies have sadly fallen victim to some of these adverse conditions and ceased to be.

"As time has gone on, certain elements have become much clearer to me. I am not talking about the complexities of world trading conditions or the ever-changing marketing acronyms! No it is simpler than that (or I am simpler than that). And many of these fundamental but simple elements have been key to TAP’s trading strength and the calibre of our output."

Duncan continued, "We have always changed when we felt it was right and sometimes this change has bought on quite a fundamental shift in direction. For example evolving an agency that was reliant on Travel and Tourism to an agency whose turnover is 85%+ from the agriculture and food production sectors.  And thank goodness we did.

"We also moved very quickly into the content and social media space and will always be assuming we are still behind where we need to be and looking to better our knowledge.

"So, whenever I get asked by someone starting on a new venture for any advice. It isn’t that complicated. Be different, don’t be slugging it out with loads of other businesses.  Think about a real point of difference that separates you away from other businesses in your sector.  And you have (at the moment) the advantage of being small.  So when the time is right, don’t be afraid to evolve and change, because the world is moving very quickly at the moment."

The specially commissioned TAP20 gin

Duncan concluded, saying, "Because of our ability to adapt, I absolutely believe we are up there as one of the best ag specialist content agencies around.  Well I would say that wouldn’t I? But we are now in the privileged position that The TAP Group is working with most of the key global players in world crop science and many of these clients have been with us for a while and the trust and working understanding that has been built up is special. So, thank you to all our clients who have placed their trust in us over the last 20 years.

"But who am I kidding? TAP doesn’t make nuts and bolts. We sell knowledge and expertise and it has to be good. We would be nothing without our people and accumulated knowledge – just a logo and a website. One thing Covid has taught us is we need our colleagues now more than ever and there has been a real shift in attitude towards working with people and their priorities, instead of just employing people. The traditional ad agency management style of diluted ethics, survival of the fittest and full on egos are no longer with us.

"One final thing. I don’t want to belittle what we do but keeping it simple has been a real strength. Over the years we have been able to focus on what is important and what is engaging."

Tallis Amos Group (TAG) has confirmed it has been appointed as the John Deere dealer to cover Shrewsbury and Newport in Shropshire offering full sales, parts and service support within the surrounding area.

Ben Tallis & Simon Amos

TAG was formed in 2012 when two long standing John Deere dealerships, Alexander & Duncan and Chris Tallis Farm Machinery joined forces. The company traces its roots back to 1912 and has been supporting farming businesses in the West Midlands for over 100 years, with 56 years as John Deere agents.

Currently operating four depots in the West Midlands and Wales at Evesham, Kemble, Leominster and Narberth, TAG say they have plans to open an additional site near Lampeter in October this year.

Employing a team of 130, TAG's other machinery partners include Kramer, Pottinger, Sumo, Pichon, Shelbourne Reynolds, Sulky, AW & Bailey Trailers amongst others.

To support customers throughout the Shrewsbury and Newport area, plans are being finalised to open two outlets, with TAG saying details including opening date will be shared as soon as possible. Rea Valley Tractors (RVT) continue to be authorised dealers until 31st October 2022 - further details about the changes can read here.

Simon Amos, TAG agricultural sales director, said, “We are delighted to be extending our trading area and look forward to earning farmers and contractors business and trust in the months and years ahead.

"Alexander & Duncan were the original John Deere dealer appointed for Shropshire in 1966, our whole team have a great sense of pride in returning to serve customers across the region again."

Ben Tallis, TAG managing director, said, “This is another important step in the continued growth of TAG, only with expansion can we provide the levels of stock, technology and specialisation necessary to support the needs of modern farming and contracting businesses whilst providing the security and opportunities for everyone who works hard at TAG every day.

“We have always had a good working relationship with RVT and wish them well in the future. As we look to build on their success over the last 38 years we have agreed to work together and make the transition as smooth as possible for all customers.”

Last week, we published figures from the AEA on tractor registrations in June, which completed the statistics for the first half of 2022.

The number of agricultural tractors (over 50hp) registered during the period was 6,420, 6% fewer than in January to June 2021, although higher than the 5-year average.

Now the AEA have released analysis of the registrations by region and power.

Agricultural economist at the AEA, Stephen Howarth says, "The only part of the country to see a substantial rise in registrations was the Home Counties, which accounts for less than 5% of the national total but includes a high proportion of machines in the lowest power bands.

"The West Midlands and North West also recorded small rises but all other parts of the UK recorded registrations below the level seen in the first half of 2021. The fall was sharpest in the Eastern half of England, while Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all saw similar year-on-year declines to the UK as a whole."

Looking at the breakdown by power range shows that the year-on-year decline in registations was concentrated in the 81-150hp and over 260hp ranges.

"Between these ranges," says Stephen Howarth, "there was a small increase in registrations, while there were also more tractors in the 51-80hp range this year.

"Given the widespread issues with supply chains, these trends may reflect availability of tractors as much as demand for them."

BAGMA have been announced as a sponsor of this year's Service Dealer Conference & Awards.

Taking place on Thursday 24th November 2022 once again at the Double Tree by Hilton Oxford Belfry Hotel, Thame, Oxfordshire, the theme for this year's event is Sustaining Dealerships.

BAGMA have been confirmed as a Networking Sponsor of the event.

BAGMA's Keith Christian, Brian Sangster and Richard Jenkins at a previous Service Dealer Conference & Awards

Keith Christian, Director of BAGMA said, "BAGMA is very excited to continue sponsoring the Service Dealer Conference and Awards.

"They are both important events and a great way for the industry to get together, learn something and to celebrate success.”

Additional details regarding the Service Dealer Conference & Awards, including further sponsors and a full speaker line-up, will be announced soon.

DeLacy Executive Recruitment have been announced as a sponsor of this year's Service Dealer Conference & Awards.

Taking place on Thursday 24th November 2022 once again at the Double Tree by Hilton Oxford Belfry Hotel, Thame, Oxfordshire, the theme for this year's event is Sustaining Dealerships.

The company has been confirmed as a Content Sponsor of the event.

Stuart Goodinson, managing director of the company, said, "DeLacy are delighted to sponsor the Service Dealer Conference & Awards for the first time, as we know how valuable a resource for the dealer sector the event has become.

"De Lacy Executive provides recruitment services in Agriculture and Agri Food in the UK and Europe. We work with clients to find the best people for their businesses and we work with candidates to find them the best business to fulfil their ambitions."

Additional details regarding the Service Dealer Conference & Awards, including further sponsors and a full speaker line-up, will be announced soon.

The Milking Equipment Association (MEA) is changing the name of its accreditation scheme for dairy technicians and launching a new Category 4 Master Dairy Engineering Technician course.

The Milking Systems Training Accreditation (MSTA) scheme replaces Parlour Safe, offering training courses and assessment for dairy technicians to improve their skills and gain an industry-recognised accreditation.
 
MEA Chair, John Baines explained, "The MEA has relaunched its accreditation scheme to reflect development in dairy systems. We no longer believed Parlour Safe to be an accurate description of dairy technicians’ experience because of the changes in milking systems, especially robots. Our MSTA courses reflect this, and we are also introducing a new Category 4 Accreditation for ‘Master’ dairy engineering technicians looking to take their career a step further.”
 
Category 4 was launched at the MEA member meeting on 29th June and is an opportunity for experienced dairy technicians to be accredited with specialist status in the sector. The course is aimed at those looking for leadership roles that may require them to train or mentor others. “Category 4 is aligned with the professional standards required for application to the Engineering Council for Engineering Technician (EngTech) registration. It is therefore a new benchmark for the milking industry and a goal for those wishing to lead,” he adds.
 
To better represent the diversity of its members, the MEA has also had a brand refresh and launched a new website with a dedicated section for the MSTA. “Working with our members, we agreed that the MEA needed a new look to reflect the changes the industry has experienced. This offered the opportunity to create a new website resource which also better explains the MSTA courses that are available and how new and experienced technicians can apply to gain accreditation,” he says.

The Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) is backing pleas for farm safety 
 
This week from 18 to 22 July 2022 the Farm Safety Foundation - or Yellow Wellies as they are known - have been holding their tenth annual Farm Safety Week, a campaign which brings together five countries over five days with one simple goal - to encourage everyone in the industry to make our farms safer places to live and work. 
 
IAgrE CEO Charlie Nicklin said, “We are proud to support the annual Farm Safety Week campaign. A campaign that spans five countries can really draw attention to, and reduce the injury risk that farmers and farm workers face on a daily basis. The truth is, we should all be doing our best to farm safely every day of the year not just during Farm Safety Week”. 
 
Each year IAgrE organises a series of Student Awards one of which is the Student Safety Award. Other awards are the Student Project Award and CNH Industrial Awards, applicants are also eligible to submit their projects for the Safety Award. 
 
The Safety Award is to encourage and recognise innovation in safe design, safe systems of operation or processes by students in subjects relating to the application of engineering in the agricultural and associated land-based sectors. 
 
Over the year’s students have been rewarded for innovation in areas such as machine stability, trailer braking and collision avoidance. “Designed-in safe systems seems obvious, but given the industries poor safety record engineers need to go above and beyond legislation and come up with innovative features and systems of work to promote safe practice in the industry,” adds Charlie. 

A new Responsible Riding Charter, which will reinforce rider best practice and challenge users to rethink how they approach rider safety, has been launched by Can-Am during this Farm Safety Week (18-22 July).

The manufacturer says the charter is designed to help educate UK utility and recreational users through a series of simple and easy to remember tips. The advice includes being mindful of the animals that riders come across and not damaging their natural habitat, remembering that everyone has their own way of riding, looking at ways to share best practice for riding different terrains, and making sure the vehicle is correctly insured and registered.
 
To complement the charter, Can-Am is issuing two safety videos that users can access via the Can-Am off-road YouTube page which focus on ATV safety and SSV safety.
 
James Dalke, BRP commercial manager UK and Ireland, says, ‘The new charter we are launching reflects our commitment to educating users on the importance of rider safety. The aim of the charter is to provide users with easy to remember tips and advice that spark conversations about responsible riding, whether at work or at home. These conversations will, in turn, help users ensure they are as safe as they can be when out on the land and riding on trails.”

With the largest capacity in the range, the Cobra CHIP700L is a 7hp towable Wood Chipper. It is small and compact but still more than powerful enough, being equipped with a 212cc 7hp Loncin engine to easily chip branches up to 100mm / 4" in diameter. 

The unique hinged design of the chute allows easy access to the twin reversible blades for maintenance, while the slender design, large wheels and well-balanced construction allows the chipper to be manoeuvred easily and can be towed from one area to another via a lawn tractor.

Chipping using one of the wood chippers in the Cobra range is a great way to deal with waste branches as the resulting chips can be used decoratively around the garden, or as an environmentally friendly mulch. Placing a layer of mulch on top of soil and around plants, shrubs and trees provides a host of benefits for your garden. 

The Cobra Wood Chipper range also includes the popular CHIP650L and the CHIP650LE (Electric Start Model). Both models are powered by a powerful Loncin 6.5hp engine and will chip branches up to 80mm / 3” in diameter.

All models come complete with a 2-year domestic warranty.

For more information on Cobra visit: www.cobragarden.co.uk 

or to become a Cobra dealer, please contact Andy Marvin on: 07771 581 296 or call our sales team: 0115 986 6646 today.

Perfect for a wide variety of tasks, Husqvarna introduce the updated 400-Series chainsaw range with a professional design and outstanding performance.

Make the cutting experience better with lighter forestry work with a 400-series chainsaw.

Building on the great performance and quality of previous iterations, Husqvarna are proud to announce the release of an all-new improved design for their ever-popular 400-series chainsaw range.

Consisting of 4 high-performance petrol models: 435 II, 440 II, 445 II and the 450 II, the range delivers premium cutting with great manoeuvrability in a lightweight design, perfect for lighter forestry work including felling, pruning and firewood cutting.

The outstanding ergonomic and durable design ensures excellent balance in use, enhancing the user experience with low vibration and a perfected centre of gravity.

Effortless use and easy maintenance are essential for the cutting experience and Husqvarna meets this with tool-less chain tensioning, a spring-assisted start and flip-up fuel and oil caps, perfect for experienced and first-time users.

The 400-series comes with superior power to rival that of  even professional forestry chainsaws with 40cc to 50cc cylinder displacement and high power from 1.6kW to 2.4kW, depending on model, and are supplied with Husqvarna’s premium robust X-Force bars for an even longer lifespan.

The 400-series chainsaw range is the solution for every kind of user who is looking to make the cutting experience better effortlessly and professionally.

For more information on the Husqvarna 400-Series chainsaws please visit one of the following respective pages:

Husqvarna 435 II Chainsaw: https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/chainsaws/435ii/
Husqvarna 440 II Chainsaw: https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/chainsaws/440/
Husqvarna 445 II Chainsaw : https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/chainsaws/445ii/
Husqvarna 450 II Chainsaw : https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/chainsaws/450ii/

For further insights into the Husqvarna chainsaws or various other products visit https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/ or your local Husqvarna dealer which can be found via Husqvarna’s dealer locator: https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/dealer-locator/

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