Have many of our ag machinery dealers recently seen a spike in visits to their website from the Westminster area?

Actually perhaps not because I'm led to believe from one of our most respected representatives in the House Of Commons, that it's terribly easy to be searching for entirely legitimate farm equipment information - such as Dominators or hoes - and find oneself confronted with quite unexpected content.

So do please be careful when setting up your online presence, making sure not to use easily confusable - titillating even - terminology. You could cause upstanding members to point in the wrong direction.

Show time again

Seriously though, what with all the free publicity that searching for tractors gained this week in the mainstream press, you'd think the way couldn't be paved more ideally for the return of one of the sector's biggest national shows.

Wednesday and Thursday saw the return of LAMMA to the NEC following a two year absence and various false dawns. Similar to the recent BTME held at the end of March though, the scuttlebutt beforehand was that the show was going ahead at a less then ideal time of year for its intended audience. Like greenkeepers before them, the thinking was that many farmers would be too busy carrying out crucial tasks vital to their jobs, to find the time to attend an exhibition.

However, similar to the BIGGA organised event, I did also get the impression that there was enough goodwill from both exhibitors and visitors, who were keen to support a key date in their industry's calendar and not see an important opportunity to gather together and showcase the sector fall by the wayside.

You can read the initial thoughts of Service Dealer's agricultural machinery editor Martin Rickatson today, who tells us that the show appears to have drawn decent visitor numbers despite its date move - with a full report to follow in the next issue of the magazine. Also #TeamTAP were out in force in Birmingham, capturing the action on film - the results of which you can watch here.

Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke with Anthony Deacon of dealers MKM Agri at LAMMA yesterday

Hopefully the show has at least fulfilled its purpose from a dealer's perspective. If it has generated interest and enthusiasm amongst end-users in new, innovative machinery options that can make their lives easier, thus promoting them to visit their local dealership or book a demo, then it has worked. The proof will of course be in that pudding over the next couple of months.

Feeling the pinch

As discussed last week, the cost of living crisis is high on the national agenda currently. Asking dealers if they've noticed an adverse change in their customers' spending habits, interestingly presented us with polarised views.

One dealer posted, "New sales last year were at a 20 year high. The first 4 months of this year has seen us 30% higher than even last year. We have noticed high end £1000+ pedestrian domestic machines are easier to sell, with customers specifically requesting these machines."

Whereas another said, "I would agree that more people are appearing with old machines they are looking to repair, usually themselves, and thus seeking spares for same. As for purchasing a machine, they always seem to ask for secondhand ones. Neither of these scenarios particularly helps our businesses, nor does it really help the customers, as the outcome either way is likely to be short lived."

I'm sure many of our readers are greatly concerned both by how consumers are choosing to part with their cash and, crucially, with their own incurred costs. Concerning the latter, I have been told that regular overheads such as utility bills etc are being exacerbated by certain suppliers recently adding an additional surcharge on to orders - and back orders - placed with them. One dealer I spoke to said they were "thoroughly fed up" right now.

They told me they were having to take steps such as turning the lights off on display stands, or not putting the heating on the office, in order to send a message to staff that costs need to be carefully monitored in the business. More than ever, every pound counts.

There may have been an assumption that this year would see society and business begin to get on the up and up once more. As we progress through 2022 though, perhaps it's being revealed that was based more in hope than fact?