We are more than a month from 1 April, but car rental company Sixt (you know the one, 'Drive Smug') is offering to rent a CLAAS Axion tractor for a day, weekend or longer.

While helping to raise awareness of the Claas rental programme with the farming community, the Claas/Sixt arrangement is not directly aimed at farmers, but people who have wanted to drive a tractor, even if just for fun.

It is part of a six-week national marketing campaign to promote the First Claas Rental programme, which was launched as a pilot project in Germany last year.

Some Sixt outlets already have orange and green tractors on the forecourt. These are purely for display, and rental customers will receive a standard coloured Axion. Sixt will direct potential customers to Claas for further details and rental costs.

Claas says it too early to talk about whether a similar marketing exercise could be repeated in other countries.