It was my privilege this week to attend the AEA's Annual Conference, once again taking place in the salubrious surroundings of One Great George Street in Westminster. This year's event saw some fascinating speakers address the gathered representatives of manufacturers, industry suppliers and dealers, who this year were, quite literally, royally treated - more of which later.
 
After welcomes by the AEA's CEO and DG, Ruth Bailey, and incoming President, Chris Meacock of John Deere, the conference programme began with a talk by Bruce Daisley, the former UK director of Twitter.

Bruce spoke on best practice for businesses building teams in a changing world. He said that as AI will begin to give to the same advice to all your competitors, the real differentiator that companies can leverage, will be the human influence on top of this emerging technology. His was a positive message that AI wouldn’t be replacing workers – rather it will be a tool that will need quality people to control. Culture, he said, will be the single most important factor for creating a sense of ‘we-ness’ in business – and for giving team members a vital feeling of autonomy. This will allow companies to attract and retain the best candidates.

Simon Jack, who will be familiar face to many in his capacity as the BBC’s business editor, was up next. His speech, which he stressed was in a personal capacity and not necessarily representative of the corporation he works for, was funny, incisive and enlightening. Taking an ambitious look at how current world events will be impacting on everyone’s businesses, he said the three greatest worries for him right now were were energy, tax and robots. With the events in the Middle East, that crucial element of confidence has taken a massive hit in the business world, he said. The UK was on decent trajectory before all this kicked off, he said, but now companies just are not investing as they were. Also he had a slightly different view on AI to Bruce, and believed that jobs would inevitably be lost to it – meaning that we’d be moving into a future where there were fewer taxable workers, leading to a decrease in public money. He wasn’t all doom and gloom though, pointing out that despite all these hugly significant recent events (covid, changes of govements, war etc!) the UK system has never broken. Throughout everything the UK has shown a stable resilience.

Next to speak was Emily Norton, chair of the AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) who are the levy board which represents farmers, growers and others in the supply chain. She framed her presentation around what she saw as the three macro-trends that are influencing farming and farmer’s confidence now. She argued these were environmental regulations; food security; and farmer sentiment.  On this last one, she summed up the up the current mood of farmers as “resigned”! A huge part of this, Emily said, is the imbalance of return at the farm gate – with those tasked with providing our food seeing high costs and high risks, but with low returns. Farming needs to be investable again she said, with mechanisms put in place to cope with volatility and to share the risk throughout the supply chain – not leaving all the burden on farmers themselves.

The final speaker of the session was Dame Angela Eagle DBE MP, minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs. Giving the government’s viewpoint, she said that we’re in a crucial period time where we need to be innovative to empower change. Stressing that food security is part of national security, she told the manufacturer representatives in the room that it is crucial that businesses like theirs are successful for the good of the country and that the government has various schemes in place to help with this. She said that in the past the agri-tech and farming sectors had been taken for granted, but this is no longer the case, with a strategic vision for the future a priority.

Following lunch, incoming president Chris Meacock made a speech where he stressed how important it was to raise the profile of the industry amongst young people. He said their were many routes into a career in the land based industries, but still not enough people were aware of the opportunities it afforded. He said the sector does have good momentum through schemes such as the AEA’s We Are Landbased, but it was vital that this was maintained. He also called on all the employers in the room to acts as guides for new recruits to help develop their talents, so they could reach their full potential in the industry.

Chris made his speech, not only in front of the 200 or so conference attendees, but also in front a surprise special guest who had arrived – Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. Once Chris had finished speaking, HRH made her way to the lectern and addressed the room for around 10 minutes. She thanked everyone for the vital work they all do and praised agricultural engineers for being able to spot which ideas may just be a trend and which may make a real difference to society. HRH stressed just how important it is to introduce the concept of engineering to children at young, primary school age to make the concept something to aspire to. She told everyone that their present was busy, but their future will be even busier. Thank you for looking ahead with such positivity, she concluded.

I’d like to congratulate the AEA for putting on such a valuable and enjoyable programme this week. I’m sure all who attended could reflect on benefiting from some quality insight as they made their way home (or as they headed around the corner to the Westminster Arms!).

Balmers GM has been recognised with both national and European honours within the Husqvarna dealer network, marking a significant moment for the dealership with depots in Burnley and Wakefiled

Mark Balmer and Jo Balmer of Balmers GM with Jonathan Snowball, Husqvarna UK (centre)

Back in October 2025, the company was named Husqvarna’s UK Pro Partner Dealer of the Year at the manufacturer’s annual conference at The Belfry. The award highlighted Balmers GM’s performance, customer support, and long-standing commitment to the Husqvarna brand.

The recognition was followed by success on the international stage earlier this year at Husqvarna’s Top 100 Dealer Conference in Jönköping, Sweden. Among leading dealers from across Europe, Balmers GM went on to secure the Husqvarna European Pro Partner Award, placing it among the continent’s top-performing partners.

Stewart Carter, Husqvarna UK and Thomas Balmer, Balmers GM

Jo Balmer, group marketing & operations manager said, "Achieving both awards in such a short space of time reflects Balmers GM’s clear direction and commitment to professional autonomous mowing solutions."

She continued, "A key factor in the company’s trajectory has been our early adoption of autonomous mowing technology. Balmers GM identified the potential of robotics ahead of wider market uptake and integrated it into our core commercial strategy. We have invested in training across our sales teams and positioned autonomy as part of everyday customer conversations rather than a specialist niche. This approach has helped us establish Balmers GM as Europe’s largest Husqvarna CEORA dealer, demonstrating how traditional ground-care operations can evolve by embracing emerging technology."

Balmers GM attributes much of its recent success to a disciplined approach to brand partnerships. Jo explained, "In a market where professional customers expect deep product knowledge and reliable support, the company has prioritised working closely with suppliers whose values and long-term vision align with our own. This focus has enabled the business to build specialist expertise and deliver a consistent standard of service across its customer base.

"The dual awards reflect the contribution of the entire Balmers GM team, whose adaptability and commitment have supported the company’s growth during a period of rapid change in the industry. Their work has helped position the business as a leader in both traditional ground care and emerging autonomous technologies."

Commercial asset supplier Dawsongroup | energy solutions has taken delivery of the world’s first hydrogen-powered JCB generator.

L-R: David Phipps, head of power generation at Watling JCB, Paul Ridley, managing director at Dawsongroup | energy solutions and Paul Mabey, major accounts manager at JCB

The brand new G60RS H genset - powered by the manufacturer's hydrogen combustion engine - delivers the same power, performance and efficiency as its diesel equivalent, but without carbon emissions at the point of use.

It joins 155 JCB Stage III and Stage V generators in the Dawsongroup | energy solutions fleet, ranging from 20kVA to 500kVA. This includes an investment of more than £4 million in Stage V models in the last 12 months alone.

Dawsongroup | energy solutions managing director, Paul Ridley, said: “In the temporary power industry, reliability and efficiency are critical. The equipment we supply must meet the highest standards, which is why we continue to work with Watling JCB. The support has always been first class and is well suited to the fast pace of our business.

“We are committed to ensuring our customers have access to the right power solutions for both their immediate and long-term needs. Energy technologies are evolving rapidly, and hydrogen is widely seen as a key part of the future energy mix. By investing in this generator, we are enabling our customers, who have already shown strong interest to explore this technology, to adopt it at an early stage.

“The first hydrogen generator in our fleet will be installed as standby power for a data centre customer. With growing demand driven by AI and digital services, data centres require reliable power while also facing increasing environmental scrutiny. Hydrogen offers a lower carbon alternative without compromising performance.”

The AEA recently reported that in the UK in the first three months of 2026, the number of agricultural tractor registrations recorded was up by more than a third, compared with the same period last year - with most of that growth occurring in March. 

Now, the Association has released analysis of how trends varied between regions and power bands.

The AEA's agricultural economist, Stephen Howarth, said, "The number of agricultural tractors registered grew in all power bands apart from the top (over 320hp) and bottom (51-100hp) of the range, both of which saw declines of between 14% and 15%. All other broad power ranges saw substantial year-on-year growth, with the fastest rise being in the 241-320hp range."

 
Growth was also apparent across most parts of the UK, although it was lower in the South and East of England than elsewhere. Indeed, there was a small fall in registrations in the East Midlands and no change in the South East, compared with January to March 2025.

Stephen added, "That presumably reflects the challenging financial position of arable farmers, who make up a larger share of the agricultural sectors in those regions. Registrations generally performed better in regions where livestock farming predominates, with the North of England, Wales and Scotland all seeing sizeable increases. The biggest rise of all was in Northern Ireland, where more than twice as many tractors were registered in the first quarter of 2026 than in the same period last year."

STIHL has launched a new ‘Try Before You Buy’ initiative, giving customers the opportunity to test its AP System battery-powered tools before they invest via their network of approved dealers.

The manufacturer says the scheme enables dealers to purchase a selection of professional cordless machines and batteries, enabling them to create their own fleet of loan tools that professionals can trial before committing to a purchase. 
 
Available across a wide range of AP System tools, including chainsaws, hedge trimmers, blowers, brushcutters and lawn mowers, the initiative supports what the company describe as a "growing demand for battery-powered equipment among professional users." 
 
Dealers that are taking part in the programme will be highlighted on the STIHL dealer locator, which can be found on the manufacturer's website, from the end of April onwards. Professional users who are interested in trying AP System tools can select the Try Before You Buy filter on the website to find their nearest participating dealer.

Redexim UK has strengthened its presence in Northern Ireland with the appointment of Keys Brothers as its official partner for the region.

L-R: Allen Whellans from Redexim UK and Andy Keys of Keys Brothers

Based in Hillsborough, Keys Brothers is a well-established family business with more than 25 years’ experience in the industry. With a strong reputation for customer service and technical expertise, the company supports customers across Northern Ireland with dedicated sales specialists, product demonstrators and a highly mobile team of field service technicians.

Commenting on the partnership, Andy Keys, director of Keys Brothers, said, “It’s a perfect fit for us because it sits really well alongside the rest of our product range. 

“We know the Redexim range is going to strike a chord with our customers. They’re looking for quality, dependable machinery that does exactly what it’s designed to do, and that’s what this brand is known for. We’re really pleased to be bringing it on board and confident it’ll be a great addition for us and for our customers.”

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