I'm sure all our agricultural machinery dealer readers are fully aware, but 2025's trade show season kicks off in earnest next week with LAMMA taking place at the NEC.

With the show organisers promising over 600 exhibitors, the huge exhibition will be an opportunity to gauge the mood of the sector at the start of this new year. A sector which let's not forget, despite an uptick in December, experienced less than sterling sales of new tractors last year - and of course saw a fair number of dealer colleagues shut up shop for the final time.

For our readers in attendance next week, the show will be a great chance to meet up with manufacturers and suppliers to chat through what they feel the prospects are like for the coming season. It's also of course, a great time to chat with fellow dealers to compare notes on how business is faring for others around the country. With all the perennial debates regarding the importance and frequency of trade shows, the value of these moments where professionals with common issues can come together to share knowledge and experience, shouldn't be underestimated.

Keeping up with change

Another, more fundamental, reason for attending trade shows where possible is to check out the new machinery options available for your customer base. This is a point raised today by our friend Bob Clements of BCI when discussing the rate of business change that dealers are experiencing. In the latest video installment of our roundtable discussion that took place at the Equip show in Louisville last autumn between Bob and Sara plus UK dealer Jo Balmer alongside Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke, Bob says how they encourage the dealers they train to attend shows like Expo each year just to keep on top of what's new.

Bob makes the point that it is not necessarily the established manufacturers who dealers will be familiar with, that are bringing to market the latest technological advances. It can often be the new players on the scene who you may not have heard from before. It's the discovery of these companies bringing something new to the table, that may fulfil a machinery need for your clients.

It's a fascinating video and one well worth checking out on our Equip Digital Special Report today. Jo says that over the past five years or so the rate of change that dealerships have experienced has been huge. All agree that it's vital that progressive dealerships stay on top of this product evolution if they want to remain competitive in their local communities.

A great point that Jo makes regarding how dealers can remain ahead of the curve, is by keeping up with all training options available. Working hand-in-hand with manufacturers is key in this regard. Equipping the dealership's team with the knowledge they need to handle new technologies and trends, by embracing all the courses that your suppliers should be offering, can ensure your staff remain the go-to experts in their field.

There will be other ways too that dealers will know they employ to remain up to speed with this rapid business change. Notions such as embracing digital tools to manage inventory and customer contacts; focusing on providing great customer experiences; diversifying offerings as demand shifts; strengthening online and social channels; adapting to market movements and forging close bonds with suppliers. All are important.

As our panel discuss, change is inevitable, but it also brings opportunities for growth and innovation. For progressive dealers, keeping up with the pace of business change is not just a necessity, it’s a means of staying relevant and competitive. Also, as everyone reading this today will know all too well, it is not just a one-time effort - rather it's an ongoing process. 

But as our panel would agree, certainly with the generational changes that will be happening within many dealerships, those that are adapting with the times, will not just survive, but thrive.

Added to our Equip Digital Special Report is the next installment of our roundtable discussion between UK dealer Jo Balmer of Balmer's GM and Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke, with American dealer training experts Sara Hey and Bob Clements of BCI.

In this latest episode the rate of industry change is considered.

With the thought that business is moving much faster, and innovation, is moving much more quickly, the panel discusses how this impacts dealerships on both sides of the Atlantic. Perhaps more accepted by business owners, it's posited that a universal truth is that it's vital to have the whole team behind change.

Also the influence of generational shifts within dealerships is raised. Are the younger people taking over from retiring owners, perhaps more accepting of the speed of business evolution?

Watch the fascinating discussion alongside many other videos on the Equip Digital Special Report.

Thurlow Nunn Standen (TNS), the family-owned and managed agricultural machinery dealer based in East Anglia, is marking its 150th anniversary this year.

Chairman and CEO, James Thurlow (5th generation) and managing director of TNS & TN, Will Tew (6th generation)

From its origins supplying steam engines and threshing equipment, TNS has grown into one of the leading farm machinery suppliers in the region.

Part of the Thurlow Nunn Group, TNS traces its roots to 1875, when George Thurlow, the great-great-grandfather of current chairman James Thurlow, founded the business in Stowmarket, Suffolk. The Company has remained family-owned for six generations and with significant growth achieved from humble beginnings, the Group now operates from 17 sites, including 11 Thurlow Nunn car dealerships across East Anglia, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Today, TNS operates agricultural machinery dealerships from 5 strategically located branches in Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. As a mainline AGCO dealer, they hold franchises for Fendt, Massey Ferguson and Valtra tractors, along with a diverse range of complementary brands, including Manitou, Kubota, SUMO, HE-VA, Opico, Claydon, Kverneland and Major Equipment. It is also possibly the longest operating distributor of Massey Ferguson (formerly Massey Harris) tractors in the world.

TNS Fakenham

“This business has been successfully run by six generations of the same family, which is an achievement the family is proud to celebrate,” said Will Tew, managing director of Thurlow Nunn and Thurlow Nunn Standen. “We are thrilled to be commemorating our 150th anniversary in 2025 with special events to include our colleagues, business partners, family and friends. The Thurlow family’s story is both fascinating and significant, and we are excited to be able to share this occasion with a wider audience. As the business continues to grow and thrive, we are eager to see what the future holds.”

To commemorate this milestone, the Thurlow Nunn Group is launching a number of fundraising events in 2025 with the goal of raising £150,000 for Dementia UK, a cause that will be central to its anniversary activities. These celebrations will, however, be tinged with sadness, as James Thurlow’s father, John Thurlow, died from Dementia in June 2024.  

James Thurlow said, “Father was a dedicated and well-known figure in the East Anglian farming community; he was so proud of our family business and he would have loved being part of our celebrations.  Dementia is a cruel disease, which has a devastating effect on sufferers and their families.  We feel fortunate to have this opportunity to raise money to help support others affected by the disease.”

TNS are inviting everyone to join them in raising funds to support those impacted by dementia by visiting their JustGiving page.

The AEA have released figures that show for the first and only time all year, the number of agricultural tractors (over 50hp) registered in December 2024 was higher than in the same month the year before.

At 791 machines, the monthly total was 14% higher than in December 2023 and was also 5% above the average for the time of year over the previous five years. That brought the annual total to 10,241 machines, 13% down on the figure for 2023.

Agricultural economist at the Association, Stephen Howarth, said, "Registrations were only down 5% in the final quarter of 2024, compared with the equivalent period a year earlier, a much smaller decline than those seen in the previous three quarters (-14% in Q1, -13% in Q2 and -20% in Q3). It remains to be seen whether this is a temporary improvement or an indication that we are close to the bottom of the market. We will know more by the end of the first quarter of 2025."

The AEA's figures confirmed that despite the uptick in the final month of the year, the total number of agricultural tractors registered during 2024 was the lowest in any year since 1998.

Stephen concluded, "The final figure of 10,241 machines was only fractionally below those seen in other recent low points, such as 2015, 2016 and 2020, though. It does break a run during which registrations fell between 11,500 and 12,100 in six out of seven years."

Husqvarna Group has announced that continued market conditions with intensified promotional activities, particularly in North America, and an unfavourable product mix, have continued to have an impact on the Group's sales and operating result in the fourth quarter.

In addition they say, retail partners and servicing dealers are focusing on reducing their inventory levels resulting in reduced production volumes and lower capacity utilisation. 

As a result, the Group estimates the organic sales for the fourth quarter to decline by -5% compared to the previous year with an operating income of approximately SEK -700m to -800m (€60m - €70m), excluding items affecting comparability. 

Pavel Hajman, CEO Husqvarna Group said, “I am disappointed in our continued negative development in the fourth quarter. We continue to execute on our previously announced cost-saving initiatives and prepare for the 2025 gardening season with strong product launches." 

The report for the fourth quarter 2024 will be published on February 5, 2025.

Of great interest to dealers of agricultural machinery, the LAMMA Show returns next week on Wednesday 15th January from 8.00am-6.00pm and on Thursday, 16 January from 8.00am-4.30pm at the NEC, Birmingham. 

Organisers say visitors can expect to see more than 600 exhibitors unveiling their latest innovations in tractors, combines, arable and grassland machinery. There is also the opportunity to view a wide range of new technology, services and tools tailored to all sectors of agriculture.

The NEC will also be home to live machinery demonstrations as manufacturers such as JCB, Case IH and New Holland demonstrate their newest developments, showcasing how their equipment is transforming farming operations. You can find a full schedule of the demos here.

The show also acts as a platform to hear from industry experts. Organisers say they are bringing together thought leaders from across the sector to discuss critical topics, including how to navigate the post-Budget landscape, succession, exports, market trends and mental health. Plus, for the first time, Farmers Guardian will be hosting FG Live at LAMMA.

As well as these features, all visitors who register for the show will be entered into a prize draw to win a UTV Polaris Ranger Diesel worth over £24,000.

Service Dealer will be attending the show, with our agricultural machinery editor, Martin Rickatson, presenting his thoughts on what he sees and hears in the next issue of the magazine.

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