It is always sad when we hear of a dealership closing their doors for good.

Hence it's a shame to report today that Bigwood Agri of Taunton, Somerset, pulled the shutters down on their business for the final time last Friday.

There will of course be a myriad of reasons as to why a firm finds themselves in a position where they have to make that ultimate decision whether to continue or not - and inevitably it will be all these factors in combination with each other that lead to the conclusion.

However, there is element to Bigwood's closure that did stand out as concerning to me and one I'm sure to which dealers around the country will be able to relate.

In speaking to the BAGMA website, Keith Bigwood says the decision that was two years in the making, followed the realisation that they were unable to find the technicians required to carry on with the first-class service that they had always prided themselves on. BAGMA report that Bigwoods were concerned they'd start to let customers down - which is a truly unfortunate situation for a business to find themselves in.

This incredibly difficult hurdle of finding the right people to recruit for the dealership though, is a story we regularly hear from our readers. In the upcoming edition of Service Dealer magazine, which will be with you shortly, we include the results of a recent survey we asked for your help with. Looking for your contributions towards the current state of recruitment in the industry, we heard that many are struggling.

An example of the feedback we received from dealers included one telling us, "We have three jobs currently available and can't find any suitable applicants. There is a shortage of youngsters willing to work, shortage of skills and unreasonable wage requirements. In developing our dealership this is the biggest challenge we face."

Another said, "We have been looking for an engineer since last August. We’ve suffered from a lack of applicants, applicants with no skills whatsoever and those that did apply were looking for wages too high for us to pay . . .The whole experience is awful and in the meantime, we struggle on!"

What can be done?

Dealers everywhere will be able to sympathise with these sentiments - but what can be done to improve the situation? It's the million dollar question of course, with no easy short cuts - but we did hear a few ideas from the network.

"We as a body need to sell the industry as exciting at school level. Particularly agriculture, which is stereotyped as old fashioned and employing low level of technology, when the reality is we engage in technology to a high degree," suggested one reader.

Another felt that training options offered by manufacturers need to be looked at in order to prove more enticing to recruits. They said, "I believe garden/groundcare machinery manufacturers could offer a 1 or 2 year training program where dealers can send trainee staff on a 1 or 2 day a month "block release" training program. . . . Manufacturers need to offer careers rather than just random training days. This way dealers can advertise for staff positions with tangible training opportunities available."

Whilst another common sense idea, which we mentioned in a blog here a few weeks back, believed that if there was less discounting and greater margin across the network, dealers would more profitable - therefore paying those higher wages for the best candidates would be more manageable.

As a quick aside on this idea of margin, we still know that despite the current supply issues and the belief that dealers should be raising prices to match demand, there are still rogues out there online, massively undercutting everyone else. It's something that's incredibly unhelpful for the whole network, setting as it does, unrealistic pricing expectations in the minds of consumers. I'm sure most reputable dealers would agree something needs to be done about this for the good of the whole network - possibly at a manufacturer / supplier level?

But I digress, getting back to the subject at hand, what do you think could be done to address the recruitment difficulties faced by all dealers? Are the trade associations doing enough? Are the manufacturers? Schools and colleges?

Please share any thoughts, or indeed offer any tips that have worked for your business when looking to expand staffing, in the comments below.

The fewer stories we must report about dealerships closing because of recruitment being a contributing factor, the better.

Husqvarna have officially launched a new robot mower that they say can independently mow an area the equivalent of up to eight football pitches a day or night.

Known as the CEORA, the machine had its official public UK launch at an event at the Headland Amenity Turf Research Centre in Cambridge on Tuesday this week, following a global online press launch a couple of weeks ago.

Speaking to Service Dealer, Andrew Lees, Pro Robotic Project Leader at the manufacturer said UK dealers should expect to see the machine in their showrooms in quarter one 2022 for the sales start date.

Asked whether the industry-wide delays on all goods experienced so far this year could in anyway impact on this, Andrew told the magazine, "At the minute we have had no indication that that will slip. The product was supposed to be launched this year, so it's actually been delayed a year. However at the moment there is nothing I'm aware of that indicates that the 2022 date will slip in anyway."

Valentin Dahlhaus, vice president at Husqvarna said, "Commercial turf care is about to be revolutionised thanks to CEORA. I am confident that it will be a much-appreciated addition to any team of landscape professionals - a quiet, smart and autonomous colleague that will happily perform the most tedious tasks whenever needed. Not only is the pitch always ready for play, professionals free up their time for other tasks."

The company says the robots can navigate with a precision of 2-3 cm, due to their satellite navigation system, EPOS. They also say is possible to select individually defined areas on demand, with different schedules as well as height-settings. The user keeps control of all mowers in the fleet, through the Husqvarna Fleet Services application. CEORA is backed by Husqvarna´s maintenance and support program, UpCare, which provides repair and replacement services.

The manufacturer says CEORA is designed to avoid obstacles. With the ultrasonic remote object avoidance system, the mower slows down soon as it senses an approaching object. As a positive side effect, Husqvarna claim this increases uptime by eliminating interruptions and undesired stops. Also of benefit to professional users is the fact that the machines do not produce any direct emissions during use.

At launch two models will be available - the 544 EPOS and 546 EPOS - in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Poland.

As part of a first year introductory offer, the 544 EPOS has an RRP of 24,900 EUR and the 546 has an RRP of 28,900 EUR. It is also available as a lease option in selected markets.  

The robots are designed to be multi-purpose units, with future accessories to be available to allow turf professionals to carry out other tasks besides mowing.

CNH Industrial announced this week that it has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the capital stock of Raven Industries, Inc, a US-based precision agriculture technology company.

CNH said in a statement that the deal is expected to be concluded in the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including approval of Raven shareholders and receipt of regulatory approvals.

The manufacturer believes the purchase builds upon their long partnership with Raven and will enhance their position in the global agriculture equipment market " . .by adding strong innovation capabilities in autonomous and precision agriculture technology."

Scott Wine, chief executive officer, CNH Industrial, said, "Raven has been a pioneer in precision agriculture for decades, and their deep product experience, customer driven software expertise and engineering acumen offer a significant boost to our capabilities. This acquisition emphasizes our commitment to enhance our precision farming portfolio and aligns with our digital transformation strategy.

"The combination of Raven’s technologies and CNH Industrial’s strong current and new product portfolio will provide our customers with novel, connected technologies, allowing them to be more productive and efficient."

Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Raven Industries is organised into three business divisions: Applied Technology (precision agriculture), Engineered Films (highperformance specialty films) and Aerostar (aerospace) with consolidated net sales of US$ 348.4 million for the twelve months ended January 31, 2021.

IAgrE Fellow Jane Rickson, Professor of Soil Erosion and Conservation at Cranfield Soil and Agrifood Institute, Cranfield University, has been honoured with a Top 50 Women in Engineering Award from the Women’s Engineering Society. 

Professor Jane Rickson
 
The awards are a UK event linked to International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) which takes place on the 23rd June each year. 
 
In association with the Guardian newspaper and Assystem the 2021 Top 50 Women in Engineering celebrates Engineering Heroes, described as the best, brightest and bravest women in engineering. 
 
Jane’s work uses engineering principles to understand the environment around us and works with land-based industries to develop and apply in-field practices for environmental protection. She has focused on the role of soil and water engineering to deliver ecosystems goods and services, including water regulation, agricultural production and carbon storage using transdisciplinary skills to integrate engineering with economics and social sciences.  
 
Her research also includes engineering the landscape to increase carbon sequestration and storage to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She has shown that adapting to extreme weather events associated with climate change is possible by working with farmers to design and test field engineering practices that can mitigate soil and water losses, such as the use of conservation tillage, grass waterways and field buffer strips. Other research has tested different soil cultivation equipment to improve soil health and crop growth, simulating real life field conditions in cutting-edge pilot scale laboratory facilities that Jane helped to design and build at Cranfield. 
 
Throughout her career, Jane has been an inspiration to soil scientists and land-based engineers across the world. Her work played a key role in Cranfield being awarded the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2017 for research and education in large-scale soil and environmental data for the sustainable use of natural resources in the UK and worldwide. 
 
Jane was President of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (2018-2020), the first female in the Institution’s 80-year history to hold the role. She acts as a mentor for other women, especially young female researchers, and engages in outreach activities that encourage girls to take up science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) through her links with local primary schools and media work. 
 
IAgrE CEO Charlie Nicklin said, “I am absolutely delighted for Professor Rickson to be honoured with this award. Jane is a great example not only to women, but to all young people on the types of roles that engineers’ and scientists undertake in our industry. Jane’s important research in soil science has, and continues to, significantly further knowledge in this area. Through her teaching and mentoring Jane has inspired many current and future engineers and scientists in tackling sustainability and the effects of climate change. Jane is a thoroughly deserving recipient of this award.” 
 
On learning of the award Professor Rickson said, “I am absolutely delighted to have been awarded this accolade. I hope I can show by example that engineering is an exciting and rewarding career choice for young people. We need to continue to break the often stereotypical image of ‘the engineer’, so that the profession is seen to be much more inclusive, diverse and welcoming to anyone with an interest in designing, building, testing and improving the world around us.” 
 
IAgrE say Jane has consistently achieved beyond what would normally be expected for her career stage, becoming a Professor at 44 years old. In 2019, Jane won the Milton Keynes Women Leaders award for Engineering, Science and Maths and the overall Outstanding Achievement award

Boss Off-Road Vehicles, the distributors of the Corvus range of UTVs have announced two new recent dealer appointments.

Firstly they have appointed their inaugural dealership in Northern Ireland, Laird Grass Machinery.

Announcing the appointments on LinkenIn, Phil Everett, managing director at Boss, said, "A big Corvus welcome to David and the team. With their vast experience in the UTV market, combined with the exceptional all-round ability of the latest Corvus Terrain range of UTVs, it’s bound to be a winning combination. Welcome to the Corvus family LGM."

Also appointed are Duncan Brassington Agri Sales & Service, based near Bridgnorth in Shropshire.

Phil added, "A big welcome to Duncan and the team. Their business is based on 100% commitment to their customers needs and therefore an ideal fit as a Corvus dealer."

Campey Turf Care Systems has welcomed Irelands Groundcare as their new dealer for Lincolnshire and Rutland. 

Irelands Groundcare business manager, Huw Price
 
The Lincolnshire based machinery sales and hire group has over 25-years' experience in agriculture and in late 2020 began to move into groundcare.

Irelands Groundcare business manager, Huw Price said, "We were reaching out to other businesses that had done a similar thing to us, and there were a couple of other dealers that were really helpful when it came to understanding the market and how it's run. We wanted well-made machinery that is going to last. We don't want to be the cheapest; we want to be the best with the right kit that we can stand behind and be proud to offer our customers. 
 
"When we investigated the market, and what was available, we had previously used an Air2G2 which we had success with. We knew we needed a seeder for our groundcare offering, and we are lucky to have some experts in our company who are very experienced in agricultural seeders, and they told us the options we had, which led to us reaching out to Campey.
 
"Simon Holland came down with a low loader full of equipment that he recommended as our demo and hire stock, and one of those was a Vredo Compact seeder, and we've actually already sold one. So that and the Air2G2 were the things that drew us to Campey initially, and after meeting Simon, we there and then decided we wanted to sell Campey products, and we got five machines."
 
As part of their expansion into groundcare, Irelands have recently opened a fourth depot in Tinwell, Rutland.

AgriArgo UK, the business behind the Argo Tractors UK and Ireland operation, has appointed Mark Dyas to the new role of national parts sales manager, in a move designed to enhance the support it provides for its dealers and for end users of McCormick and Landini tractors.

Mark Dyas

The new position has been created to help dealers of the two marques develop their parts sales business, and to ensure owners of McCormick and Landini tractors have full and fast access to the service consumables and other parts required to keep their tractors operating in the best possible

condition, says Adrian Winnett, managing Ddrector at AgriArgo UK and Ireland.

“This new role is one that will underline and provide a significant boost to our support for both end users and dealers,” believes Adrian.

“We are very pleased to have appointed someone of Mark’s calibre and with his level of experience, which includes a farming background and over twenty years spent working nationally and internationally with tractor manufacturers and parts suppliers."

From a family farm, and with practical hands-on engineering experience, Mark’s career to date has included extensive work across domestic and global farm machinery and equipment companies, including parts sales direct to agricultural businesses and the aftermarket sector, plus dealerships and wholesalers across the UK, Europe and worldwide.

“Our McCormick and Landini dealers have helped us to get where we are, but I’m sure there is a great deal of scope to help them develop their businesses even further and serve end users even better than we’re already doing,” believes Mark.

“We want to ensure our dealers are flying the flag high for our brands, and are as committed to us as we are to them so we can help them achieve their full potential. We have some fantastic world-class products that are a match for anything available, but getting the customer coming back for more is all to do with the dealers, so my role is to help them build their businesses not just on our tractors but also on the products and services they sell to support them."

Adrian Winnett. added, “We know the value of good dealers and the relationships they have with their customers. As the overall network makeup continues to change, we can help them build on that by providing even better levels of support to retain existing customers  and attract new ones as well as ensuring that our ever-expanding dealer network is ideally placed to support customers with all their parts and consumable needs." 

The organisers of this year's Cereals say the event will showcase the latest developments in drones for farming applications.

Organisers say farmers are likely familiar with using drones to map fields and identify issues with soils, yield variability and weeds, but the next revolution could be a game changer for a number of reasons. The Cereals Drone Zone, themed Scout, Seed and Feed: Cover Cropping with Zero Carbon, will show ground-breaking drones and their capabilities, which could revolutionise some aspects of farming.

“There will be drone demonstrations twice daily in the main Syngenta Sprays & Sprayers Arena,” explains event organiser, Alli McEntyre.  “These will illustrate how autonomous drones and robots can assist farmers across a range of physical tasks.”

Although various eastern countries are already using drones to spray crops, this technology is still in its infancy in Europe - largely due to regulations - but the British Drone Consortium is working to change this. “The regulations mean people have been afraid of new technology, but in China and the East they have been happy to embrace it,” says Jim Bishop, director at Red Air Media. “We have spent the past year working out a way to use drones for spraying and are at the point we just need chemical companies on board. We can do anything with a drone.”

Some of the companies features drones at the show will include:

• Drone Ag
• British Drone Consortium
• Harper Adams
• Autospray Systems

There will also be additional drone demonstrations taking place throughout both days outside of the arena, says Ms McEntyre. “The technology on show offers farmers the chance to see the future in action and what could be operating on their farm very soon.”
 
A Drone Roundtable discussion will also take place on day two of the event, exploring how drone technology can help farmers run their operations more efficiently. 

Cereals takes place next Wednesday and Thursday June 30-July 1.

The new 80V cordless range of lawnmowers from Cobra packs double the punch, with twin 40V Lithium-ion batteries delivering 80 volts of pure cutting power. 

Cobra has the UK’s largest range of powered lawnmowers and is constantly expanding its range and developing its products to further its position as the expert in the lawncare market. The 80V range is the latest extension of this, with its three models being packed with innovative features and technology. 

The three mowers in the range offer 17”, 20” and 21” cutting widths, generous run times and even rear rollers on the 17 and 20” models for a traditional, striped finish. Each machine is powered by two 5Ah 40V Lithium-ion batteries that drive the 80V brushless motors. The Cobra 40V Lithium-ion technology means the mowers are always ready to use, will hold charge capacity and have no memory effect. 

The RM43SP80V is the most compact of the three, with a 17” cutting width, and it is a great all-rounder, with a 50 minute run time. It is self-propelled, so it’s ideal for sloping gardens and has seven different cutting heights ranging from 17mm for a super low finish, up to 75mm for tackling longer grass. The mower also benefits from a 50 litre grass bag to hold more cutting for a longer time between bag emptying. Its rear roller means that a professional, striped finish can be created too. 

The RM51SP80V keeps all of the impressive features of the RM43SP80V, including a steel rear roller, but increases the width to 20” and the grass bag to 70 litres. With the ability to run for up to 45 minutes between charges, the mower can complete medium to large sized lawns in one run. 

The final, and largest, mower in the range is the Which? Best Buy MX51S80V. Again, the mower features a self-propelled drive system to allow for ease of use, and has a 20” cutting width and a running time of 55 minutes. This model benefits from a mulching function, allowing the grass to be recycled by finely cutting and re-cutting the clippings. As the clippings decompose, nutrients and fertilisers are returned to the soil meaning grass can be cut and fertilised at the same time – creating a healthy, green lawn. 

Peter Chaloner, managing director of Cobra, said: “The 80V range sets a new standard for battery powered garden machinery, providing more power and convenience than ever before. Cobra prides itself on being at the forefront of innovation to help people maintain their gardens with the minimum of effort, and this range is the epitome of that.” 

Each of the models comes complete with two 40V 5Ah Lithium-ion batteries and two Fast Chargers. The 40v batteries are compatible with Cobra grass trimmers, chainsaws, hedge cutters and garden vacs. 

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.

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