BAGMA Bulletin - November/December 2017

THE MEMBERSHIP MAGAZINE OF THE BRITISH AGRICULTURAL AND GARDEN MACHINERY ASSOCIATION ISSUE 07 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Making their Marks

Mark Weatherhead and son Edward have a classic tale to tell INDUSTRY NEWS | RURAL CRIME | SHOW PREVIEWS

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IN THIS ISSUE

Cheers to the Handsfree Hectare

ISSUE 07 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

It’s one of many exciting developments in our industry COMMENT

BRIAN SANGSTER PRESIDENT BAGMA

Cover Photo: Ben Roberts

I WAS RECENTLY reading an article from The New Yorker which led me to think about how much development work is still going on in our industry. Just when we thought machinery couldn’t get any bigger and technology can’t take us any further, something else comes along. Probably one of the most exciting developments this year is the recent and now well publicised Handsfree Hectare. Of course the article referred to the development carried out

by Harper Adams and certainly puts them and the United Kingdom right in the forefront for this exciting development work.

Congratulations must however go to the guys who allegedly came up with the idea over a pint in the local pub. Rumour has it that the team are now embarking on brewing their own ‘Handsfree Hectare Beer’ from that harvested crop, and just in time for Christmas too.

The decision not to allow anyone in the field throughout the whole project and the full season then presented the seed specialists with a problem which drove them to further develop the use of drones to collect plant and soil information. Then there’s the sprayers that are now being further developed to react to the drone imagery and being developed to only apply fertilisers and pesticides to the appropriate plants.

While this experimental project may only The membership magazine of the British Agricultural & Garden Machinery Association Published 6 times a year by bira publishing Editor Chris Boiling 07713 192344 chris.boiling@bira.co.uk Design Alan Bingle 07949 024737 alan@forty6design.com Multimedia sales Executive Simone Adams 0121 446 6688 simone.adams@bira.co.uk All advertising and media enquiries please email: editorial@bagma.com

have used a small plot combine and compact tractor, it certainly grabbed the headlines in the press and social media both here and abroad.

Then, just when we thought that we couldn’t get any bigger due to the width restrictions of our country lanes and of course current transport legislation, Massey Ferguson come along with what appears to be a revolutionary new big combine harvester that still has a transport width that complies with legal transport widths. How big can headers now get?

We now seem to be well established in our new offices in Bristol Road, Birmingham. So for anyone who didn’t make the grand opening of the new site a few weeks ago, you are still welcome to call in and see our new abode.

If you didn’t make the Yorkshire Mini Conference in October we still have one in Ledbury on December 13. Unlike most conferences, these events are free and have a number of excellent speakers talking about relevant topics in our industry, ie standards and regulations before and after Brexit, apprenticeships, training and education and, of course, how Brexit is likely to affect our industry. We also have a few speakers who’ll explain some of the services that BAGMA offer, eg BAGMA Bank, bira direct, bira legal and bira insurance. Lastly, if you’re going to Agritechnica in Hanover, we are holding a drinks reception to celebrate our centenary year at 4pm on the Monday. You are all invited.

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NEWS Level 2 apprenticeships reprieved; Cooks Midlands joins the Strautmann network; rugby star Sean O’Brien teams up with Massey Ferguson

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BAGMA, 225 Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7UB Tel 0121 446 6688 Fax 0121 446 5215 www.bagma.com

bira, 225 Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7UB Tel 0121 446 6688 Fax 0121 446 5215 www.bira.co.uk

BAGMA president Brian Sangster

bira president 2016-17 Vin Vara

BAGMA director Keith Christian

Finance director John Collins

Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the material published in BAGMA Bulletin. bira Publishing Limited can accept no responsibility for claims made by manufacturers, advertisers or contributors. Views expressed by advertisers or contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher or of bira. Advertisers in BAGMA Bulletin are not agents of bira or any of their associated businesses, including bira bank and bira direct.

Also, bira and its associated businesses never act as agents for any advertisers. Printed in the UK by Buxton Press.

BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

COVER STORY Former BAGMA president Mark Weatherhead reveals why he’s still selling machinery at 77

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BAGMA CENTENARY We conclude our series on BAGMA’s 100-year history with the reflections of Chris Biddle

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SALTEX PREVIEW Some of the exciting new products heading to Birmingham

CEO Alan Hawkins Commercial director Jeff Moody Marketing & membership director Bob Jarrett Business development manager Alasdair Straker: 07823 416862 Regional sales managers Joanne Arthur 07572 790337 Lorna Lewis 07814 767925 Gary Mitchell 07814767910

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BAGMA NEWS

BULLETIN BOARD

FROM NORFOLK TO SYRIA

Norwich-based farm machinery dealer Ben Burgess has shipped a secondhand combine from Norfolk to Aleppo, to help the Syrian city get back to normal after years of fighting. The BAGMA member sold the 1989 New Holland TX34 for £13,500.

Sales director David Fairman said the used combine harvester was on the company’s books after being traded in against a new John Deere before harvest.

Bavenhill gains national recognition

TYM EXPANDS SALES TEAM

Reesink Turfcare has appointed John Addy (pictured) to its TYM Tractors team as northern regional sales manager. This appointment is, says TYM sales manager Steve Haynes, part of a strategy to accelerate growth of the TYM business in the UK. John has vast sales experience in the sector, having worked at dealer level for some time.

Scott Turner, who had previously held the position of TYM product specialist, is now responsibile for sales in the south.

Mr Haynes explained the logic: “By splitting the sales area between the two guys we can now fully focus our efforts on the day-to-day tractor activity and developing our dealer network to further grow the TYM business in the UK.”

STORAGE SUCCESS

Dealers in the USA are finding increased demand for a new service – storing seasonal equipment such as snowblowers and lawnmowers. Often tune-ups and disposal of fuel and oil are part of the deal. Frattallone’s, which owns 21 Ace Hardware stores in the Midwest, has a 55,000sq ft warehouse that takes about 5,000 walk-behind lawnmowers in the winter and about 2,000 snowblowers the rest of the year. It charges about $80 to tune up lawnmowers and $100 for snowblowers. Storage is free with the tune-up. “Many of our customers with a one-car garage appreciate not tripping over the snowblower all summer,” said Joel Larson, logistics manager at Frattallone’s.

TRILO TRIUMPH

BAGMA member Lister Wilder is now responsible for sales, parts and service support for the entire range of Trilo products across Gloucestershire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire.

GARDEN MACHINERY DEALER EXPANDS

Hertfordshire Garden Machinery (HGM) has bought Bedwell Garden Machinery (BGM). HGM owners Tim and Lyndsey Wall will be relocating to BGM’s larger site.

CLAAS ACADEMY OPENS

CLASS UK has officially opened its new £1.2m training academy near Bury St Edmunds. Scheduled for completion by 2020, the new facilities will include admin offices, showroom, and parts and service facility for the Manns of Saxham retail branch.

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Chris Chapman of Bavenhill with Laura Lane and Mark Bentham, owners of Penrhos Court

BAGMA MEMBERS WHO have long associated former president Bob Chapman with energy efficiency won’t be surprised to learn that the family business, Bavenhill, has been recognised in a national energy efficiency award.

Bavenhill, which is run by Bob’s eldest son Chris, scooped second place in the small-scale project category for its work

at former hotel and wedding venue Penrhos Court in Kington, Herefordshire.

Under the ownership of Mark Bentham and Laura Lane, the 20,000sq ft site is now entering the final phase of its transformation into eight luxury holiday cottages, a café, shop and spa – all using a renewable-energy heating system designed and built by Bavenhill.

New Strautmann dealer in the Midlands OPICO HAS APPOINTED Cooks Midlands – based at Stanton under Bardon in Leicestershire – to its Strautmann dealer network.

James Woolway, OPICO’s managing director, said: “Cooks Midland has a compelling history of selling and servicing forage wagons. They cover a good mixed farming area, with a strong dairy tradition, and we are delighted to have them on board.”

Bill Cook, managing director at Cooks Midlands, added: “The marketleading Strautmann range of diet feeders and forage wagons will be a valuable addition to our machinery portfolio. We pride ourselves on supplying our customers with an efficient sales and aftercare package and our sales, service and parts teams are already fully up-to-speed with the Strautmann product range, ready to get the machines out for demonstration.”

DJ Turfcare spins out new RHS range LAWNCARE PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTOR DJ Turfcare has launched its first range of three chemical-free lawn fertilisers endorsed by the Royal Horticulture Society (RHS).

Comprising MO Bacter, Bio-Lime and Recovery, the range was created by Belgian lawncare experts Viano. David Jenkins, managing director at DJ Turfcare, said: “We have worked hard with our partners, Viano, to create products that deliv-

er time and time again, and to receive recognition from the RHS has made the hard work even more worthwhile.

But more importantly, we believe that receiving the RHS endorsement will also be of significant benefit to retailers. The RHS is a highly regarded and recognisable body, and will offer consumers peace of mind and confidence when buying products that are endorsed by them, ultimately boosting sales.”

01483 200976

BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

BAGMA NEWS

Sean O’Brien with his brand new MF 6713S

Rugby star tries to boost Massey Ferguson in Ireland MASSEY FERGUSON’S LATEST addition combines an ideal power-to-weight ratio with great manoeuvrability. The main difference here is that the tractor manufacturer is talking about its new ambassador – Leinster and Ireland rugby legend Sean O’Brien (pictured).

Sean, who is from a farming family and has

William Judge, manager national sales, Massey Ferguson UK & Ireland, hands over the keys to Sean O’Brien

played for the British and Irish Lions, was presented with the keys to an MF 6713 S at a ploughing competition in Ireland. The tractor was supplied by Kehoe Bros of Enniscorthy, through their Tullow depot – near Sean’s family farm. Sean says he cannot remember a time when there wasn’t at least one Massey Ferguson tractor doing the hard graft on the land. “Being a beef farm, there was nearly always one on the go – they’re reliable, accessible and economical – neat and tidy, really,” he recalls.

But this new tractor won’t be used on the family farm; it is destined for another nearby farm, St Francis Farm. This is not only a working farm but also a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.

Lindsay Haddon, advertising and sales promotion manager for Massey Ferguson, says they also aim to use Sean “on some very exciting projects in the future”.

Level 2 apprenticeships reprieved THE INSTITUTE FOR Apprenticeships (IfA) has reversed its controversial decision to withdraw the Landbased Engineering level 2 ‘Service Engineer’ apprenticeship from the government’s approved apprenticeship list.

This decision followed representations made to the IfA by LE-TEC (Landbased Engineering – Training and Education Committee), supported by results from a recent survey to which many members of BAGMA, the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA), and the Institute of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) contributed.

The updated level 2 ‘Service Engineer’ apprenticeship standard and its associated assessment plan have now been approved, and it joins the level 3 ‘Technician’ apprenticeship as being fully approved and deliverable.

Publication of both the level 2 and level 3 land-based engineering standards will appear on the government’s website in the coming weeks when the IfA funding committee has checked the funding bands.

16.57% The expected growth of Europe’s robotic lawnmower market in volume terms during 2016-2022.

Much of the increased demand will come from the residential sector.

NEW PRESIDENT FOR ARIENS ARIENS POWER EQUIPMENT has named Larry Weyers (right) as its new president. Previously he worked for The Manitowoc Company and Kubota Tractor Corporation.

Nearer to home, Ariens has appointed Rhys Adams (below right) as the new area sales manager for East Anglia.

Rhys will be covering all the manufactured and distributed brands including Ariens, Countax, Westwood, ECHO and Shindaiwa.

Arien’s UK sales manager, Matt Wilson, says the appointment is part of the company’s plan “to strengthen our dealer network”.

Another part of the plan is the ‘Growth in Partnership’ dealer meetings held at the Oxford Belfry and Ripley Castle. Both days were led by John Horn, senior vice president for international sales and marketing. He said: “Our dealer network is the cornerstone of our business, so it is imperative that we provide them with a new generation of products, sales tools and services to better serve the end user.”

At the venues, the company officially launched the new E36 lawn tractor and dealers were also able to see the new Ariens APEX, a new commercial zero turn.

BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

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BAGMA NEWS

Looking ahead after a hectic, historic year

Blue River Technology’s See & Spray weed control machine working in cotton

COMMENT

KEITH CHRISTIAN DIRECTOR BAGMA THIS BAGMA BULLETIN is the last for 2017 and closes our yearlong celebration of our trade association’s 100-year history.

We hope you have found it interesting and useful. If you missed any edition or cannot find your hard copy of the BB we now have all the new editions on our website in the Resources section. The current edition is displayed and there is a ‘click button’ to take you to past editions.

During 2017 we have run a series of front covers and articles on our BAGMA Council members. In 2018 we hope to feature some female and younger members. If you know of a member with a great story, please let us know.

Our exciting 100th year has seen us create a fresh-looking magazine, new literature, a new website, move offices, start a new service with BAGMA Bank, start a BAGMA roving members group with BAGMA Connect. We were also part of the industry’s fight against a farcical change to our apprenticeship system. The industry THE INDUSTRY HAS has weathered the storm of WEATHERED THE BREXIT so far but no doubt STORM OF BREXIT SO the quirks and turns of this FAR BUT NO DOUBT ever-evolving change will dog THE QUIRKS AND us for many years. Whatever TURNS OF THIS EVER- our views, one must hope that EVOLVING CHANGE as a country we will benefit in WILL DOG US FOR the long run. Fingers crossed!

MANY YEARS With the marketing side of BAGMA and the more visual side of what we do have sorted for this year, we will be turning our attention to the many background issues that few see the detail of but all are affected by. We have the enforcement of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) from May 2018. Don’t wait for that date - they already exist now and will affect how we all deal with personal data. We also have the ever-changing implementation of RMI (Repair and Maintenance Information) in May 2018 as well, which will need some attention but will not be in its complete form until around 2022. Fast Tractor Testing is also creeping up on us, so any commercial users of these machines may want to study the new regulations and anyone selling fast tractors should also catch up with this.

Don’t believe all you read in some of the press, I have seen some absolute rubbish about these regulations. Check out the government websites to be sure.

It seems far too early to be doing this but as this is our last edition of the year, I would like to thank you for the support you have given us for our 100th anniversary and wish all our readers, members and the rest of you a great Christmas and a wonderful 2018.

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Deere buys ‘machine learning’ expertise DEERE & COMPANY is spending more than $300m to acquire Blue River Technology, the California-based experts in applying machine learning to agriculture.

“As a leader in precision agriculture, John Deere recognises the importance of technology to our customers.

Machine learning is an important capability for Deere’s future,” said John May, president, agricultural solutions and chief information officer at Deere.

So far, Blue River Technology has

successfully applied machine learning to agricultural spraying equipment and Deere is confident that similar technology can be used in the future on a wider range of products, May said.

Jorge Heraud, co-founder and CEO of Blue River Technology, said: “We are using computer vision, robotics and machine learning to help smart machines detect, identify and make management decisions about every single plant in the field.”

Deere & Kramer collaboration approved THE ANTITRUST AUTHORITIES have now approved the collaboration between John Deere and Kramer, the German producer of telehandlers and compact equipment for the agricultural sector. Kramer products will now be sold through John Deere dealers and will be displayed alongside John Deere equipment in Hall 13 at Agritechnica 2017 in Hanover, Germany in November.

BAGMA’s new offices BAGMA’s 100th year has seen the association move into modern offices in Birmingham alongside its parent group, the British Independent Retailers Association

(bira). The offices in Edgbaston were officially opened by bira’s president Vin Vara at an event attended by 150 members, staff and friends of the association.

BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

BAGMA NEWS

Innovation rewarded with gold medals John Lewis sells Honda mowers AGRICULTURE IS A sector rife with innovation at the moment. This is evident from the more than 320 entries in the Agritechnica Innovation Award 2017. These entries came from 175 exhibitors at the forthcoming show in Hanover, Germany.

The independent committee of experts assigned by show organiser DLG to assess the entries declared two worthy of a gold medal and 29 worthy of silver medals.

One of the golds was awarded to the first fully automatic tangential threshing system that uses sensors to automatically adjust itself to suit crop conditions and achieve optimum results. Cemos Auto Threshing will be displayed on the Claas stand at Agritechnica (Hall 13, Stand C02).

Classic engineering, however, continues to result in products with benefits for the entire agricultural sector, and the second Gold Innovation Award went to a maize header with an integrated stubble mulcher. This development, the Kemper StalkBuster (pictured) from Kemper and John Deere, helps control the corn borer, a significant pest affecting maize crops, and results in an overall reduction in the use of pesticides.

The silver medals show there is a clear trend

The Kemper StalkBuster is the industry’s first stubble-destroying technology to form an integral part of the maize header

towards adapting existing, innovative solutions already used in other industries so they can be used in agriculture. Examples include e-mobility, a height-adjustable operator’s cab, intelligent networked vehicles and augmented reality applications.

FIND OUT MORE

For further details of Agritechnica 2017 (November 12 to 18), turn to page 17.

Honda’s premium lawn and garden machinery range is now available from the e-commerce site of retailer John Lewis. The orders are fulfilled by local authorised Honda dealers who deliver set-up machines to the customer’s door. As well as a comprehensive range of petrol lawnmowers, the site also carries Honda’s premium petrol-powered bruschcutters, hedge trimmers and leaf blower.

Steve Morris, head of power products for Honda (UK), commented: “By fulfilling these orders through local dealers, they now get both that convenience and the service which they expect and deserve for the life of their investment.”

Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare’s Stewart Jeffs with Grimsthorpe Castle’s Jim Handley and the GM4300-D

Keeper of the castle grass FIRST-TIME TORO CUSTOMER Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire has purchased a Groundsmaster 4300-D rotary mower to tend the formal gardens and is already seeing an improvement in the condition and appearance of the turf within the 3,000acre estate.

Jim Handley, head gardener, explained: “By switching to a rotary mower we have eliminated some of the previous issues we

were having. It’s comfortable with the conditions of the ground and even if we miss a day cutting, it handles the longer grass easily, cutting it right back down again with no problem. Under those conditions the cylinder mower tended to roll the grass, which wasn’t helping the plant’s health or appearance. The rotary is helping regenerate our turf, ensuring a good quality cut, resulting in lush and green lawns.”

BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

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MEMBER PROFILE

The pitfall of underinsurance Safety alert RESEARCH BY THE Royal Institution of DEBBIE REID Chartered Surveyors BAGMA Client services manager estimates that 80% of commercial properties in England and Wales are underinsured. Put this together with a review of commercial insurance claims by the Financial Conduct Authority, which reveals that nearly 25% of the business interruption claims involve a period of loss exceeding the insured indemnity period, and it seems that in many cases businesses could be left without the cash to see them through to full recovery.

Common reasons for underinsurance include no provision for items such as foundations, gates, fences or car parking areas, and site clearance and professional fees incurred.

Access to damaged buildings, as well as the need to comply with local authority and other legal requirements, can increase costs. This can also delay repairs and lead to insured indemnity periods for business interruption being exhausted before a property is fully reinstated.

A worrying development over the last 12 INSURANCE

months is inflation. The Monthly Statistics of Buildings Materials and Components (No 509) show that between June 2012 and 2016 there was little or no inflationary pressure on rebuilding costs. In the 12 months to June 2017, these same statistics show an increase of 4.7%.

Underinsurance is not just restricted to property and business interruption insurance.

Following changes earlier this year in the investment rates used to calculate compensation for serious life changing injury claims, many businesses may find themselves underinsured. The general rate used has changed from +2.5% to -0.75% per annum, a change of +3.25% in total.

Taking into account compound interest over many years, this will have a big impact on payouts. Based on the Ogden Table 1 (Multipliers for Pecuniary Loss for Life), a man aged 40 with an award assessed at £100,000 per annum, would see an increase of £2.6 million to £5.5 million.

This increase does not include legal and other costs associated with these complex claims, which could add significantly to the final cost.

The advice is to look carefully at the adequacy of current liability limits of indemnity across Employers’, Public and Products liability insurance risks.

First apprentices enrol on the new apprenticeship standards MANY THANKS TO all those who took the trouble to complete the Independent online survey to support consultant and LTA the industry’s case for scheme co-ordinator maintaining the level 2 ‘Service Engineer’ apprenticeship. The results are as follows Question 1: In your opinion are 2 levels of apprenticeship required to cover the needs of industry employers? 98.25% of responses indicated ‘yes’.

Question 2: Do you see the Level 2 Service Engineer role as being a standalone career destination for young candidates entering the industry?

87% of answers indicated ‘yes’.

Question 3: How important is it to offer a Level 2 apprenticeship to assist with recruitment into your sector of the industry? 90% of answers viewed this as being essential.

Question 4: Do you view the Level 2 apprenticeships as a way of upskilling existing unskilled staff? 91% of answers indicated ‘yes’.

Question 5: What impact will deletion of the TRAINING

DAVID KIRSCHNER

BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Level 2 Service Engineer apprenticeship have upon your industry sector? 229 comments were received, all outlining difficulties that would be experienced.

Industry support, the lobbying of MPs and a commonsense approach secured an eleventh hour reversal of the Institute for Apprenticeships’ (IfA’s) decision to withdraw the land-based engineering Level 2 apprenticeship. The IfA subsequently fast-tracked our apprenticeship standards and assessment plans through the approval system and we were able to sign some apprentices onto the new standards in September.

This is the start of a new era and it is expected that numbers will grow year on year. We can all breathe a sigh of relief until the next review period in three years’ time.

It’s a fantastic result for our industry that illustrates that when everyone works together with a common aim we have the power to influence our destiny. All we have to do now is work together as an industry to promote the career opportunities to attract more people into our industry and work a little harder at retaining the wealth of talent that we already have.

after telescopic ladders fail tests E NQU IR IE S BY TRADING standards PAUL MARSH Office manager teams into the safety SafetyAide of telescopic ladders revealed major concerns and lead to more than 32,000 telescopic ladders being withdrawn from sale.

Telescopic ladders have become increasingly popular in recent years because they fold away and can be easily stored.

However, their pyramid-style operation can require up to 32 locking mechanisms and just one faulty part can lead to the ladder collapsing.

A total of 13 different telescopic ladder types have been tested by four local authorities.

All failed to meet BS EN 131 − the recognised standard for ladder design, safety and structural requirements. Almost all the ladders were easily damaged during testing, showing they were not robust enough to cope with normal wear and tear.

In the worst case, a ladder snapped in half beneath the test load − despite claiming to comply with the safety standard.

Mike Ashworth, strategic director for Economy, Transport and Communities, said: “We began these tests after concerns were raised by a Derbyshire company. The results are absolutely shocking − particularly with firms advertising the ladders as complying with relevant safety standards as this means it is now difficult to advise buyers on what to look for.

“People simply aren’t getting what they are paying for. This is bad enough under any circumstances, but when it is placing them in danger, it simply isn’t acceptable.”

SAFETY

Advise for duty holders Combination ladders – Following a recent fatal accident investigation, HSE is strongly advising all duty holders and users of combination ladders to ensure that they: carry out pre-use checks; use them in accordance with instructions; check the locking mechanism(s).

Telescopic ladders – Make sure: pre-use checks on the ladders are thorough, checking the components and operation of each and every locking mechanism (often one or two per rung) and the associated release mechanism(s); the ladders are stored well, transported carefully and maintained (including cleaning) as dirt and grit etc can affect locking mechanisms; they understand the limitations and likely performance of their ladder, eg strength, bending etc.

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MEMBER PROFILE

Making his Mark There’s the one about the Russian diplomat who stole a nude calendar from the workshop. There’s the one about driving across the USA in a Ford Model T. Mark Weatherhead, a former BAGMA president and current BAGMA Council member, has a lifetime of anecdotes… but the subject he keeps returning to is the lack of loyalty towards independent dealers from the big American machinery manufacturers MARK WEATHERHEAD, 77, is still working in the agricultural and garden machinery dealership that bears his name.

After nearly 60 years in the industry, he could retire. He could sell the depot in Cambridgeshire and become rich overnight. He could spend more time on the golf course trying to improve his 18-handicap. He could spend more time walking and exercising his two new hips. He could let his son Edward, a graduate from Harper Adams, take the reins...

But Mark loves the industry and loves selling machines of all shapes and sizes. The forecourt at the main depot in Hardwick, near Cambridge, displays a used Vicon sprayer and new DeutzFahr tractor. The showroom offers Isuzu pickups and Honda ATVs. In a field out the back there are used Massey Ferguson tractors and a variety of farm implements.

Mark Weatherhead Ltd also sells products from Krone, Pottinger and Nugent. It also has “a flourishing” Fixed Equipment arm specialising

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in agricultural builds, grain handling, storage and drying.

“I’m happy,” Mark says. “I’ve always got eggs in several fires.”

It’s a policy that has paid off over the years, as various manufacturers have terminated their contracts with Mark Weatherhead Ltd. “We’ve had Fiat terminated, Caterpillar terminated, Komatzu terminated, and Massey Ferguson terminated – all to suit the manufacturer,” Mark says. “All they want you to do is get the thing popular in the area and if they can get someone else to do it, then you’re off.

There’s no loyalty to the company that has done them a good favour and sold their products well.”

One of his fitters cried when Massey Ferguson ended its contract 18 months ago after seven decades together.

“We were Massey Ferguson dealers for 70 years, giving a very good service and on farmers’ forums people were very shocked about it and very complimentary towards us as a company,”

Mark says with pride. “We have always given very good service. But it’s the way with big American companies – they want to have huge standalone dealers who, right now, we’re finding the standard of service is appalling. And we are now benefitting from that. Our level of service work has gone up because these other dealers are not capable of fulfilling the service job. They haven’t got the staff to do it.

“We had one farmer ring us last week. He’d been waiting six months to have warranty work done. Another one called me last night at about 7pm. He was fed up with waiting. There will be one of our fitters with him at 11 o’clock this morning.

“We’re servicing tractors and combines all over because of this.”

In his workshops at Hardwick are six agricultural fitters, one horticultural fitter, one Isuzu pick-up truck fitter and two apprentices.

“We’re reaching a point with these big superdealers where their service is so bad because they haven’t got the staff that something is going BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

MEMBER PROFILE

10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT MARK AND HIS COMPANY lH e has been married twice.

lH is first wife died of breast cancer when she was only 45 years old. lH e has three children from his first marriage and a son, Edward, from his marriage to Veronica, a nurse.

lH e has collected three Ford Model Ts, which he drives to Model T events and the local pub. “You can get the parts easier than for any modern car,” he says. lA bout eight years ago he spent a month driving a Model T from New York to Seattle. He did about 300 miles a day, five days a week. lH e once entertained Russia’s agricultural minister and his aides, giving them a tour of the depot and lunch at his house. “We got in bottles of vodka and they all drank whisky,” Mark recalls. He also remembers: “One of the minister’s aides swiped one of the nude calendars from the workshop.”

lM ark supplied the combine that chopped up a victim in one of the classic episodes of BBC TV’s Silent Witness. lT he offices and Isuzu showroom were built by a tenant who made hospital beds. lT here is a shooting range in the attic.

lS taff overalls are washed in-house.

MARK ON RURAL CRIME

“POLICE AND GOVERNMENT HAVE GOT TO WISE UP TO GETTING TOUGH. WE NEED INSPECTORS AT PORTS CHECKING DEEDS OF OWNERSHIP.”

MARK ON BREXIT

“THE WHOLE POINT OF BEING IN THE EEC IS THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY AND IT WASN’T; IT WAS A EUROPEAN COMMUNITY WITH A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND EUROPEAN RULES, AND I DON’T AGREE WITH THE EUROPEAN RULES. I DO AGREE WITH THIS COUNTRY STAYING WITHIN AN ASSOCIATION OF EUROPE WITH A TRADING AGREEMENT – WHICH IS WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FIRST PLACE.” BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

to happen and the farmers are going to start reacting.”

BAGMA Bulletin asks Mark if he thinks we are at a tipping point.

“We are at the point where I would like it to tip,” he replies. “We are getting people out to a farmer who is fed up to the teeth with the local dealer. We’ve been trying to do business with him for a long time and now he’s saying, ‘I want you to do it, Mark, I know you’ll do a good job’.

“There is one farmer who had John Deere, and we got him switched to Massey Ferguson. He had five tractors and he’d never had an hour’s waiting time before we got terminated. One of the new dealers supplied him with two new tractors, so he now has seven Massey Fergusons. Six weeks ago five of them were broken down. That can’t go on.”

The Massey Ferguson termination seems particularly painful for Mark, as he has fond memories of doing them a favour when he was a young man. He flew to Iceland at short notice to get a Massey Ferguson combine started. He spent

ten days on the job and sold the farm four tractors.

Mark was 22 at the time and had recently returned to the family business after gaining experience maintaining combines in the USA. “There were 2,000 combines working their way north through the Midwest,” he recalls.

The business was started by his father, Donald, a farmer’s son, in 1945. When he died ten years later, his wife Marjorie ran D Weatherhead until her two sons, Paul and Mark, were ready to take it over.

In 1980 Mark bought the family business and changed the name to Mark Weatherhead, paying £500,000 for two depots and a house. “It was the best thing I ever did,” Mark states. His brother continued with the third depot until John Deere terminated the franchise. Paul responded by shutting the depot and building 57 houses on the site.

“He’s now a very rich man sitting behind a computer, watching his investments, which to me is bloody boring,” Mark says.

Mark bought a third depot in 1996 but is in the process of selling this Essex site for housing. He also sold the Royston site for housing a couple of years ago so he could expand at Hardwick.

“The Deutz franchise gives us Bedfordshire, so we’re Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. This site sits in the middle of that area.”

We ask him how the new franchise is going.

“Slowly,” he replies. “There hasn’t been a dealer in the area for 30 years. The product is very good, everyone is complimentary, it’s just getting them to buy. It takes time.”

“There are three tractors out on trial at the moment and other people want them. Nobody has said to us, ‘Sorry, we don’t want one’. It gives you faith.”

Mark never considered another career, so we asked him if he had any regrets.

“The only thing I do regret now is the behaviour of these big companies,” he replies.

“They are terminating people to drive dealers out so they finish up with very, very big dealers who they totally control.

“It’s sad that these big manufacturers are taking this action to weed out smaller people who did a good job for them. Most of the people who’ve been weeded out had a better market share than the big dealers themselves.”

He says it’s a topic that comes up frequently at Home Counties branch meetings and at BAGMA Council meetings, but there is nothing the association can do about it. He wishes it could.

Otherwise this former BAGMA president is very happy with his membership of the 100-yearold association. He uses its insurance and credit card services, and enjoys the networking opportunities.

“One of the nice things is that we are all likeminded people,” he says.

9

BAGMA CENTENARY

Time to think the unthinkable We conclude our series looking back at some of the milestones in BAGMA’s 100-year history with the reflections of Chris Biddle, an ag and garden machinery dealer and a member of the BAGMA Council and committees during the 1970s and 80s. He subsequently founded Service Dealer magazine and is currently Editor of Landwards, the IAgrE Professional Journal “LET’S ABOLISH BAGMA.” That was a proposal floated to Council members at a navelgazing meeting held at a swish London hotel in 1983. “It’s run for the elite, is remote, boring and only attracts those with time or inclination to sit on committees.” At the time, I had taken on chairmanship of the pompous sounding Long Term Planning Committee, charged with thinking the unthinkable.

But, hang on. If it closed, how would our industry be represented, where’s our forum, advice shop, meeting place? A new association would be in place within days.

The BAGMA Council of the day numbered 30, mostly dealer principals, all of whom had taken a day off from selling tractors and mowers. A drastic slimming down of the committee structure was just the start.

I had spent several years on such committees, but was finding it increasingly difficult to justify my time away from the business to my colleagues. A couple of years later, I had to decline the step up to vicepresident after agreeing with my fellow directors in the dealership that I could not spare the time to do justice to the role.

My first encounter with BAGMA was in the early 1960s when it was known as AMTDA. I was new into the family-owned dealership and went with my father to the AMTDA Smithfield dinner held in the chandeliered splendour of the Café Royal in Regent Street.

Next, to the Bell Hotel in Warminster where Wiltshire AMTDA dealers met together to ‘fix’ (discuss) combine trade-in prices for the following season. Great idea, the trade working as one.

Problem was, once the benchmark figure had been agreed for a Massey 726 trade-in, it was immediately breached ‘to keep the deal’.

OPPOSING LEGISLATION Over the years, my links with BAGMA strengthened. I was one of the entrants on the first BAGMA Management Diploma course held at Silsoe. There were new challenges, often at the whim of a changing Government. Probably the stupidest tax ever was introduced by the Wilson Government in 1966. Selective employment tax (SET) levied on every worker in the service sec-

12

tor at 25 shillings per employee per week (£1.25 then or nearly £18 now). What did they do with this money? They passed it straight back to manufacturers who also received an additional bounty per employee. In other words, dealers were subsidising manufacturers. On this occasion, AEA supported BAGMA to oppose this illogical tax, which was dropped by the Heath government in 1974 and replaced by VAT. In 1976, lawnmowers were placed in the higher rate of VAT (25%) rather than standard rate of 12.5%. I had become chairman of BAGMA’s Parliamentary committee, and we managed to gain support from a number of rural MPs and the ruling was reversed.

There always seemed to be ISSUES. Business was tough in the 1970s. Inflation peaked at 24.2% in 1975 and remained in double digits for five or six years. BAGMA, however, was entering a transitional phase under the stewardship of Jonathan Swift who was always keen on raising the profile of BAGMA. He pushed hard for his role to have more relevance when meeting other organisations. An EGM in 1978, which resulted in a resolution to substitute the word Secretary with Director General was resoundingly defeated (43 against, 2 in favour and 5 abstentions!). Suspicious lot, dealers, but the title was altered a couple of years later.

Social interaction was just as important as business dealings. BAGMA conferences were generally well-attended, but mostly by manufacturers and suppliers (a constant grouse). The trade had a happy knack of unearthing entertaining speakers, mostly from its own ranks. But I recall John Humphreys hosting a panel session and Alan Titchmarsh presenting awards at Telford.

‘THE GMA SHOW PROVED TO BE A ONE-OFF EVENT, AND IS CITED AS ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE ENSUING FINANCIAL ISSUES THAT WERE TO BRING ABOUT THE DEMISE OF BAGMA AS AN INDEPENDENT TRADE ASSOCIATION’

There were constant debates about countering the threat of the ‘sheds’, a seminal moment came in the early 1990s when B&Q introduced the first sub-£100 petrol rotary, a US-made 20in side discharge with Briggs & Stratton engine sourced from Murray. It was a rubbish product but at a stroke, consumers’ perception of the price-point for petrol mowers was halved.

And this was way before the internet changed retailing for ever – an advance that has done much to even up the marketing capabilities of independents who in those days simply could not compete with the national advertising and TV budgets of the ‘big-box’ stores.

SHOWS Two others issues dominated BAGMA debate – warranty and shows. The handling of warranty has improved out of all recognition since the advent of online. Shows were another matter.

In the late 80s, BAGMA’s relationship with the IOG and GLEE turned fractious when it was announced at the 1988 BAGMA Conference that it would stage its own event, the GMA Show at Kempton Park in 1990. This was prompted by the IOG decision to move its show from Windsor to Peterborough.

It was an ambitious but ultimately foolhardy venture. Strangely it was planned as an outdoor event, but largely staged indoors (in a huge tented village). Costs were enormous and visitor numbers average as it clashed directly with the IOG show. The GMA Show (which saw the debut of Countax) proved to be a one-off event, and is cited as one of the reasons for the ensuing financial issues that were to bring about the demise of BAGMA as an independent trade association.

A succession of director generals had been appointed following Jonathan Swift’s departure to the British Hardware Federation (now part of bira) in 1986. ‘Trouble at t’mill’ hardly does justice to turmoil experienced at BAGMA in the early part of the 1990s – and the denouement came at the BAGMA AGM in Perth in 1994 when members agreed to transfer all BAGMA assets and liabilities to the British Hardware Federation.

Above the politics, however, BAGMA was always about the people. Ours is a close-knit, friendly, and accommodating industry – and one which constantly strives to push its head above the parapet. There have been notable successes, BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

BAGMA CENTENARY

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such as the time when Eric Brayshaw managed to have garden machinery featured on Top Gear, hosted by a youthful Jeremy Clarkson.

All of which was faithfully recorded over many years in the ‘BAGMA Bugle’ aka AGM Service, painstakingly put together from a lofty lair at The Forge in Rickmansworth by Norman Stuckey and Linda Palmer.

I am extremely proud to have been part of the BAGMA story for a few years, either at its heart or more recently on the fringes, and offer my heartiest congratulations to everyone involved on reaching such a momentous milestone.

In 1982, when running a garden machinery dealership in Salisbury, a young, fresh faced rookie rep turned up one day representing Spear & Jackson. Unfortunately, we were unable to assist him in ‘scratching his order book’ that day.

But I remember the name, Keith Christian. I wonder what he’s doing now. . . ?

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Strength in Quality 13

SPECIAL REPORT: RURAL CRIME

‘Deva stated’ The growing problem of crime in rural areas

WHEN FARMING COUPLE Mark and Katie Retter woke up ready for one of their busiest days of the year, they discovered their blue New Holland Tractor T7.200 – and forage wagon – missing.

They had been stolen during the night, with the thieves driving across five fields before unhitching and abandoning the wagon and going out onto the A30 near Honiton.

Mrs Retter said she and her husband were “devastated” by the theft of the tractor, which they share with Mr Retter’s parents. “This machine was one of our main tractors,” Mrs Retter said. “We have no idea where it is – we have not seen anyone on our farm. Our dog did not even bark the night it was taken – and he barks at everyone.”

It’s not just farmers being targeted. Thieves recently stole two Kubota ride-on lawnmowers worth about £5,000 each from the Bland family’s outlet, Oakley’s Groundcare, in Shropshire.

At first it was thought the thieves took a wrong turn. Ross Bland explains: “Wednesday morning the guys all turned up at Oakley’s Groundcare and found two mowers gone and a big hole in the fence.

“But instead of heading up the lane which is less than a mile to the road, they seem to have gone off in the wrong direction. They headed into my dad’s garden, cut through another fence and headed across another field. He said in total they cut through four fences and mowed a swathe through several fields before apparently getting disheartened or stuck.”

14

Scotland rolls out Rural Watch Scotland has rolled out its Rural Watch system, which sends out email and text alerts from local police officers and other approved information providers.

Europol revealed this summer that a Romanian gang which stole tractors worth

£2.6m £6.7m from French farms during an 18-month period had been arrested.

The total value of tractors being stolen every year, according to NFU Mutual.

“Eventually they managed to drive the two mowers down a steep bank in a thick wood near Cressage.”

He said his father Robert and staff followed the track but the trail went cold and it was Thursday evening before a neighbouring farmer discovered the Kubota G23 and Kubota GR2120.

“It was silly on our behalf not to collect them immediately,” Mr Bland said.

Ray George, managing director of Oakley’s, said the mowers were disabled and it was decided to go back for them on Friday morning.

He said that was the wrong decision – as the machines were not there when they returned for them.

“I don’t think they had got lost at all,” Ray said. “We pulled the route up on Google maps and I think it was always their intention to make their way back to the A458 that way.

“They purposely left the machines hidden in the woods for a couple of days, which is something they do to make sure the machines haven’t got trackers on them, and then came back to collect them.”

He said the thieves knew what they were doing as they had managed to stay just out of sight of the CCTV cameras and cut incredibly neat holes in hedges and fences and even removed a small tree to get in and out again.

Another company which has felt the effect of rural crime in the past month is Farol Ltd in Thame.

The agricultural groundcare company had a tractor worth £35,000 stolen overnight.

BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

SPECIAL REPORT: RURAL CRIME

Marketing manager Guy Champion said: “There needs to be more monitoring of suspicious lorries or vans who are circling the area to put a stop to it.”

He added that the company’s insurance premiums had significantly risen as a result.

And the firm has had to install extra CCTV and security measures to try to prevent it from happening again.

It’s all part of a surge in crime in rural areas since 2010. Insurance claims for rural crime have risen by more than 20% in the six months to June, with insurers warning that emboldened criminals are forcing farmers to take extraordinary steps to protect their property – including the installation of tracking devices on their tractors.

Publishing its annual report on rural crime across the UK, NFU Mutual said that the surge contrasted with a £40m decline in claims last year, adding that the trend was “deeply worrying”.

Commenting on the figures, Tim Price, a rural affairs specialist at the firm, said: “While the fall in rural theft in 2016 is welcome news, the sharp rise in the first half of 2017 is deeply worrying. Countryside criminals are becoming more brazen and farmers are now having to continually increase security and adopt new ways of protecting their equipment.

“In some parts of the country, farmers are having to turn their farmyards into fortresses to protect themselves from repeated thieves who are targeting quads, tractors and power tools.”

Last year England bore the brunt of the criminal activity in rural areas, with claims totalling £33.8m. Claims in Northern Ireland amounted to £2.5m, whilst those made in Wales came to £1.3m. Lincolnshire was the worst-hit English county with a cost of £2.5m.

Farmers’ tools and specialist equipment were the most common items targeted, whilst more than £2m worth of quad bikes were stolen during the same period.

BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Rural Security Guide from Burg-Wächter and Sterling Burg-Wächter and Sterling have come up with some simple and effective security tips that can be applied to some of the most commonly targeted items and prevent you and your customers from becoming a victim of rural crime. l ATV / QUAD BIKES – If kept outside, secure to a ground or wall anchor that is set into a solid surface. Sterling Locks offers bolt cutter and hacksaw resistant security chains, in a variety of lengths, to provide the reach necessary to padlock the vehicle. l MACHINERY – For optimum security, machinery should be stored inside a locked building with additional security such as a heavy-duty security anchor.

The majority of thefts are opportunistic.

Time is your friend, the longer it takes a thief to unlock your property the more likely it is that they will give up and move on. l FARM AND COMMERCIAL TOOLS – If ladders are kept on the property, they are a target for burglars who can then use them to help gain access to the property.

Wherever the ladder is stored, it should be securely locked. Equipment such as power tools, expensive garden equipment and chainsaws can be locked together using hardened steel chains or security cables making them very difficult to remove. l LIVESTOCK – The inconvenience of keeping multiple keys to hand often stops owners from locking every gate on a property. The simple solution is to use combination or keyed alike padlocks on frequently used gates.

15

SHOW NEWS

GET SET FOR SALTEX INDEPENDENT AGRICULTUR A L , GARDEN and groundscare machinery dealers can expect to see an impressive line-up of innovation when SALTEX opens its doors at the NEC, Birmingham on November 1 and 2.

John Deere, Toro, Ransomes Jacobsen and Kubota have all SALTEX 2017 confirmed that they November 1-2 will be returning to NEC, the show for a third Birmingham consecutive year to iogsaltex.com showcase their latest products. Also among the 260 exhibitors are STIHL, ICL, Rigby Taylor, TYM, DLF Trifolium, Dennis & SISIS, and Charterhouse Turf Machinery.

TH WHITE Machinery Imports will be there with the latest ranges from Ferris, Wright, Spider and Jensen spread across two stands.

With many of the exhibitors planning to launch a multitude of new products, SALTEX 2017 is set to play host to the most technologically advanced equipment showcase in grounds management in the UK. Combined with the two-day Learning LIVE educational seminar programme, which will cover topics linked to every aspect of the industry, the show will offer innovation, education and networking opportunities.

As well as a wide range of innovative products on display within the three large halls, visitors will have the chance to see many of these products in action through the outdoor demonstrations which will be taking place on a grass area directly outside halls 6, 7 and 8.

Other show features include: lT he SALTEX College Cup – a national student-led sports-turf challenge sponsored by Ransomes; lP athology & Soil Science LIVE – allowing visitors to look in detail at the symptoms of some common turfgrass fungal disease problems; lT he IOG Industry Awards – the UK’s biggest celebration in groundsmanship held on the evening of the first day (November 1) at the National Motorcycle Museum.

16

Makita UK returns to SALTEX this year as part of the BALI Zone, which also features Boningale Nurseries, M&M Timber, Greentech, Ground Control and British Sugar Topsoil. The Makita UK stand will showcase the company’s ever-growing garden machinery range. Mark Earles, business development manager at Makita UK, said: “Our cordless range will be taking centre stage but visitors will be able to learn about the entire range including our petrol and electric models.”

Reesink Turfcare will be showing a new Toro rotary mower that’s designed to improve productivity and go longer between stops.

With a 41L fuel tank and 810L capacity hopper, plus the ability to change the height of cut without stopping, Reesink Turfcare says productivity is at an all-time high with this machine. Jeff Anguige, national sales manager at Reesink, says: “The increase in the hopper’s capacity is accompanied by a sensor which alerts the operator when the hopper is full.”

Ransomes will be showing the new TR320 triplex cylinder mower on stand H090. The Ransomes TR320 is one of the lightest and most manoeuvrable machines on the market.

It also has a narrow transport width (1.64m (64.5” ) and a 1.83m (72”) width of cut. Also debuting at SALTEX 2017 is the HM600, which provides users with the ability to run three heavy duty flail mowers with mulching technology from Müthing.

The focus for SCH (Supplies) will be its range of artificial surface maintenance machinery – its various sweepers, rakes, drag mats, brushes and sprayers. Managing director Andrew Rodwell says that this is currently one of the fastest growing categories of machinery in the company. “We work with artificial surface maintenance contractors to ensure our machines are perfect for the job as well as being affordable,” he told us.

With flexibility at the core of them all, Toro Triple Finance and the Buy Now Pay Later scheme offer customers four ways to finance their Toro machinery.

Toro Triple Finance is a firm favourite for Reesink Turfcare customers, offering three different payment options to suit individual budgets and circumstances.

Buy Now Pay Later is back until November 18, bringing with it the option for interest free payment.

New to the Carlisle line-up of tyres, distributed in the UK by Tyre-Line, is the Versa Trail ATR, which is designed for today’s biggest ATV, UTV and SXS bikes. The Versa Trail R&D team used computer aided designs to formulate the optimal 3/4 inch, non-directional tread depth along with a tough-tread rubber to improve cut and chip resistance.

Coupled with a 6pr, radial construction, the new Versa Trail offers a great blend of grip and performance without compromising on tyre life and vehicle comfort.

BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

SHOW NEWS

4 REASONS TO VISIT AGRITECHNICA

BAGMA’S SECOND CENTENARY CONFERENCE

MORE THAN 2,800 exhibitors from 53 countries Massey Ferguson will be at the show with a host of innovative harvesting equipment, including the MF are expected at Germany’s international agricul2370 Ultra High Density Baler (shown tural exhibition, Agritechnica. Here are some of the reasons why 400,000 visitors are expected at the show, which takes place in Hanover from November 12 to 18. l The theme this year is ‘Green Future – Smart Technology’. ‘Cloud Computing’, ‘Big Data’, the automation of processes, intelligent data management systems… these are all trends in the agricultural sector. At Agritechnica, manufacturers will be showing a wide range of solutions aimed at helping farmers l There should be an optimistic buzz at the show. to produce even more efficiently and with greater The show’s DLG-Trendmonitor Europe for autumn conservation of resources.

2017, which surveyed 150 farmers each l Agritechnica is more international from Germany, France, the United KingAGRITECHNICA than ever before. Nearly 1,700 (59%) of dom, Poland, the Netherlands and RusNovember 12-18 the exhibitors are from outside Germany. Hanover, sia, indicates an increasing willingness This represents a new record level. The Germany to invest. UK farmers, according to the largest groups of international exhibitors agritechnica.com survey, are particularly keen to invest in come from Italy (370 companies), China tractors, while Russian and Polish farm(110), the Netherlands (109), Turkey (107), ers want combines.

France (102), Austria (67), Poland (67), and the UK l BAGMA will be hosting a reception on the CLIM(57). In addition, 13 countries have booked country MAR/Landbautechnik stand (E38 in Hall 2) at 4pm pavilions, including for the first time Denmark and on Monday, November 13 to mark the trade associaIreland. tion’s 100th anniversary.

BAGMA’s second mini conference

of the year will be a one-day event in

the BAGMA Four Counties Region at Ledbury Rugby Club on December

13. There will be free tea and coffee through the day and a Christmas

lunch. The conference will focus on a business element in the morning with presentations from BAGMA’s president, Brian Sangster, and

director, Keith Christian, followed by presentations from bira’s insurance, legal, finance and buying arms.

The afternoon speakers include the

AEA’s Keith Hawken, LE-TEC’s David Kirschner, and the NFU economist

Rohit Kaushish, who will be talking about Brexit’s likely impact on agriculture.

For further information

contact info@bagma.com.

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17

02/10/2017 11:51:39

PRODUCT NEWS

PRODUCT NEWS

NEW SINGLE ROTOR GRASS RAKES

NEW ‘FARMERS CHOICE’ CHAINSAW

THE LATEST VERSION of Makita’s popular Farmers Choice chainsaw, the EA5600F45DN, bristles with improved features. Powered by a 2-stroke 55.7cc engine, features include a Stratified Air Scavenging exhaust system which directs unburnt combustion charge back to the induction port. This effectively reduces fuel consumption and ensures that exhaust emissions meet the highest possible standards. It is also fitted with a centrifugal air cleaner and HD air filter for the cleanest possible charge. The cord pull recoil starter has spring assistance, and the machine includes a primer pump and an antiicing port for cold weather operations. Another improvement is the wider touch and stop engine control switch, which allows easier operation when working with gloved hands.

KUHN FARM MACHINERY has added three new mounted, single rotor grass rakes to its range of hay and silage making equipment, with all three models sharing features from the company’s larger twin and four-rotor rakes.

The GA 4431, GA 4731 and GA 5031 have been developed to work across 4.40m, 4.65m and 5m widths respectively. With a 4m diam-

eter rotor, the GA 5031 is the largest mounted single-rotor machine on the market.

KUHN has also updated its range of hay and silage making equipment with the introduction of the GF 1012 series Gyrotedders. The new range includes the 8.70m mounted GF 8712, and trailed GF 8712 T, as well as the 10.80m mounted GF 10812 and trailed GF 10812 T (pictured).

‘MAJOR STEP FORWARD’ FROM MASSEY FERGUSON

THE LARGEST THRESHING area, the biggest grain tank and the fastest unload rate are some of the claims attached to the new rotary combine harvester range from Massey Ferguson. The AGCO brand says the new Ideal range “promises a major step forward in performance and productivity for business-orientated farmers”.

The range is being built at AGCO’s European Harvesting Centre of Excellence in Breganze, Italy. Adam Sherriff, market development manager, Massey Ferguson Harvesting, Europe and Middle East, commented: “This is the biggest new harvesting product development project we have ever undertaken. It included production of 45 prototypes and six years of continuous lab

and global field tests measuring performance in all crops and conditions. Everything about the machines is new - new design, new engineering, new features, new styling, even a brand-new livery in stunning graphite. Added to this, the 647hp MF IDEAL 9 represents a totally new market segment for Massey Ferguson.”

A limited release is scheduled for 2018 with full roll-out in 2019.

At the opening of the Queensferry Crossing

At ScotHort

FOLLOWING THE BAGMA Scottish Regional meeting at the Queensferry Crossing visitor centre in January 2016, BAGMA was invited to the official opening of the new crossing over the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh.

The new £1.35bn bridge, which sits alongside its predecessor, the Forth Road Bridge, was opened by the Queen. The statistics for OUT AND the new Queensferry Crossten people to attend the opening ABOUT IN SCOTLAND ing are staggering. Engineers and invited a mix of dealers and used 23,000 miles of cables and BAGMA officials.

35,000 tonnes of steel.

Photo includes Brian Sangster The official opening was a very (BAGMA president), Keith Chrisspecial and well organised event with tian (BAGMA director), Alasdair Straker a couple of thousand invited guests treated (BAGMA business development manager) to a masterclass in organisation. BAGMA’s with Sam Mercer of Reekie Ltd and Fraser Scottish Region received an invitation for Wilson of SRUC/Oatridge Campus.

BAGMA visited the ScotHort Landscaping Industry Show at the Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh. Launched in 2015, ScotHort brings together the landscaping, arboriculture and groundscare industries within Scotland. Two BAGMA members were among the 40 exhibitors. Avant showed a range of 4WD compact loaders. For Angus Chainsaws it was the company’s first time exhibiting at ScotHort. Ken Wallace told us he was very pleased with the interest in the range, and had spoken to many good quality potential customers. Photo shows Struan Robb of Fraser C Robb (who was helping out on the Avant stand), Ken Wallace of Angus Chainsaws (sitting on the Avant loader) and John Spencer of Avant UK.

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BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Europe’s largest annual event Discover the latest product innovations Connect with industry suppliers and partners Network with national and international peers Get expert advice on your specific turf challenges Stay up to date with the latest groundscare trends

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Listen and learn from industry thought leaders Further your career with free advice and guidance Celebrate achievements at the IOG Industry Awards FREE admission. To register visit www.iogsaltex.com

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We’ve been keeping the agricultural industry cool for years l High performance axial fans & centrifugal blowers. l Engine cooling, hydraulics cooling. l Long life, reliable, robust. l No minimum order. l Next day delivery.

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BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

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Generations of success My sons and I spend our time mowing, fencing, hedge cutting and clearing. To get the most out of every day, we need the most up-to-date, efficient kit on the market.

That’s why I choose STIHL.

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Find out more at your local STIHL Approved Dealer or visit

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BR 450 C-EF Powerful backpack blower with ElectroStart technology for effortless starting