Horsch had a successful 2015, with a turnover of €245.8m, up 5.6% year-on-year.

Horsch exports 71% of its products, with France its largest market after Germany. In Russia and the Ukraine, the company had its best year ever thanks to excellent seed drill sales.

Poland has developed into an important market, as has Britain. Growth was also seen in Denmark and the Scandinavian countries as well as Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Horsch is developing its presence in China, while in Brazil has founded its own subsidiary.

Despite the difficult market situation in the US, Horsch LLC continues to grow and has extended its product range.

Seed drills account for 43% of sales worldwide, with tillage machines accounting for 32% while sprayers in the plant protection sector make up 10%, a rapid increase as sprayers become available in more and more markets and new models, such as the PT 330 and Leeb LT, are introduced. The remaining 15% of sales come from the original spare parts.

Reports of drill sales this year in Ireland have been very positive for main dealers Kelly’s of Borris.

Last year, Horsch again made investments on a large scale. At the Schwandorf site, a new training and marketing building, the €8m FIT Centre (Farming, Innovation, Training) was finished and will host this year’s practical field days.

Last year about 3,000 guests from all over the world came to the 3,000ha company-owned R&D farm AgroVation in Knežmost, near Prague.

No other company has such a large agricultural farm at its disposal where products can be developed and demonstrated.

At the Landau site, about €1.5m was invested to almost double the production area of the centre for plant protection. In Russia, a new assembly hall and paint shop will be added to the existing service and training centre in the near future.