There was no real news in Budget 2017 concerning investment in farm machinery. Concerns over green diesel have not materialised. There are no changes to excise rates to bring diesel in line with the price of petrol, something that had been indicated as a possibility before the Budget.

For the motoring industry there is an extension on relief from vehicle registration tax on electric vehicles for a period of five years.

The VRT relief for hybrid vehicles has also been extended for two years. There are a number of energy-efficient machines now in use on farms across Ireland that should be considered for relief in the future.

The development of hybrid tractors in the industry could offer savings on buying cost if the same concessions in the motoring vehicles were applied.

Elsewhere in the machinery section this week, we report on Claas's decision to roll out its RTK connected network in Ireland, we take a video look at the latest plough development from Gregoire Besson, and we visit a contractor in west Cork who travelled to Austria to buy a baler wrapper combination - also in video.

New finance for machinery and plant

Bluestone Asset Finance Limited announced it has launched a new finance product aimed at young businesses and self-employed contractors in the SME space who are seeking to purchase agriculture and / or construction equipment. Hire purchase and leasing financing will be available for new enterprises in Ireland with a minimum 12-month trading record who are seeking to purchase a range of equipment.

The product has a minimum advance amount of €10,000 up to a maximum of €300,000 over a 60-month term. Borrowers must be a permanent resident of the Republic of Ireland and are assessed on a range of affordability and governance criteria.

Commenting, Donal Murphy, managing director of Bluestone Ireland, said: “Our research indicates that there are over 3,000 new businesses that have been trading in Ireland for 12 to 24 months. Access to finance remains acute for many of these young businesses and we believe there is a gap in the market for this group.”

BKT and Deutz team up

BKT announced that it is now the original tyre equipment supplier for Deutz. Its Agrimax agricultural tyre range will besupplied with the new 6, 7 as well as the 9 tractor series. The Agrimax Force BKT tyre will be available on the 9 Series. This tyre is manufactured with IF technology, according to BKT, allowing more weight to be carried at lower ground pressures.

Agrimax RT 657 and the RT 765will be available on the 6 and 7 Series, according to the manufacturer. This tyre is designed for use in the field and on the road. BKT added that there is a new generation of tyre compound with improved tyre wear and damage. Commenting on the new partnership with SDF, BKT said: “This makes us very proud of our job and especially of our R&D department. It confirms that we have been developing premium tyres to suit farming needs.”

Slurrykat launches sheargrab range

Two new ranges of sheargrabs developed and produced by SlurryKat have just entered the market in time for the winter feeding period. Garth Cairns from SlurryKat says this is the company’s first time to produce sheargrabs but was encouraged to do so by a number of farmers who were having problems with their own models. The design team at SlurryKat heard how other sheargrabs were having difficulty handling silage and maize with high dry matter contents.

The brief for the designers was to come up with a series of grabs that would reduce cutting waste and have enough force to cut the silage block quickly and efficiently. Two ranges of grabs of various sizes were developed namely the FarmCut range offering four models from 1.35m (4ft 4in) wide up to 1.95m (6ft 4in) wide. The second ProCut range consists of four models from 1.95m (6ft 4in) up to 2.55m (8ft 3in). The FarmCut range is designed for the smaller, less intensive livestock farm, and the ProCut range has a deeper, higher-capacity cutter and is designed for large intensive livestock and dairy farms.

The larger grabs are available with two or three ram options with uniquely designed hydraulic cylinders that provide 25% more power compared with what other grab manufacturers use, according to the manufacturer. These cylinders have Nitox coated rods to prevent corrosion damage.