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This week, the FTMTA Farm Machinery Show opens to meet the farming and machinery trade. The farming year has started with a cautiously optimistic approach. Confidence in the dairy sector, and improving prices, should be reflected in development and investment on farms.
This again is good news for the agricultural contractor – as cashflow improves, it should eliminate the long wait for payments in some cases. The role of the contractor will be vital in supporting larger farms and the part-time farming model. The scale and size and indeed the price of modern machinery makes it an unviable investment for many; contractors have the scale to utilise modern machinery to benefit the customers and their own business. Interestingly, a report from The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) indicated that Irish car prices dropped by around 5.5% in 2016. Tractor prices seem to be travelling in the wrong direction for most farmers.
This week, I report on the Lemken Vega and the development of the machine from the company’s new factory. Alistair Chambers sets down the basic principles of setting the fertiliser spreader before use in the field, while our vintage section sees Martin Rickatson report on the International Harvester legends built in Doncaster.
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