EXPERTS Advice on marketing safety and tachographs

Steam tractor heads for auction

A 96-YEAR-OLD STEAM tractor, worth £50,000-£70,000, is going under the hammer this month (November).

The machine was unearthed by auctioneers Reeman Dansie during a visit to East Bergholt, near Ipswich.

Lewis Rabett, auctioneer at Reeman Dansie, said: “It was a really unexpected find. It is certainly the first time I have discovered anything quite like it.”

After the find, research conducted by the auction company revealed that the forgotten engine was manufactured by British firm Aveling & Porter in 1926.

It is painted in the livery of haulage contractors Dagnall Ltd of Chesham Bois in Buckinghamshire and likely spent its early life hauling goods around the country.

In later years, this engine, inscribed ‘Nippy’, was owned by a father and son before disappearing from use about 15 years ago.

John Deere plans fully autonomous farming future

TRACTOR MANUFACTURER JOHN Deere is aiming to become one of the leading AI and robotics companies in the world, alongside Tesla and Silicon Valley technology giants.

That’s according to Illinois-based Jorge Heraud, the company’s vice president of automation and autonomy.

He sees the autonomous 8R as the culmination of Deere’s nearly two decades of strategic planning and investment in automation, data analytics, GPS guidance, internet-of-things connectivity and software engineering. While a good deal of that R&D has been homegrown, the company also has been on a spree of acquisitions and partnerships with agtech start-ups, harvesting know-how as well as talent. This includes the ‘see and spray’ Blue River Technology, which Deere bought in 2017 for $305 million — a deal that also brought on Blue River co-founder and CEO Heraud.

Bear Flag Robotics, which Deere bought last year for $250 million, offers an autonomous navigation system that can be retrofitted onto existing tractors. This year, Deere has formed a joint venture with GUSS Automation, which has devised semi-autonomous orchard and vineyard sprayers, and bought numerous patents and other intellectual property from AI start-up Light, a depth-perception platform that enables more accurate 3D vision.

According to Heraud, “This comes from our realisation that technology is going to drive value creation and increase productivity, profitability and sustainability for farmers”.

Customers praise for ISEKI

“NONE OF US that use the ISEKI machines struggle with bad backs which is a good sign!”

One of Fentons of Bourne’s customers, Keith Clipsham, has been singing the praises of his three ISEKI tractors. Keith, who works for Urban and Civic and looks after the green spaces of new housing developments at two former RAF stations (Waterbeach and Alconbury), added the mid-size ISEKI TG6687 to his fleet on the recommendation of Fentons of Bourne.“It is excellent for what we want it to do,” Keith continued. “It is so quiet in operation and its fuel consumption is between 50-60L per day which we are very happy with. Furthermore, it is very user-friendly and comfortable. On other brands of tractors, I struggle with leg length, but I don’t with an ISEKI. The options to adjust the seat are great and you are not jumping about like a kangaroo like you are on others.”

‘Maybe I am just hoping I can quietly slip away’

COMMENT KEITH CHRISTIAN DIRECTOR BAGMA

Keith Christian, BAGMA director, bangs the drum for recruitment one last time

As we race toward the end of another very eventful year, we all might hope that we can put Covid and Brexit behind us, and look forward to a functioning government, a stable economy and a more secure supply chain. Maybe I am just hoping I can quietly slip away into retirement and leave the turmoil of all that has been going on in the last few years to the youngsters!

There is lots about me in this edition, so I will just bang the drum for nearly one last time about training, education, recruitment and retention. We must pull together as an industry, both large and small companies, to ensure that we have the new recruits for the future, otherwise all our efforts to ensure we have high quality apprenticeships, new T-levels and some of the best trained technicians in the world will be for nothing.

Dealers should not leave the training and recruiting of new people to the manufacturers. We need you all to be out there doing your bit to help people understand the industry, to get into schools where you can influence young minds and help them to understand the career opportunities that exist in our sector.

We are looking for dealer staff who would be prepared to go into a local school and talk to students below the 16-year-old level about what you do and what opportunities exist in the land-based engineering sector. Robotics, drones, autonomous machines, robotic lawnmowers, technology and anything else that can be passed on. Send me an email (keith.christian@ bagma.com) and I will pass your details on to those that can help you prepare to recruit the next generation for our industry. It is so important to help with this.

I hope to be showing my replacement around in the new year, so look out for us at the shows and maybe a few personal visits.

Have a great Christmas and a cracking 2023.

BAGMA stalwart passes away

A REMARKABLE BUSINESSMAN and friend of BAGMA has died. Eric Young, chairman and managing director of JT Friskney Ltd and treasurer of the North Anglia Region of BAGMA for more than 25 years, passed away peacefully at his home at the age of 93.

He started his life in the agricultural trade as an apprentice at Achurch & Son in the early 1940s, after doing National Service – during which time he bumped into Princess Elizabeth in one of the army workshops! He moved up to salesman at JT Friskney and had his foot well and truly in the door by the time Mr Friskney died in 1947. In those days, the business had six staff and Eric was able to buy it in the mid-1950s, keeping the original name.

Eric continued expanding the business and retained the Ford franchise. During this time he got involved with the local Young Farmers, where he met wife-to-be Gwen Gilbert. They got married in September 1959.

By this time, Friskneys was highly regarded in the local farming community for its vast choice of agricultural, industrial and horticultural machinery, and also its spares and aftersales service. 1978 saw Eric expanding into the motor trade, when he bought Fulletby Motors Ltd. In 1980, he expanded into the tool hire business, purchasing Professional Grass Care and started hiring out a huge variety of commercial grasscutting equipment and heavy-duty tools for the building trade. By this time his workforce had grown to 18.

In the early 1970s, Friskneys became distributors for County Tractors, and at one of their busiest times they were turning out a new tractor every day for over a month!

There was further expansion in 1984, when Eric bought and relocated a Ford dealership in Boston. But the turn of the century saw a massive change – JT Friskney lost the New Holland franchise. This, however, did not deter Eric – he secured the Deutz franchise. By 2008, the business was expanding again – merging with local contracting business Noel J Hanes Contracting, increasing the workforce to more than 50.

Eric was very proud of the workforce and he ended up giving out 25 25-year gold watches.

Although Eric was an extremely busy businessman, he still found time for hobbies. He formed the Jubilee Concert Band in 1977 and took up flying.

Eric was also very proud to say that he went to the Lincolnshire Show every year apart from two, when did his National Service and when it was cancelled for foot and mouth!

Sadly, in March 2018, Gwen died very suddenly and Eric’s health started to deteriorate. The following year Eric announced he was retiring from the world of agriculture and putting down his pen. The business closed its doors in November 2019.