08. Interview with Keith Challen

Tell me a bit about yourself?

Tell me more about Belvoir Farming?

I’m Keith from Belvoir Farming, I’ve been farming at Belvoir for nearly 12 years, however, I’m not originally from a farming background.

What machinery do you use?

We have had Fendt tractors since 1994 and have probably had 9 or 10 in that time. Currently we are running three Fendt general purpose tractors, two 828’s and a 516.

We farm roughly 2600 to 2800 acres of combinable crops, as the ground is too heavy to grow anything else. There are a couple of hundred acres of stewardship, so non crops if you like. Then we also have about 60 acres of elder flowers for the drinks business. Belvoir drinks now produce between 40 and 50 million bottles of about 25 different flavoured drinks and presse’s and we ship them all over the world.

What are your thoughts on the Fendt IDEAL?

This year we changed to Fendt Ideal 10T combine with the Geringhoff header and it’s been brilliant! The steering wheel has been replaced by a joystick which is brilliant for in the field because it feels so much more natural and lighter. The reason we chose a combine with a joystick instead of a steering wheel was mainly for the better visibility, you’ve got this uninterrupted view of the whole header and the curved cab window allows you to see everything. Plus, the manoeuvrability with the joystick is effortless when turning at the end of the field. No doubt about it, the Joysick is better.

What’s it like working with B&B Tractors?

We are actually closer to another AGCO dealer, but because the backup from B&B is so good, we prefer to work with them. They understand my business and understand what we want, particularly when it comes to funding equipment. When investing in new equipment we weigh up whether to purchase things outright, or to finance the item. On occassion, we may also short term hire the equipment. Whatever our requirements, B&B Tractors are able to provide a full package.