12 minute read
NEWS
GOT A STORY? THEN WRITE TO THE EDITOR: Scott Lambert, Kelsey Publishing Ltd., The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL EMAIL:tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk IN BRIEF
Tractor registrations
The total number of tractors registered in 2020 was 11,935, including both agricultural tractors (more than 50hp) and compact tractors (50hp and below). The table below shows the number of machines and market share recorded during that year by brand. As always, data is released after a one-year delay, due to competition law restrictions.
UK TRACTOR MARKET SHARE 2020
COMPANY UNITS % OF TOTAL CNH of which: New Holland Case IH
John Deere AGCO of which: MF Fendt Valtra 3,229 2,129 1,100
Kubota 784 6.6
Claas Same Deutz-Fahr JCB AGRI ARGO of which: McCormick Landini
Others TOTAL
Working day
The Vintage Horticultural & Garden Machinery Working Day takes place on Sunday 13 March at Stan eld, Norfolk (on the B1145), at 10am.
All proceeds will go to the East Anglian Air Ambulance and Stan eld Church. For further information, please contact Adrian Hall on 01328 851571 or Ian Thompson on 07950 023027.
Open Farm Sunday
Whether it is healthy soil, healthy food or a healthy mind, LEAF Open Farm Sunday (LOFS) returns this June with a focus on the many health benefits that can be found on farm.
Organisers of the farming industry’s annual open day, Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) are calling on farmers to take part and organise their own event to demonstrate the industry’s commitment to sustainability, biodiversity, climate mitigation, nutritious food and a well-managed countryside.
Taking place on Sunday 12 June 2022, it is an opportunity for every farmer to plan their own event, engage their local community, share their farming story, dispel misconceptions and give visitors a hugely positive, memorable experience.
Annabel Shackleton, LEAF Open Farm Sunday Manager explains the importance of the event: “Last year we launched our new 10-year strategy at LEAF, with a commitment to driving more sustainable circular agriculture through climate, nature, the economy and society.
“In addition, COP26, and the recent National Food Strategy has drawn attention to the impact of farming and food production on climate change. Whilst we have the public’s attention, it is more important than ever that we feed their enthusiasm and interest.
“LEAF Open Farm Sunday is the perfect way for visitors to really understand what best practice looks like and how farmers, and the food sector are part of the solution, delivering for our health and the health of the planet – through the food we eat and the fresh air and countryside that we enjoy.”
A series of interactive online Zoom meetings for farmers wanting to find out more about hosting an event this June, are being held on the first Thursday of each month.
Hosted by the team of experienced LEAF Open Farm Sunday Ambassadors, topics cover: 3 February – Planning and marketing your LOFS event 3 March – Managing visitor numbers, including ticketing 7 April – Promoting your event and making use of LOFS free resources 5 May – Final words of wisdom!
Annabel’s LOFS top tip is to keep it simple, planning the day based on what you have on farm: “LEAF Open Farm Sunday is your event, your story and your chance to share it with the wider public. Concentrate on what you feel comfortable sharing - you don’t need to talk about every enterprise in the UK, nor open your whole farm.
“You have full control to manage what visitors see, how long you run your event for and who you invite. Some hosts hold a private event for a local group, whilst others are much more public.”
Farmers do not need to be members of LEAF to take part, but they do need to register their event via the website (farmsunday.org), where they can also access an information pack and book to attend the Zoom meetings.
Welsh National Tractor Road Run 2022
ALL ROADS HEAD to Rhos-onSea on 19 June for the eighth running of the Welsh National Tractor Road Run, organised this year by Clwb Tractor Dyffryn Conwy (Conwy Valley Tractor Club), under the leadership of Gareth Lloyd.
Starting from the Dinarth Hall Camping & Caravan Site, Rhos-on-Sea, the route will take in the Great Orme, the Victorian jewel of Llandudno, as well as the historical walled town of Conwy and scenic Llanrwst.
Look out for the WNTRR stand at the Malvern 4x4 and Tractor Spares Day on 27 February, where entry forms will be available.
For more information and entries please contact Gareth Lloyd on 01492 580724 or e-mail: gwlloyd50@hotmail.com
WNTRR co-founder John Bates on his trusty Nuffield 3/45.
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Autonomous JD
Deere’s autonomous 8R410 tractor.
During a press conference at CES 2022, John Deere revealed an autonomous tractor that’s ready for large-scale production. The machine combines Deere’s 8R tractor, TruSet-enabled chisel plough, GPS guidance system, and new advanced technologies. It will be available later this year.
The 8R410 looks very similar in appearance to a conventional tractor of the series but is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for controlling and monitoring the tractor and mounted implement.
The autonomous tractor has six pairs of stereo cameras, which enables 360-degree obstacle detection and the calculation of distance. Images captured by the cameras are passed through a deep neural network that classifies each pixel in approximately 100 milliseconds and determines if the machine continues to move or stops, depending on if an obstacle is detected.
The tractor is also continuously checking its position relative to a geofence, ensuring it is operating where it is supposed to, and is within less than an inch of accuracy.
To use the autonomous tractor, farmers only need to transport the machine to a field and configure it for autonomous operation. Using John Deere Operations Center Mobile, they can swipe from left to right to start the machine. While the machine is working, the farmer can leave the field to focus on other tasks, while monitoring the machine’s status from their mobile device.
JD Operations Center Mobile provides access to live video, images, data and metrics, and allows a farmer to adjust speed, depth and more. In the event of any job quality anomalies or machine health issues, farmers will be notified remotely and can make adjustments to optimise performance.
Currently, the technology for the 8R410 is available in combination with a special John Deere chisel plough. A limited number of tractors will be delivered to North American customers this year. In the coming years, John Deere will work on the availability of the technology for further machines and attachments. The launch of the machine in Europe is currently not planned, as safety regulations currently do not allow the use of autonomous vehicles.
There is great interest in the technology, especially in regions with large-scale agriculture, such as North and South America, Australia and the CIS countries. The labour shortage in agriculture is another driver for the development of autonomous agricultural machinery. Especially with short operating windows, the tractors can run around the clock with short refuelling stops, thus significantly relieving farmers.
Unstoppable tyres
CONTINENTAL HAS ANNOUNCED Agro ContiSeal, a new polymer that seals punctures to allow the vehicle to continue operating. The Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft (DLG) has awarded the Agro ContiSeal technology a silver medal in the prestigious Agritechnica innovation awards 2022.
Commenting on the product, Benjamin Hübner, Product Line Manager Agricultural Tyres for Continental Commercial Specialty Tyres said: “A puncture can be very costly when it does occur. Agro ContiSeal enables the vehicle to continue working even after a puncture from an object up to 12mm in diameter. This will save those who choose Continental tyres with ContiSeal time and money, whilst also offering peace of mind throughout the year. We are very happy that the DLG awarded our technology.”
There is no need for a vehicle tted with ContiSeal-lined tyres to slow down following a puncture or change the tyre immediately. The sticky polymer covers the puncture and prevents pressure loss. “It seems like such a simple solution to a common problem, but Agro ContiSeal will help many agricultural operators to keep moving until they have time to change the tyre,” Benjamin Hübner adds. The technology is still in development and not yet available on the market for agricultural tyres. Hübner: “We are currently working on bringing this technology into production soon.”
With ContiSeal for Agricultural tyres, Continental transfers its expertise from the Automotive industry to the agricultural sector where the technology is already successful implemented. Continental is striving to grow in the agricultural tyre segment and to expand its agricultural tyre business.
Blue Force birthday
B lue Force will be holding a birthday party on Sunday 10 April 2022 at Harby in Leicestershire. This will be a one-day event to celebrate 11 years of the club, which should have been a 10th birthday, but, due to obvious reasons, this didn’t happen last year.
Blue Force began in April 2011 in Harby with a fantastic turn out of tractors from all over the country and since then it has grown into a fantastic, friendly club. So, we have decided to hold a similar event at the same venue, not to copy the opening of the club, but to have a fun day for all members, and non-members, to attend, either with their own exhibit or just by themselves.
Therefore, this will be an open-entry event to all members and non-members for any age of tractor or commercial vehicle based on a Ford or New Holland, with an array of certain trade stands to support the day, including County Tractors, Roadless Tractors, Muir-Hill and Railswood Tractor Spares, plus dealer RES Tractors of Harby exhibiting the newer range of tractors.
An added attraction is that New Holland will be bringing along its ground-breaking New Holland T6.180 methane tractor for all to see. This is the first production agricultural tractor to be powered by methane gas, rather than diesel, and represents a giant leap forward in tractor technology, offering a significant reduction in emissions and an energy-independent farm.
This event will be free to all who wish to exhibit or just attend; refreshments will be on site, plus a raffle to be drawn on the day. More details can be found on the website (blueforcetractorclub.com) or by phoning Peter Plehov on 07774 697761.
Generational shift
BKT has dedicated the third episode of Global Trends to the theme of agriculture and the generation shift – the farmers of tomorrow, which is often at the centre of international debate, by studying and analysing the handover between generations in the agricultural sector.
The issue of the generational shift is certainly one of those that closely affects the future of agriculture and the entire agri-food sector. Who will produce food in the future and how? And how will the figure of the farmer change?
This is the topic discussed by the guests and experts who feature in the third episode of Global Trends, the new BKT Network format dedicated to the macro-themes and trends that influence agriculture.
It is estimated that in the next 15 years about a third of current farmers will retire.
For most of the so-called developed world the average age of a farmer is about 50 or 60, yet fewer and fewer young people show interest in a career in agriculture – due in part to the obstacles and barriers that penalize the entry of the new generations in this sector.
“The difficulty in obtaining funds for investments and to buy land is certainly one of the main obstacles that the new generations face at the beginning of their careers,” explains Matthew Tilt, journalist at the British magazine Farm Contractor and Large Scale Farmer.
“Then there is the question of wages. Agriculture, compared to other sectors, unfortunately sees generally lower wages. For this reason, a fundamental ingredient for those who want to start a business in this sector is the passion and the desire to step by step build up an activity that can often be tiring and difficult, but which also offers a lot of satisfaction.”
Other insight is included in the debate, from the likes of Diana Lenzi; President of CEJA (the European Council of Young Farmers), Scott Downey; Professor at Purdue University, USA, and Director of the Center for Food and Agricultural Business, and Giorgia Scaglia; Communication Specialist at the Scaglia Farm, located in northern Italy and managed by her family.
For those wishing to see the entire episode, please visit: bkt-network.com/thegeneration-shift
Attention!
Organising an event in 2022? If so, make sure you register your event for free with Old Glory for inclusion in our two-part events guide.
Part one: events March to July; deadline 15 February. Part two: events August onwards; deadline 28 February. Registering is easy and it’s free!
To register your event, visit the website (heritagemachines.com) and go to the ‘Events’ tab and simply complete the online form. Or, should you prefer, you can e-mail details to: paul.appleton@kelsey.co.uk
Please include your name, organisation/club, date of event and no more than 50 words describing the event.
Spares Day
If you’re looking for that elusive part, or simply enjoy a good rummage through miscellaneous items, remember to make a date for the Malvern 4x4, Land Rover & Vintage Tractor Spares Day, plus Tractor World Parts & Spares Day, on Sunday 27 February at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern, WR13 6NW.
This busy, well-established event includes club merchandise stands. You can enjoy an enthusiast’s day out, with two events together in the Wye and Avon Halls, plus outdoors on hard standing.
Tractor World traders and club merchandise stands have already con rmed to attend, alongside a big turnout of Land Rover and vintage spares. The popular Stockman’s cafe will be open serving breakfasts and lunches. The event is Covid compliant, with wide walkways and safety measures in place.
A six-metre indoor trade stand starts at only £40, outdoors from £35, with discounted online tickets and more information on the website (4x4sparesday.co.uk) or by calling Mark Woodward on 01697 451882.
