BEN BURGESS

Green machines

Oakham is to welcome a new tractor dealership shortly and they even have a royal warrant. Mary finds out more

BEN BURGESS IS a very well-established agricultural business which many of you will have come across, and not just because you are farmers. Founded in 1931 in Norfolk by Ben Burgess and two others, it was the perfect time to start a business; British farming was in the depths of the post war agricultural depression and things, in theory, could only get better.

It was the time to persuade farmers to change from horse power to tractor power. And it worked, with lots of hard work and persistence the business grew steadily and the innovative founders kept introducing new equipment and models, including a combine harvester, expanding all the time. In 1964 the Ben Burgess company was approached by John Deere, an American corporation that manufactures agricultural and lawn care equipment, to be appointed as one of the first John Deere Dealers in the .

Over ninety years later the business now has seven branches covering East Anglia and Cambridgeshire and with its branch now opening in Oakham, will cover Rutland and Leicestershire too.

The £6.5 million Oakham branch, which is due to open soon, covers 4 1/2 acres and is situated next to McDonalds on Hackamore

Way. The branch is going to be in Oakham as it sits in the middle of their dealer area with Stamford and Melton Mowbray on either side of it.

The new branch will boast lots of showroom space and a large parts and service department, plus much more. p to 3 staff will be based there with apprenticeship opportunities available as well. It seems that when you start working for Ben Burgess you stay a long time. Apprenticeships are popular and a great way to be trained and to progress through the company. Maddie Green who is now the Oakham branch’s parts manager, won the John Deere Apprentice of the ear award in 202 . Staff also regularly attend recruitment days and have recently been along to Catmose College to drum up recruits.

‘We pride ourselves on service and back-up,’ says branch manager Robert Burdock who has been selling John Deeres for over 30 years, so he knows the brand inside out and backwards. ‘Arable farms lie to the east of us and livestock to the west, so we cover all sorts of

farming from the small family farm of 0 acres, to the vast estates and arable farms of up to eight or nine thousand acres. en urgess is not ust about the large green tractor and combine harvester, far from it. Grounds care is going to be a big part of our business, says obert. Grounds care consists of a variety of products to maintain residential gardens, estate grounds and sporting venues such as golf clubs and football pitches. John Deere produce e cellent ride on mowers, as do many of the other brands we stock. We have a variety of lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws and other garden equipment from brands such as Stihl, ayter, usqvarna and Timberwolf. We are perfectly situated for our Groundscare manager to support schools and sports grounds, large gardens and horticultural businesses. t s not ust agricultural and grounds care machinery on offer, they also supply machinery for construction. A selection of anmar e cavators, Avant wheeled loaders and ramer telehandlers are available for sale or hire. veryone is going to be very welcome at the new showroom. f you need country clothing, they stock a large range of Alan Paine Clothing which is a great, affordable brand Le Chameau wellies and they also supply ull shotgun cartridges too. think it s best if you visit yourself, as there s ust too much to list here think omebase plus!

As obert said the company prides itself on the service it offers and the back up and has the motto of where service still counts. arming is stressful at times and dependent on the weather. So if your tractor or combine breaks in the middle of drilling or harvest it s imperative repairs are swift and delivery of parts rapid. en urgess can provide this fast and effective service. elationships are built up over many years, as well as loyalty to the brand. f we are unable to get a customer s combine or tractor going again within 24 hours, we can provide our customer with a machine until theirs is fi ed, says obert.

They also have a large hire eet available too. This is quite a large part of the business, as many farmers will hire an e tra tractor during their busy periods as it s sound business practice to do this, rather than spend hundreds of thousands on a machine that will only be used for a few months of the year. The same goes for a combine harvester which can cost over million vast figures

John Deere is one of the most popular brands in the area because of its reliability and sophistication. All of their machines now include technical G S equipment which most farmers use. Good service and customer relationships have also played their part in John Deere s popularity, which is where en urgess comes in.

The company is already making itself known in the town. They sponsor the rugby club and utland in loom as well as working with the organisers of the utland show and there s even going to be a beer sponsored by them at the local beer festival. Look out for their open day which will be held in the ne t few months. f it s a tweed cap or a million pound piece of machinery you re looking for you will receive a very warm welcome.

Contact: 01572 492492 Visit: www.benburgess.co.uk

‘Arable farms lie to the east of us and livestock to the west, so we cover all sorts of farming from the small family farm of 50 acres, to the vast estates and arable farms of up to eight or nine thousand acres.’