Tullamore Show is billed as being mainly a national livestock show, yet where there are farmers, there are machinery customers, and so the event attracts machinery manufacturers and dealers keen to show their wares.
This year, the show appeared to be particularly well attended, with staff on the stands talking to potential customers all day, but Agriland managed to squeeze in moments here and there to chat to them.
Despite that, there were a few nuggets to be had and impressions to be gained, with the overall message being that sales will recover, maybe not quick enough for some unfortunately, but farming will carry on regardless.
Manufacturers tended to be the most optimistic. They have, on the whole, been able to cut production to fit demand and after several good years, most are in reasonably sound financial shape.
They are also taking advantage of the lull to catch up with tasks and reviews that would have been neglected during the sales boom of the last few years, so the producers of machinery are not generally despondent.
Tullamore rumour mill
If there is trouble in the machinery industry, it lies at dealer level. There are many rumours and stories circulating about the viability of certain businesses engaged in selling machinery.
The more lucid ones tend to concern UK dealers, while Irish companies are regarded as being less affected by the double whammy of high interest rates and large stock levels. Hopefully this turns out to be the case.
One company that pays great attention to levels of stock, not only at its factory, but throughout its distributor network is Fleming, which was at the show with its latest dribble bar attachment.
The wisdom behind doing so is now paying off as neither they, nor the dealership find themselves overstocked with product and the factory can tick over producing generic items, such as trailers, which it knows will sell.
Also present and selling slurry equipment was Bailey Machinery Sales of Co. Laois who notes that the boom time for tankers may have drawn to a close as the market has now been filled.
It will be the smaller farms looking for cheaper units that will be the major customer going forward.
Yet, Darren Bailey himself has been busy building up other lines and it is testament to the effort that he has put into the business that it was the latest Pottinger Jumbo forage wagon which dominated the stand.
The model in question was the Jumbo 5340 which is the farm rather than contractor orientated version of the company’s larger forage wagons.
Bailey is relatively new to Pottinger, yet the partnership appears to be flourishing.
Looking ahead
Another manufacturer riding out the storm is Abbey, which was focusing on feeder wagons at the show.
CEO of the company, Clodagh Cavanagh, expressed to Agriland her confidence in the future and stressed that her company might have drawn in its horns, but it was going to be around to serve its customers for a long time yet.
While all manufacturers will boast of the build quality of their products, it is rare to see that in evidence at shows.
The JF centre of Tullamore however, brought along a two-year-old set of Pronar rear combination mowers that had cut around 2,000ac since new.
It was only when their age was highlighted that it became clear that they were not actually factory fresh, but had been working for the past two seasons, yet they had kept well and immediately dispelled any worries over certain eastern European equipment not being up to western build standards.
New products promised
On the subject of mowers, Malone Farm Machinery had its usual wide range on display at Tullamore Show, including the latest Procut 3000 FC front mower.
It is planning to launch a new rake at Ploughing 2024 which will be a useful addition to its expanding range.
This year has seen Merlo part company with its previous importers and establish its own sales division and one of the first fruits of this move is the appointment of FJS Plant of Naas as an agent for the company.
There has also been activity behind the scenes with the recruitment of Fran Cullen and Kevin Maher to the new team that Merlo is establishing to not only sell, but also support, the machines in Ireland.
As Fran explained: “Merlo is a premium product and customers expect a good level of back-up; we are here to provide that.” The official launch of the new division will be held in early September.
On-farm analysis
The value of both agricultural inputs and outputs depends on their analyses and so tighter management of a farming operation will depend on knowing these values immediately and more precisely than before.
This is now possible by such innovations as Deere’s harvest lab which has enjoyed something of a monopoly over the last few years.
This position is now being challenged by Trimble Agriculture which is cooperating with Dinamic Generale of Italy which has developed its own system of real time near infra red (NIR) analysis and mapping.
The unit can either be used as a desktop laboratory for forage and grain samples or it can be fitted to harvesters and tankers to provide a constant stream of data by which application rate may be controlled or yields mapped.
It is not a cheap option, but it is a useful tool for larger farmers who wish to base their decisions on yield mapping or contractors looking to provide variable rate application for their customers.
Tullamore Show once again provided an impressive insight into the the machinery world and what is currently on offer to farmers.
There is no shortage of innovation but the slow down in sales will have delayed its arrival at farm level.