The role of self-propelled machines in Irish farming
One fifth of all Krone BiG M's - the self-propelled mower conditioners - manufactured each year come to Ireland, according to Farmhand's Stephen Scrivener.
The company's sales and marketing director said: "It's got a really big following."
Farmhand is the exclusive distributor to the island of Ireland for Krone, Amazone, Quicke, APV and Zuidberg.
Scrivener spoke to Agriland about the market here for these brands and their self-propelled offerings.
BiG M 30th anniversary
2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Krone's iconic BiG M machine.
The world's first self-propelled mower conditioner was presented by Krone in 1996, and immediately took off, with the first of the machines sold in Ireland in 1998.
With a working width of more than 9m and approved for 40km/h on road, the BiG M was designed to fly through any obstacles it came across.
The current latest offering from Krone in the BiG M line is the 450, a 449hp machine with infinitely variable hydraulic all-wheel drive that is capable of covering up to 17ha (42ac) per hour.
Modern editions boast the usage of GPS-protected steering systems, SectionControl and other automated functions aimed at reducing operator fatigue.
Scrivener spoke about the impact of the BiG M in Ireland, saying: "It's got a really big following.
"20% of all the BiG Ms produced in the world come to Ireland each year, which is pretty astonishing for such a small island.
"What contractors realised very early with the BiG M is how manoeuvrable it is.
"Obviously your season is so short, so guys need to get an awful lot of grass mowed in a short amount of time, and the BiG M was just designed for that," Scrivener said.
The BiG M was Krone's first self-propelled machine, shortly followed by the BiG X forage harvester.
According to Scrivener: "The BiG M and BiG X have really elevated Krone to a higher level of brand recognition".
He added that while the BiG M is a "hugely important machine to Ireland", it is also critically important to the German brand.
Amazone Pantera
Another self-propelled specialist machine that Farmhand handles is the Amazone Pantera, a large crop protection sprayer.
Featuring a tank of 6,600L and the ability to be equipped with sprayer booms with working widths ranging from 24-48m, the Pantera is a work-rate orientated machine that has several features designed to reduce operator workload.
While spraying can be done with the use of an implement on the back of a tractor, Scrivener said the self-propelled solutions are growing in numbers as time goes on.
He said: "The last five years, we've sold about 10 Panteras, and self-propelled sprayers are becoming more popular.
"The sprayer is probably the most used machine on any tillage farm.
"People are looking for more output, more comfort, and the Pantera ticks those boxes."
Earlier this year, Amazone introduce the Pantera 4504 with a new generation cab and updated design.
Quicke loaders
In 1958, Quicke invented the first quick coupling drive-in front loader for agricultural tractors that could easily be removed when not in use.
When Farmhand became the exclusive Irish importer of Quicke machinery in 1963, it made Ireland the first country outside of Scandinavia to import these Swedish tractor-mounted loaders.
While front loaders may not now draw as many eyes as self-propelled machines such as the BiG M or Pantera sprayer, Scrivener said the Quicke versions are equally important to Farmhand.
"It's the brand we started with; our first brand 65 years ago was Quicke.
"We reckon we've sold about 40,000 loaders in Ireland since that time, so almost every farm in Ireland has had a Quicke loader at some point, and we're still selling a large number across every brand of tractor.
"It might not be as sexy as a harvester, but for a machine that's used every day across the whole country for every farmer, it's kind of the bread-and-butter," he explained.
Quicke loaders are widely available across Ireland. with several ranges of the company's designs being used on farms decades after first purchase.
Recently, Quicke combined its new Quadrogrip TS into a range with its established Unigrip models.
The Quadrogrip TS is the Swedish company's solution to square bales and features optional second bale support.
Brand connections
According to Scrivener, one of the key factors behind the connection Farmhand has with the brands it works with is that all (Farmhand included) are family owned.
Farmhand is a third generation business, having been started in 1962, by Stephen Scrivener's grandfather Denis Scrivener with the late Bernhard Krone, who was a grandfather of the current Krone CEO.
Scrivener said: "Our customers all are family farms, our dealers are all family-operated dealers, so we all have that in common, and then our suppliers as well are all family businesses.
"There's a way family businesses operate, tend to look with a more long-term view, not for short-term gain, and that's something that farmers and contractors can associate with".
According to Scrivener, the other unique thing about Farmhand's brands is that they are "absolute specialists".
Krone produces grass/foraging equipment, Amazone develops tillage equipment, Zuidberg builds front-linkage implements, APV designs seeders and Quicke has it's front-end loaders/implements.
Scrivener mentioned that merchandise sales help establish brand identities with younger members of the agricultural community.
At the National Ploughing Championships each year, Farmhand features a merchandise stall at its stand where people can buy branded jerseys.
This year, the most popular jersey was one celebrating 30 years of the BiG M.
