Demand for zero grazing equipment is spiralling in 2019 as UK dairy farmers seek an edge to compete in a challenging milk market. 

Forage machinery specialist, James Seaton of JVS Machinery, says: “Farmers choosing to maximise yield through zero grazing have benefitted from excellent growing conditions in 2019, a sharp contrast to the drought of 2018. We supply Belair zero grazers and this year we have seen a sharp rise in enquiries from farmers looking to change the way their herds are fed.” 

Nicola Lemken and Julien Burel have announced a commercial partnership between their companies just ahead of the Agritechnica 2019.

From this November, LEMKEN will expand its product portfolio and offer SULKY fertiliser spreaders in its own, blue design. The product range comprises three series with a total of five models, which LEMKEN retail partners will distribute in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Benelux countries, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Poland. 

Active on-farm demonstrations by dealers in Ireland have helped bring home to farmers the features and benefits of the latest crop of higher-horsepower McCormick tractors that will be exhibited at The Ploughing – the Irish National Ploughing Championships being held on September 17-19 at Ballintrane, Co Carlow.

The 205hp boosting to 225hp flagship of the McCormick X7 Series has been doing the rounds, impressing with the power and torque delivery from the six-cylinder Betapower engine produced by FPT Industrial, the successor to the Iveco diesels business.

The Keiler II Classic is a new addition to the ROPA range of 2-row potato harvesters, scheduled for series production in time for the 2020 harvest. After several years of field testing, pilot models are already in operation in parts of Europe for the 2019 season.

The new machine is generally similar to the well-known Keiler II. The main difference is in the separation units. The Classic has two pintle belts instead of four. The Classic instead has a very spacious sorting stand with room for up to eight persons at the gently rising and generously dimensioned sorting belt with optional haulm conveyor. With the extendable platform in addition to the haulm conveyor the machine makes a convenient workplace for the sorters. Paired with the height-adjustable platforms this allows every workstation to be separately adjusted for maximum ease of working.

A fleet of McCormick X7 Series and X8 Series tractors – the primary models in the McCormick range for arable farm operations – will be supporting several equipment manufacturers at Tillage-Live 2019.

German manufacturer Reck has developed a slurry mixer that fits between the slats in livestock housing, avoiding the need to remove slats, which reduces the danger of mixing the slurry collected below. Reck’s slatted floor mixer can be inserted through slats as small as 17mm and enables safe mixing with little disruption to livestock. This makes pumping easier and reduces the need for farm workers to risk going below to attend potentially dangerous blockages.

There are two models. The Porco is designed for pigsties whilst the Torro is for cowsheds. Both are light, portable and can be operated by one person. Once inserted through a gap the blades automatically unfold when the mixer is started. It can then be swivelled laterally which enables large areas to be stirred from one location. John Tydeman, from slurry specialists Tramspread says: “These easy to use machines start at just £2500 and remove any risk of falling into the slurry because access can be gained without removing concrete flooring.”

Interactive parts catalogues and operators’ manuals for KUHN machines up to 20 years old can now be accessed through the company’s MyKUHN online customer portal.

Any owner or operator can now obtain essential information for maintenance and repairs, simply by registering a machine’s serial number on the site, even when purchasing used equipment.

The crossover relationship that has developed between certain items of farm machinery and those used in construction, waste processing and materials handling is what McHale Plant Sales will showcase at the National Ploughing Championships next month.

For contractors fixed on expansion into other revenue earning fields of activity beyond the traditional income that tillage and harvesting brings, McHale Plant Sales will be exhibiting a number of machines for which multiple uses exist across the farming and agricultural contracting sector. Specifically, these include machines equipped to handle applications whereby contractors could make profitable use of time during what might otherwise be valley periods.

Stuart McClimont has joined the AEA (The Agricultural Engineers Association) as a Technical and Standards Engineer.

Stuart’s vast wealth of knowledge and experience in both the agricultural and outdoor power engineering sectors will enable him to get involved in the AEA’s critical work on technical standards and legislation issues right from the start.

Czech tractor manufacturer Zetor will have what Nigel Wilson, their UK and Ireland managing director says will be ‘a more pronounced presence’ at the forthcoming National Ploughing Championships in Ireland.

Supported by what he calls an ‘enthused and invigorated’ dealer network – backed by the hands-on ownership of the company’s HQ in Brno – Zetor’s attendance at the three-day event will centre around their expanded and upgraded range, including some models new to Ireland and others equipped with improved specifications, new technology and eye-catching bodywork.

Lemken has expanded its range of after-sales support options with the addition of an offline parts catalogue and memory stick.

Customers and dealers have had online access to product information since last year plus the Leonis information portal which gives dealers access to spare parts lists, implement data, training documentation and the latest Lemken news. 

The numbers for the first half of the year are now in and we can judge how well the machinery market is performing. This year was always going to be a difficult one to predict, with Brexit dominating the headlines, and it has certainly caused some ‘noise’ in the numbers. However, the overall picture seems to still be reasonably healthy, albeit with signs that the market is slowing down as the year progresses.

International vegetable handling equipment specialist Tong Engineering is celebrating one year of successful business since the opening of its Tong USA spares, service and sales facility in Fremont, Michigan.

Whilst the leading UK manufacturer has been exporting equipment to the USA for many years, the new office has strengthened Tong’s position in the US vegetable market, whilst bringing US growers and packers a dedicated division for more streamlined communication and quick turnaround on spare parts and support.