Comment – a good start to the year?
I wasn’t alone in having some doubts about how LAMMA would be this year, given the backdrop of the wider agricultural economy, and that most ethereal of things, sentiment..
And yet, what a great event. A really good footfall and not a bad word from exhibitors regarding the mood of the visitors. So credit where its due, the organisers worked hard to deliver an audience, which is much harder when the wider world is not as positive as previously. I could discuss the rebooking uplift in stand space fees, or the additional premium if you didn’t rebook on the second day of the show, but that would just be gossip.
That aside, tractor registrations took a welcome uptick in December, see here for the full story. This doesn’t mean that the supply chain is out of the woods, between high inventory valuations, numbers and interest rates, but at least some traffic coming into the business will help ease matters. I had more than one conversation this week with manufacturers who recognise the issues facing dealers, and are working hard to help. “If our dealers are not in business, then neither are we”. Quite.
For those of us of a certain age, we will remember our parents dystopian stories of three day weeks (not in farming), the bins not being picked up for weeks and the lights going out, during a Labour government in the 1970’s. Well, like flares, sideburns and Ford Escorts, some things don’t truly go out of fashion, the UK narrowly missed a power blackout at the start of the week, have a look here for the full explanation.
Across the water, Donald Trump is being inaugurated on Monday and the tectonic plates of world politics will shift again, but what it will mean for our little corner remains to be seen.
Have a good week.
Andy
PS, if you want another angle on the LA fires and man’s role, have a read of this .