Comment – Hello sunshine!

As I write, I am being serenaded by Sam, with the big blue tractor and green set of mowers on the opposite hillside, and the sun is shining. How lovely is that?

This week, I was fortunate to be able to attend the Farm Equipment Council meeting of the Agricultural Engineers Association at Harper Adams University. I’m slightly embarrassed to confess that one fact, which I didn’t realise until this meeting, was that the arable sector only accounts for 20% of the UK’s agricultural business. Or as one wag put it ‘well they shout the most, don’t they’. Quite.

Whilst I reckon its perhaps a little early to be shouting about the green shoots of recovery just yet, certain sectors in the machinery business are decidedly buoyant (tele handlers for instance), with tractor registrations on the up, and with an uplift in futures prices, the food business isn’t going out of business anytime soon. For another take on food security (outside of the NFU’s shouting) have a read of this.

In the ongoing vhs vs betamax debate around diesel alternatives, it’s pleasing to find out about JCB’s world land speed attempt here.

Right, the sun is shining, so I’m off to root around in the chest freezer for a Magnum (* its the only tractor themed ice cream I could think of, sorry).

Enjoy your long weekend.

Andy