INSIDE AGRI-TURF

Ahead of the 2021 Service Dealer Conference and Awards, Chris talks to two previous winners of Dealer of the Year Awards about what winning the accolade meant to the company, the staff - and most importantly the customers. Awards organiser Duncan Murray Clarke, Service Dealer publisher also explains the changed categories for 2021 intended to recognise outstanding performance and dealer excellence particularly during the COVID lockdowns and business restrictions.

GGM Groundscare have won the Professional Turfcare Dealer title twice, in 2014 and again in 2019 whilst Strathbogie Forest and Garden won the Garden Machinery Dealer of the Year title in 2017.

Chris Gibson (GGM) and Pete McArthur (Strathbogie) say that whilst the award meant a great deal to their staff - it was the customers who seemed to engage most in their win. Both put down the recipe for a winning dealer as good and clear communication with staff, with suppliers and with customers.

Duncan Murray Clarke explained that, after missing a year, the 2021 Awards were a celebration for an industry that has performed with skill and ingenuity during a difficult period "I think the Awards this year will be very special" he says

Service Dealer Awards

Founded 70 years ago when Cyril Johnston met a young enterprising engineer, Douglas Hayter, Cyril Johnston & Co Ltd has had a seamless relationship with Hayter mowers (now part of Toro) to the present day. The running of the family company then passed to Cyril's son, Dolway and David who have grown the business to encompass retail, hire, distribution and manufacturing.

A year ago, Tom Black, who trained at accountants Price Waterhouse (now PCW) was appointed as Managing Director. As a family outsider, he tells Chris Biddle how he helped refocus the company on its core business of grass machinery after several years of diversification.

He also tells how an outside consultancy was hired to help strengthen the company culture which was very successfully tested during the Covid trading restrictions.

Tom also says he hopes the company will benefit from the recent decision to provide each adult resident in Northern Ireland with a £100 shopping voucher to spent in bricks and mortar businesses over the next couple of months

From a previous ownership by Electrolux, maker of Flymo mowers, Cheshire Turf Machinery has emerged as one of the UK's leading professional turf machinery dealers with an impressive client list that includes Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.

Managing Director Steve Halley describes the evolution of the business as it celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2021.

He talks about developing a strong ethos amongst his staff, of coping with the COVID crisis, and the prospect of manufacturer owned dealerships.

He also tells of an early encounter with a bank manager that shaped the company's reliance on having a strong financial base - and also the importance of a man called Bob

The first in a trilogy of podcasts called Dealernomics talking to three turfcare dealers about the economics and evolution of their business over the ages. First up, Tim Lane who started his business, ATH Machinery, 2 years ago, and just months before lockdown.

He will be followed by Steve Halley of Cheshire Turf Machinery (established 25 years) and Tom Black, md of Cyril Johnston, Belfast (70 years)

After holding senior management roles in a multi-branch dealership group, Tim realised a personal ambition by starting his own turf machinery sales and service business in the heart of Hampshire focussing on the golf course and professional users.

That was in August 2019, and he spent the winter equipping his workshop facilities and contacting potential customers ahead of the 2020 season.

Within months, he had to rip up his business plan as the pandemic hit and the Prime Minister ordered a lockdown.

He talks to Chris Biddle about the initial shock and impact of the pandemic on the fledgling business and of putting a Plan B into operation.

Two years on he reflects on progress, talks about issues of finding franchises, adding to his staff, some initial ‘wins’ for the business alongside mistakes made.

He says keeping overheads as low as possible is essential – and that every ambition he has for the business in the future has to be matched by the funding available.

https://athmachinery.co.uk

“We have the technology to blow little minds”

That is the view of Josh Payne, Education Manager for the National Farmers Union (NFU). A former primary school teacher, Josh tells Chris Biddle in the latest Inside Agri-Turf podcast that the best time to engage children’s interest in STEM subjects, demonstrated through the prism of farming, food and nutrition is during their very early school days. By the time they get to secondary school, many have developed pre-conceived ideas and opinions through a variety of external resources he says.

Very few small children will end up in agriculture, he added but each one of them will be consumers.

The application of science, technology, engineering and maths is best demonstrated by engaging children in practical projects which excite and engage, rather than in the classroom. The NFU have developed a range of resources for teachers which in its first full year reached over 250,000 primary school children.

Josh is joined on the podcast by Emma Foyle, currently Deputy Head of a primary school in Bournemouth who has over 30 years teaching experience who fully welcomes the NFU’s teacher support programme. We do not want all learning to be in pre-planned boxes, she says, there has to be a link to real life and hopefully also an opportunity to meet role models who can bring their industry to life.

Tractor in Schools has been a success in the past, but Josh says that like every other STEM subject, the tractor’s use and role on the farm has to be explained and put into context.

https://education.nfuonline.com

To complement his social media activity on Facebook, Instagram and other platforms, Devon based power equipment dealer, James Hayes, has established a dedicated You Tube channel during the past 12 months which has had over 400,000 views to date.

To help achieve this, James has taken on filmmaker Will Evans, a university graduate and Royal Television Society Award winner.

The portfolio of more than 75 films on the Hayes Machinery You Tube channel include product reviews, How To videos, restoration videos and comparison videos covering garden machinery, chainsaws, ATVs, trailers and power tools as well as ‘tongue in cheek’ productions.

“It’s important we place our personality at the heart of the videos” says James but adds that he is still on a learning curve.

He engages all the Hayes staff in the production and encourages their ideas for future content.

In conversation with Chris Biddle for the Inside Agri-Turf podcast, James talks about the time it takes to script, film and edit each video, the cost of high-quality equipment, the initial minimal return apart from greater consumer awareness – and any problems he has with negative feedback. “I’ve got a thick skin” he says “and don’t mind criticism but do draw the line at the malicious or offensive comment”

“It is time consuming” he says “but we’ve invested heavily in the channel and dug our hole, so we have to keep tunnelling”

James has connected with many You Tubers throughout the world and says he gets a great deal of help and advice from the community

Hayes You Tube channel

'Start to interest the young in a career in agri-turf from a very early age - and keep that fire lit".

That is the key message from Amanda Dawson, HR Director and Andy Luikens, Talent Acquisition Manager of RDO Equipment Co, the ag and construction equipment dealership based at Fargo, North Dakota which operates 75 branches in 9 States across the US and has partnerships in several international markets.

The business was started from a single branch in North Dakota by Ronald Offutt at the age of 26 in 1968 and has grown into one of the largest dealer groups in the US.

Chris Biddle talks to Amanda and Andy about the initiatives they use to interest young people and how they closely monitor the progress of staff in the service and parts departments to promote and encourage long-term career prospects with the company

Website: RDO Equipment

Can two trade associations representing companies on different sides of the fence, really operate as one?

Reflecting on the news that the manufacturers trade association AEA (Agricultural Engineers Association) have bought BAGMA (British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association) representing sales and service dealers, I talk to former BAGMA Director General Jonathan Swift who was also responsible for bringing BAGMA into the British Hardware Federation (now BIRA) when he was BHF DG.

There has long been talk of a joint body, even back more than 40 years when Jonathan was running BAGMA at the time that his father Dean Swift was Director General of the AEA. Many of these early discussions took place over Sunday lunch!

Jonathan reflects on some of the issues faced by BAGMA including improved warranty arrangements, dealer contracts, code of practice, all of which provoked lively discussion.

He says "I have a concern that one association should own the other when it would be better that it becomes something of an industry G7 with absolute parity between both parties"

Episode is 35 minutes

Agricultural Engineers Association

British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association

Following the recent announcement that the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) representing UK manufacturers and suppliers has acquired the UK dealers trade association BAGMA (British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association), Chris Biddle talks to Ruth Bailey, the AEA CEO and Keith Christian, Director of BAGMA about the rationale behind the move.

Amongst the questions being addressed are:

• Will there be a conflict of interest with the AEA now owning the dealer association?
• How has the deal been received by members?
• Will the benefits negotiated for BAGMA members now be available to AEA members?
• Did the previous owner BIRA (British Independent Retailers Association) feel that BAGMA was no longer was a 'good fit' long term?
• Was there any consideration given to a new name to reflect the industry TODAY?
• Will AEA and BAGMA be independent entities although sharing the same offices and same secretariat?
• What happens when I ring the BAGMA number now?

. . . and much more

AEA website

BAGMA website

LISTEN to the original Collective Voice episode from July 2020

Inside Agri-Turf podcast creator and host, Chris Biddle, reflects on starting the podcast 12 months ago, finding an audience, and getting to grips with audio editing after 30 years of manipulating words rather than sound waves.

He reveals the outline stats of downloads and unique listeners over the past year, the international reach of the podcast - and which episodes attracted the most downloads. There is also a canny insight into the beginnings of a 'coupling' that perhaps had its roots in the very first episode

There is also a reminder of some the external noises that have cropped up at inopportune moments!

Podcast is 20 minutes

Website