INSIDE AGRI-TURF

Wide ranging talk with Jim Croxton, CEO of BIGGA (British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association) with updated news about shows and the management of golf courses post-pandemic. Time stamps of topics covered:

01:25 Festival of Turf 2021 update - and future

11:15 Golf course 'stock' and staff furloughs?

15:50 Club budgets?

18:10 Overplaying and changes to club income models?

22:00 Greens staff well-being during COVID?

25:54 Permanent changes to course management?

28:10 BIGGA role during past year?

35:50 BTME Harrogate 2022?

Erik Hogervorst is President of CLIMMAR, the pan-European trade association representing over 19,000 farm and turfcare machinery sales and service dealers.

He is a director of a family owned Dutch dealership with a Kubota franchises and specialist divisions in fork lift trucks and spraying equipment, and has been CLIMMAR President for 6 years.

In this wide ranging discussion with Chris Biddle he is accompanied by Keith Christian from BAGMA, the UK's representative on CLIMMAR.

They reflect on issues impacting dealers across Europe including dealer contracts, recruitment and training, the handling of data, the future of shows and the looming RMI (Repair and Maintenance Information) legislation allowing dealers access to servicing information for products for which they do not hold a main franchise.

Reflecting on the past year and prospects for year ahead in this COVID-age, Erik says that dealers take a long-term approach and are used to 'riding the waves' of external influences on their businesses whether it be weather, the economy - or a pandemic

https://www.climmar.com

https://www.wouthogervorst.nl

Graham Thompson reflects on a career starting as a service technician with an agricultural engineer in Hampshire to his appointment as Director, Tractor Portfolio Development and Strategic Growth Planning for Deere and Co in the US

After working on a Hampshire farm, Graham took further education at Sparsholt College and Lackham College and landed a job as a service technician with John Deere dealer Roger Hunt.

After three years, he joined John Deere UK branch as a Field Service Manager, moved to Deere's European operation at Mannheim before being offered a move to the United States, based at the company's iconic Waterloo tractor plant in Iowa.

He reflects on the mentors who helped him along the way, on lessons learned during travel to over 60 countries, his interest in vintage tractors and the best advice he was ever given.

Could this be a year when independents come into their own following the decimation of so many well know store brands?

Display and merchandising consultant Murray Burton who has worked with leading brands, national retail chains and specialist lawn and garden machinery dealers is in conversation with Chris Biddle about a new age of retailing.

He says that the 'bricks and mortar' department store model (Debenhams, British Home Stores, Woolworths etc) is unlikely to succeed in the future but those High Street names that do adapt will still be part of the retail mix.

Similarly, he believes that independents who get their approach to customers right should do well as evermore discerning consumers seek out personal service and a welcoming environment in which to buy.

In this episode Chris Biddle talks to two people with fascinating accounts on how ex service personnel find fulfilling careers in agriculture after leaving the services.

After training at Sparsholt Agricultural College in Hampshire and Harper Adams University, Jeremy Gibbs joined John Deere where he worked in both the agricultural and turf machinery divisions based in the UK and Germany. After several roles in training and product management, he left Deere after almost 10 years and two years ago set up Forces Farming which acts a liaison between service personnel leaving the forces and job opportunities in the agricultural sector

Will Foster spent 23 years in Army, most recently as a Technical Trainer on tanks and other armoured vehicles based at the British Army’s Centre for Excellence for fighting vehicles at Bovington Camp in Dorset. On leaving the Forces at the age of 39 he decided to rekindle his childhood passions for toy soldiers and tractors. He met colleagues who told him that agricultural engineering was ‘cool',  and last year he gained a post as a service technician working for leading AGCO dealership, Chandlers Farm Equipment.

Visit Forces Farming website

When the UK formally left the UK on 1 January 2020, there was a new set of trading challenges for companies, and not least Irish companies with branches on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Paul Butterly of FGM Claymore talks to Chris Biddle about the impact on his family-owned company as a buyer and seller of imported products with trading bases in the Ireland and the UK.

He also recalls the early 1990's when setting up in the UK and carrying a lawnmower as baggage on Ryanair during the fledgling days of the low-cost airline!

Chris Biddle talks to Richard Charles, UK and Ireland Training Manager for the AGCO Corporation about the ongoing challenge of recruiting new, talented employees.

Richard considers the agricultural engineering industry to be a 'closed shop' with most new employees being recruited from other companies already in the industry.

We should be looking for candidates outside the normal channels he says, and that a unified industry presence at skills or jobs fair would be far more effective than individual companies

He also discusses the impact of COVID on the company's Apprenticeship and training programme, of whether the industry is too male-dominated and the challenges of providing training programmes for AGCO's four brands.

2021 marks the centenary of the first mass produced petrol engine made by Atco. Costing around £20 it was lightweight and brought lawnmowing to the masses.

Here, Chris Biddle chats to Austin Jarrett, md of Staffordshire based Allett Ltd who in 2011 bought all the intellectual drawings, plants, equipment and tooling for the Atco range when the factory at Stowmarket closed.

Recognising that the British loves their lawns with stripes created by the cylinder or reel, his company has become the largest supplier of cylinder mowers in the UK with a range that extends from largest models at use at iconic venues such as Lords Cricket Ground and World Cup stadiums to small models for use on lawns.

He says that Union Jack displayed on the products is a valued indicator of Britain's reputation for fine engineering and fine turf - with stripes.

Chris Biddle chats to Charlie Nicklin, the recently appointed CEO of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers. (IAgrE).

From a farming family, at the age of 10 Charlie was given a 'little grey Fergie' by his grandfather, which is still part of growing collection.

Having gained a degree in engineering at Harper Adams, he subsequently spent 24 years in senior engineering roles at JCB. However, Charlie wanted a challenge that would involve taking him back to basics in the engineering world, and spreading the message about the career opportunities in agricultural engineering at a time of an explosion in new technology.

"We are involved in one of the most exciting and challenging industries - and should have people queuing up at the door" he says.

A champion ploughman with many awards, he is a regular competitor in the British Ploughing Championships where he has been highly placed several times

A special end-of-season episode reflecting on an unforgettable year through the eyes and voices of those at the sharp-end of the Agri-Turf industry.

We hear about the role of trade associations to provide independent companies with information and 'dos and donts'. There are accounts by dealers of the measures they had to take to drive business remotely and by manufacturers on promoting products.

There views on the future of shows, of the lack of diversity in the industry, of issues when dealers change franchises, of robotic mowers coming-of-age and of the demise of a legendary brand. Hosted by Chris Biddle, contributors are:

06:38 Ruth Bailey

08:07 Keith Christian

10:28 Chris Gibson

12:49 Anthony Deacon

14:31 Bob Clements

17:11 David Withers

19:21 David Hart

23:56 Paul Hemingway

25:55 Peter Arrand

27:03 Les Malin

28:32 Gavin Bird

30:29 Briggs & Stratton

31:41 Robin Lennie