INSIDE AGRI-TURF

IN the first part of this two-part episode, I look at the advances in farm machinery during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 year reign – from 1952 to 2022.

From an age when horses were still at work on many UK farms but tractors were becoming more affordable, spearheaded by the iconic little Grey Fergie - up to today's highly mechanised farm featuring autonomous tractors, guidance systems and ultimate comfort and convenience for operators.

My guest is Charlie Nicklin, chief executive of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE). Prior to joining IAGRE two years ago, Charlie spent 24 years in engineering roles with JCB Landpower, working on the design of several of the company’s well known products.

In this informal chat, we could only scratch the surface on how we got from there to now . .

Institution of Agricultural Engineers

On the 7 September 2022, around 80 guests gathered at Springhill Barn near Pershore in Worcestershire to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Trust set up in the memory of Douglas Bomford, the driving force behind the invention of many well-known agricultural products still in common use today.

The Trust’s aim is to support the future education, training and research in the design, production and application of agricultural machinery and equipment.

The Trust also used the occasion to announce that its first patron is to be Dr David Llewellyn CBE, the former Vice-Chancellor of Harper Adams University.

This podcast contains edited extracts from the speakers at the event. They were:

(01:13) Jonathan Bomford (Trustee)

(08:35) Nick August (Trustee/Chair)

(17:02) Dr Paul Miller (Trustee)

(27:42) Dr Nick Tillet (Tillet and Hague Technology Ltd)

(31:44) Professor Jane Rickson (Cranfield University)

(35:02) Dr Paula Misiewicz (Harper Adams University)

(37:46) Dr David Llewellyn (Patron)

Full details of the event, the programme, presentations and testimonials are available on the DBT 50th Anniversary website

AFTER spending much of his early life in Canada, Ben Matthews moved to Scotland where he initially worked in Health and Social Care. But approaching his 40th birthday, he decided he needed a change of career.

One day, passing SRUC Elmwood campus he spotted a banner advertising a career in greenkeeping. It was to be his eureka moment.

He enrolled on the golf course management course and was subsequently named as winner of the HNC Golf Course Management Student of the Year sponsored by John Deere and Scottish dealer, Double A.

Then an opportunity cropped to become a seasonal member of the course management team on the Old Course at St Andrews for the 150th Open Championship this year.

Always sports mad, Ben said he was ‘living the dream’ – and as you will hear, seasonal been converted to a permanent post at St Andrews

This is really an uplifting story and a real live endorsement for a career in turfcare.

SRUC Elmwood, Scotland's Rural College

After a summer break, Season Three recommences on 15 September, so I thought I'd compile a compendium of snippets from earlier episodes for the 6 months from February to July 2022.

There are 20 voices shoe-horned into this episode of just over 30 minutes.

The speakers featured are:

(00:57)  Caroline Drummond MBE (Tribute to LEAF founder) FULL EPISODE

(03:07)  Graham Parker (Ernest Doe) FULL EPISODE

(05:17)  David Withers (Iseki UK) FULL EPISODE

(06:50) Simon Holmes (T H White Group) FULL EPISODE

(09:01)  Jeremy Gibbs (Forces Farming) FULL EPISODE

(11:10)   James Tuckwell (Tuckwells) FULL EPISODE

(12:34)  Stuart Goodison Grace Nugent (De Lacy Recruitment) FULL EPISODE

(14:26)   David Kirschner (consultant) FULL EPISODE

(15:08)    Max Pearce (Excel Plant and KGM) FULL EPISODE

(17:26)    Peter Hill (industry journalist) FULL EPISODE

(19:32)   Martin Sanders (on mentoring) FULL EPISODE

(21:25)   Mark Daniel (New Zealand machinery editor) FULL EPISODE

(24:06)   Keith Kent (former grounds manager RFU) FULL EPISODE

(26:34)  Jimmy Broadhouse (aka Jimmy The Mower) FULL EPISODE

(28:34) Stephen Edwards (InTurf) FULL EPISODE

(31:17) Jason Booth (Grounds Management Association) FULL EPISODE

(33:18)    Corey Doctorow (US journalist) FULL EPISODE

(36:16)    Ruth Bailey (AEA/BAGMA) FULL EPISODE

Other guests appearing during this season were:

Charlie Nicklin (IAgrE), Chris Gibson (GGM Groundscare), Marion Perret Pearson (Severn Trent Water), Richard Charles (AGCO) and Howard Pullen (BAGMA/CLIMMAR)

A year after the eye-catching acquisition of the British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association (BAGMA), the dealer trade association by the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA), representing manufacturers, distributors and suppliers, CEO Ruth Bailey tells Chris about the behind-the-scenes integration during the past 12 months.

Although AEA and BAGMA are still two separate organisations, operating under the same roof, Ruth hints that ‘nothing is off the table’ regarding the future shape and identity of the combined associations

"We are in an absolutely great position now, and are ready to move forward" she says

In a wide-ranging chat, we covered:

(01:38) Sorting the initial priorities

(13:35) Reflections on post-Covid era

(15:24) The value of dealerships

(17:09) Industry consolidation

(19:10) Pressing issues

(22:28) Recruitment and awareness of our industry

Episode is 28 minutes

Earlier this year, it was reported that tractors and combines worth more than $5m stolen by Russian troops from a John Deere dealership in Ukraine had been remotely disabled - and could not be used.

It was a feel-good story in the midst of so many distressing reports and images coming out of this destructive conflict.

But was the bigger picture more worrying? I speak with Cory Doctorow, author, Guardian journalist with a special interest in protecting human rights in this digital age.

He says that whilst ‘kill-switches’ used to disable the machinery provide a security benefit, it is possible that widely available ‘hacking’ technology could also be used to disrupt the world’s agricultural infrastructure by those with more sinister motives.

All of which feeds into the Right to Repair cases currently going through the US courts. It is also all about who owns the tractor, who owns data, and who owns the rights to the embedded software?

Deere contends that a customer can never fully own connected machinery because it holds exclusive rights to the software coding.  

Some US farmers have attempted to unlock the embedded by purchasing illegal firmware –mostly developed by sophisticated hackers based in Ukraine!  

Episode is 43 minutes

Original Cory Doctorow article 

Jason Booth made the move from aspiring professional cricketer to grounds management.

He is now Chief Operating Officer of the Grounds Management Association (GMA) and has responsibility for the Pitch Advisory Service (PAS), funded by Sport England, with the aim of achieving continual improvement in the playing surfaces at an estimated 75,000 grounds used for recreational and community sport.

Since its formation in 2014, Jason says that the PAS has collected extensive data on the quality of pitches used across recreational sports and that almost 90% of those surveyed have shown improvement - and this has resulted in increased available funding.

The podcast is 45 minutes and includes

(01:55) From professional cricketer to grounds management

(05:05) PAS origins and role

(10:38) Changing sport participation and engaging volunteers

(15:50) Access to PAS resources

(21:02) Benchmarking pitch standards

(25:55) Disruptions from weather, vandalism or pitch quality

(30:30) Impact of Covid on recreational sport

(34:26) Perception of grounds staff and career path

LINKS

Pitch Advisory Service

Grounds Management Association

Sport England

The large scale growing and harvesting of natural turf only really began in the 1980/90s, but with the advent of high capacity machinery is now a year-round operation by specialist growers to meet an ever-growing demand from landscapers, parks, sports grounds and home owners.

Chris talks to Stephen Edwards, who along with his twin brother Alex, runs InTurf, one of the UK's largest and longest established suppliers of natural grass.

They discuss the turf growing cycle, the logistics and timeliness of the operation, irrigation, the ban on exporting turf to Europe since Brexit - and of course the fake (plastic) grass versus natural grass debate.

Episode is 43 minutes

LINKS

InTurf

Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA)

Jimmy Broadhouse runs a contract grass cutting business.

In 2019, he posted a photograph on social media of a council owned grass open space he had just cut with a comment "To the kids around here playing football, they think its Wembley - so I cut it like it is"

That single post went viral and set in train an extraordinary chain of events that resulted in TV appearances, a tie-up with historic mower maker Ransomes and an invite to cut the pitch at Wembley Stadium.

Today he is widely recognised as Jimmy the Mower, producing videos, making personal appearances, visiting sports clubs, offering a range of merchandise - and is regarded as a turf influencer.

Jimmy talks to Chris about his whirlwind few years which he originally thought would blow over within a week.

Episode is 37 minutes

Jimmy the Mower website

Keith Kent has scaled the heights of his profession. He has presided over the preparation of pitches for the English Premier League, England football internationals, England Rugby internationals and the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final.

Keith joined Leicester City as a grounds trainee, and was later appointed Head Groundsman at English Premier League giants Manchester United.

In 2002, he changed codes when chosen by the Rugby Football Union to take charge of the pitch at Twickenham - the home of English rugby. Keith retired from Twickenham in 2019, since when he has continued his love of turf maintenance – but away from the spotlight.

This is a terrific episode with Keith opening up about the joys of turf management, weather watching, hosting an NFL game – and his part in attracting the Rolling Stones to play Twickenham.

Photo courtesy of Grounds Training