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CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Infuriating weather sees new kit idle

Third in this year's Contractor Comment hotseat is James Townley, who runs JD Townley & Son with his father Roy. See also: Contractor Comment: Interest rates a threat for Cropmech About…

CEREAL DRILLS

Pottinger Vitasem seed drills gain bigger hoppers

Larger hoppers and easier calibration are among updates to Pottinger’s piggy-back Vitasem seed drills. Designed to mount on a tine or disc cultivator, or a power harrow such as the…

TELEHANDLERS

Grower helps develop Teli-squeeze grab for veg boxes

A purpose-built box grab has enabled a large-scale pumpkin grower to save time, improve safety, and reduce the number of tractors needed when moving wooden crates. Warwickshire-based outfit DJ Beards…

401+HP

First impressions: Valtra's revamped 420hp S416 gets new cab

Valtra’s big S-series has finally been given some Finnish affection, having been left as little more than a masquerading Massey for nigh on two decades. As well as acquiring a…

TRACTORS

New Holland set to build two-millionth tractor at Basildon

New Holland has unveiled a psychedelic, 1960s-inspired T7.300 wrap to mark 60 years of tractor production at its Basildon factory. The 40ha south Essex site, which has been the birthplace…

MACHINERY

Tough trading conditions cause turmoil for machinery dealers

Unrelenting economic headwinds have seen to the demise of several well-known machinery dealerships. Oliver Mark rounds them up, and shares some cheerier expansion and acquisition news from the past few…

contractors combining

NAAC contractor price guide 2024-25

See the latest NAAC latest survey of contracting prices.

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TECHNOLOGY

Claas rolls out new look Connect digital platform

Farmers who are signed up to a new “digital ecosystem” being rolled out this year by Claas will be able to add tractors and other machines to their account simply…

4X4S

Isuzu unveils souped-up special edition D-Max pickups

Isuzu has pimped up its D-Max pickup with two special edition models. The first is the Steel, which adds more bling to the top-of-the-range V-Cross but is otherwise identical underneath.…

PLOUGHS

CNH sells off Overum plough business

During a period of seemingly never-ending acquisitions, CNH Industrial has gone against the trend by selling off the Overum factory in Sweden, which makes mouldboard ploughs. This business was acquired…

TECHNOLOGY

Lemken-Krone VTE autonomous tractor gains front links and pto

Engineers developing a driverless tractor for arable and grassland field work say they are now moving from the early prototype trials stage to deployments on commercial farms with a near-finished…

TECHNOLOGY

Lemken-Krone VTE autonomous tractor gains front links and pto

Engineers developing a driverless tractor for arable and grassland field work say they are now moving from the early prototype trials stage to deployments on commercial farms with a near-finished…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Novel Staheli West baler attachment adds moisture to dry hay

With a prolonged hiss and machines briefly shrouded in vapour, a US commercial hay grower’s baling outfit is ready to get to work. Conditions may not be ideal; it’s a…

MACHINERY

NAAC contractor price guide 2024-25

The National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC) has released its latest survey of contracting prices, which shows a general rise in the charge rates submitted by members. They are battling…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How to set up a farm machinery sharing syndicate

As farmers transition to more resilient systems, greater scrutiny is applied to fertiliser, seed, herbicide and other agronomy costs, but is that same degree of analysis applied to machinery outlay?…

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What's in Your Shed?

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WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? Dorset contractor Will Box reveals all

This time What's in your Shed heads over to Dorset to visit contractor Will Box. We hear how he built up his business and customer base and why hiring in…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits a Yorkshire arable farm

Lifting the lid on their machinery shed high and lows are Yorkshire arable farmers Michael and Will Scholey. See also: How to adapt cut-price cultivators for low-disturbance system How brand loyal…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits FW 2023 Contractor of the Year

Kevin Heywood, Farmers Weekly’s 2023 Contractor of the Year, reveals the best and worst decisions he’s made in assembling a distinctly green machinery fleet.  We head over to Cornwall to…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits a Cornish livestock farmer

Martin Harris, a 24-year-old Cornish livestock farmer, fencing contractor and sheep shearer, is the latest to open his shed doors. How did you get started? I went to Duchy College…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits an Oxfordshire contractor

The search for a neater high-horsepower tractor prompted Oxfordshire farmer and contractor John Walker to make the switch from John Deere to Fendt. We head over to Oxfordshire to find…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? Used kit key for Hampshire arable farm

‘Buy used kit and maintain it well’ is the machinery fleet principle applied by Hampshire farmers Bob Ives and his son, Dan. Diversification is also important to the business and…

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401+HP

First impressions: Valtra's revamped 420hp S416 gets new cab

Valtra’s big S-series has finally been given some Finnish affection, having been left as little more than a masquerading Massey for nigh on two decades. As well as acquiring a…

4X4S

On test: Nissan X-Trail gets new practical hybrid powertrain

Worried that a fully electric car could leave them conked out miles from a charger, thousands of buyers have played it safe and bought a hybrid instead. A sensible move…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Why Norfolk grower runs trio of Deutz 7250s

Deutz-Fahr tractors are now the go-to prime movers for Norfolk-based potato grower Ian Mason Farms, primarily because of their keen up-front costs and driver-friendly controls. The business runs four of…

201-300HP

Driver's view: Leics farm rates McCormick's 240hp X7.624

Shifting fewer than 100 tractors a year at the last count makes McCormick one of the lowest volume tractor brands selling in the UK. But what the Italian marque lacks…

Driver's view

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TRACTORS

Driver's view: Why Norfolk grower runs trio of Deutz 7250s

Deutz-Fahr tractors are now the go-to prime movers for Norfolk-based potato grower Ian Mason Farms, primarily because of their keen up-front costs and driver-friendly controls. The business runs four of…

201-300HP

Driver's view: Leics farm rates McCormick's 240hp X7.624

Shifting fewer than 100 tractors a year at the last count makes McCormick one of the lowest volume tractor brands selling in the UK. But what the Italian marque lacks…

TRACTORS

Driver’s view: McCormick X6.413 P6-Drive

Fitted with a 4.5-litre FPT engine and an in-house six-speed semi-powershift transmission, the X6.4 is McCormick’s premium offering in the four-cylinder sector. This means buyers have access to a host…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Case IH Maxxum 125 ActiveDrive 4

A recent reordering of Case IH’s smaller tractor ranges has resulted in a slimming down of the popular Maxxum series to a trio of models. But with three transmission options…

Contractor Comment

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CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Infuriating weather sees new kit idle

Third in this year's Contractor Comment hotseat is James Townley, who runs JD Townley & Son with his father Roy. See also: Contractor Comment: Interest rates a threat for Cropmech About…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Interest rates a threat for Cropmech

For this year’s Contractor Comment it’s all change, as we visit a fresh batch of four contracting firms located in different regions of the UK. Second up is our new…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Beet lifting headaches in the Borders

Our second season of Contractor Comment kicks off with the first of four new contributors – Daniel Freeland-Cook of Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. See also: High kit prices and…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

High kit prices and falling profits pinch contractor margins

The rains and winds of Atlantic depressions Isha and Jocelyn may have wreaked short-term havoc, but two metaphorical storms are causing South Lanarkshire contractor Jim Watt greater angst. Squeezed on…

Video

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WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: Leicester farm trials weed seed unit on Fendt combine

Europe’s first Redekop seed control unit (SCU) fitted to a Fendt Ideal 10T combine, aimed at controlling weed seeds, is being put to the test this harvest in Leicestershire at…

FORAGE WAGONS

Video: Lely revolutionises zero grazing with autonomous Exos

Dutch firm Lely has put the finishing touches to its self-propelled grass harvester and feeder, which is set to go on sale in the Netherlands next year. The battery powered…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

WIYS: Contractor ditches new kit for retro fleet

Mark Bowran, 2003 winner of Farmers Weekly’s Tractor Driver of the Year competition, opens the doors of his MBC Services contracting business. Machinery editor, Oliver Mark asks the questions and…

TECHNOLOGY

Video: Retrofit Mojow tractor kit automates arable fieldwork

Mojow may have found the holy grail of fieldwork autonomy by devising a means of controlling tractors of any sensible vintage with state-of-the-art driverless technology. Better still, the Canadian firm’s…

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