Reliability ‘really important’ as machinery trends evolve at Ploughing

The National Ploughing Championships is celebrated as a “gathering of everybody that is involved in rural Ireland”.

That was the view of the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) executive director Michael Farrelly.

Speaking to Agriland , Michael Farrelly called the Ploughing a “great event” for the social aspect that it provides.

He said: “It’s great to see it (the Ploughing), it’s always a great day out, and a great networking event.”

Machinery on display

Farrelly spoke about the role the National Ploughing Championships play in putting machinery in front of potential customers for agricultural machinery manufacturers and dealers.

“I think it’s (farm machinery brands) all popular.

“Farmers are constantly looking at ways to drive efficiency and to farm in a more sustainable way, so they’re constantly coming and looking at the machinery.

“I love when I come to a show like this, or our (FTMTA’s) show in November, seeing the Irish manufacturers and the presence of those.

“They’re a great unsung success story of the farm machinery industry in Ireland,” he said.

Trends noticed

Farrelly spoke about the trends he has seen in the Irish agricultural machinery market.

He believes grass machinery “has been doing very well this year because we’re dairy-based; dairy is the biggest part of the agricultural sector.

He explained: “The trend is for higher horsepower tractors that can do more work.

“It’s a challenge to get people to work these days, so you want a bigger machine that’ll do more work rather than more machines doing less.”

Farrelly said that while “you constantly see the horsepower bands going up”, in the last year, FTMTA has seen increased interest in smaller-horsepower tractors.

He said this could be possibly be a reflection of the performance of the beef sector.

Smaller tractors are looked at as a potential solution to high fuel costs due to their increased efficiency.

The Fendt 500 Vario is a four-cylinder tractor that has won numerous awards over the last 12 months. Source: Fendt

Four-cylinder engine tractors are becoming more sought after as, along with a high level of efficiency, they are proving that they are able to keep up with heavy workloads and compete with some six-cylinder tractors.

According to Farrelly, regardless of the machine that agricultural operators use, the most important factor is reliability.

“You’ve people who’re finding it hard to get help or you’ve people who are working off farm and then coming home in the evening to work.

“What’s really important to all those people is when they go out and sit up in the tractor and turn the key is that the tractor starts.

“I think that’s why people are constantly investing in new and quality machinery,” he said.

Contractor importance

Farrelly also spoke about the importance of contractors within Ireland, particularly those looking to modernise their set-ups.

He said: “Contractors are very important to our sector, to support our sector.

“They are the ones who really are investing heavily into machinery, and it’s a huge challenge for them this year”.

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