A fantastic celebration of irish farming

Farming conditions have been tough, weather has been so challenging and prices have been far from OK. We start each new month with the hope that it will be better than the last. We seem to be wishing our lives away, hoping for better times ahead, in an environment of stress and strain that is not good for body or soul. But this has now become the norm, it seems. I will finish my monthly rant with the following observation: life is passing us by and we seem to be running faster to stand still.
Now, down to the business in hand. The National Ploughing Championships (the Ploughing) is done and dusted for another year! And, speaking of dust, the weather – thankfully – played ball! It was a fantastic, dry, dusty event. Exhibitors were happy, punters were dry and happy. Despite the ups and downs of farming at the moment, it was an uplifting event, and a fantastic celebration of Irish farming. After three years in Co. Laois, we move to a new venue in 2025. More on that next month.
In the meantime, we take a look at the sales of new tractors and we see that they are back by 12 per cent to the end of August, year on year. No surprises there. The most popular power brand, however, is 161hp up to 200hp, showing that, year on year, the average horsepower demand in Ireland is increasing.
Did you see that the world record for the most bales made and wrapped in 24 hours was smashed out of the park by a team from Kverneland? They wrapped 1,587 bales with a 240hp Fendt tractor pulling the new Kverneland Fastbale. That is 66 bales every hour, or one bale every one minute and 54 seconds! What an achievement.
On the home front, Malone engineers launched their new twin rotor rake at this year’s Ploughing and there is more to come from the Mayo-based company – stay tuned!
Another mayo company, Mchale Engineering, showcased the new FS baler range and its flagship tedder – full details on both in next month’s special machinery supplement, in association with the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA).
In other news, Billy Shaw and his team at WR Shaw celebrated 40 years of selling tractors at the Ploughing, this year. And, also at the Ploughing, Trioliet, the well-known Dutch diet-feeder manufacturer, showed its master silage cutter, with two models on offer S200 and S300 with 2.2m and 4.1m capacities. Northern Ireland-based Redrock brought its latest purchase, the KTWO range of rear discharge spreaders, to the Ploughing, while Abbey displayed the full range of both diet feeders and slurry equipment. SlurryKat showed its brand-new Premium Plus 1,400m front umbilical hose reeler for the first time, while Wilson Engineering from Co. Laois launched a new 14ft folding fork. There was loads of equipment on display at this year’s Ploughing – everything from a wheelbarrow to a tower crane and much more besides. Roll on 2025!
Now, to finish. Next up, we look forward to the FTMTA’s Farm Machinery Show, which takes place in Punchestown from November 12-14. The who’s who of the machinery industry will be there with all importers and distributor showing the latest and greatest in farm equipment for the 2025 season. Keep an eye on social media for ticket information.
Until next month, farm safely, farm wisely.