A machine head’s dream

I look forward to seeing all you machine heads there!
Back to real life for now! The hay is saved, the fire is on, leaves are lining the ground, and we are staring winter in the face as we start to wrap up another farming year. The winter-feeding season is about to begin as cattle – very slowly, I hope – start to come in for housing depending on the weather conditions. So, it’s now time to give diet feeders, loaders and attachments the once-over, service the telehandler, check tyres and gates and feed barriers.
Halloween has come and gone but a scarier and more ghoulish battle is about to begin as a general election looms large. I said to myself, I wasn’t going to have a rant this month but I changed my mind!
It is my own personal opinion that it is time for rural Ireland to make its voice heard very loud and very clear this time around. We must fight for the survival of rural Ireland our agri economy and the social fabric that holds us all together. Green Party politics has a time and place but we must ensure that we vote now to protect rural Ireland’s way of living; we must vote to protect our families, and our communities, our social and economic pillars, too. I don’t buy into one-size-fits-all politics.
Yes, we must change and adapt and reduce our carbon footprint but before rules and regulations are put in place, there must be viable alternatives to offer people who live in isolation, who may be dependent on fossil fuels for heat, who are unable to cycle the dark and dangerous country roads.
On the machinery front – in line with what’s happening across Europe and after discussions with my Tractor of the Year (TotY) jury friends – tractor sales are back in Europe and further afield. In Ireland the total number of tractors sold and registered, to date, for the first nine months is 1,715 units – 235 fewer than the first nine months of last year. That is a year-on-year decline of 13 per cent. In the second-hand tractor trade, to date, 2,112 units have been imported and registered representing a 5.9 per cent decline, year on year. General machinery sales are holding their own with finance offers and TAMS grants helping the markets. All manufacturers are looking forward to the up-and-coming machinery show to boost sales and drive on the market for 2025.
What a way to celebrate the closing of a year with the FTMTA's high-tech, high-spec specialised farm-machinery show. All major importers, distributors, and manufacturers are attending this sold-out event. The decision to move from a mid-summer show to a winter event in November has proved very popular among exhibitors and punters alike. In this issue we have a comprehensive 40-page show preview covering the latest and greatest in farm machinery, and giving you a taste of what to expect at Punchestown! If you haven’t already booked your tickets, you can do so here: www.ftmta.ie.
Please call over and have a chat with us on our stand, we would be delighted to see you all.
Until next month, farm safely, farm wisely