The elephants in the field

The back is broken on the silage season; second cut is now on the minds of some, and hay-making isn’t too hampered by the showers.
Harvest is just around the corner. Crops are swaying and dancing in the warm summer breeze, cooled down by showers as they await the arrival of the monsters of the field – the well-oiled, finetuned-to-perfection ‘elephants in the field’ – the combine harvesters.
Every year, harvest time can be fraught with ‘worry’. Will we get the weather? Will we get the price at the mill? Will there be demand for the early crisp straw? Will the combine keep going without a bang in the drum and a shaft leaving its housing. Some things, we can’t control and some, we can. So, check the combine. Get out the moisture metre. Keep an eye on the prices. Check your grain contracts. Phone your straw clients. Give your local dealer a call. And, have the local finance rep on speed dial – just in case.
At the time of writing, I was just back from Rome, the Eternal city, where the challenge commenced to find the best tractors available on the European market for 2026. Tractor of the Year, or TOTY, is made up of 26 jury members from across Europe. Over three days, we saw a full array of presentations on high-power, mid-power, best specialist tractors, and much more besides. I will have a full report on this in the August issue.
Elsewhere in the machinery world, I see that the demand for European-manufactured machinery is rising once again after a difficult 24 months’ uncertainty owing to wars and input prices – particularly energy. Things are starting to turn a corner again, and the European machinery industry is on the rise. Delivery times to importers and dealers are now starting to get back to acceptable levels as orders for machines are placed.
ThThe autonomous-tractor collaboration between Kverneland and AgXeed has set a new ploughing world record – I wonder will we get a chance to see this at the next National Ploughing Championships?
I was interested to read recently that used tractor imports, even though they are declining in numbers in 2025, were going up in terms of horsepower. Data from the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) shows that 661 used tractors were imported into Ireland in the first three months of 2025 compared to 672 units in the first three months of 2024.
Average horsepower now is 155hp bringing both new tractor horsepower and used tractor horsepower on Irish farms to an all-time high. One of the biggest problems in the secondhand market is supply from the UK and Europe – which is dwindling – as farmers are holding on to tractors for longer periods, owing to uncertainty in the markets.
That’s all from me! Until next month, farm safely and wisely.