While LAMMA may not be on the scale of Agritechnica, it does bring a taste of the continental shows to the UK, with the focus being on machines more suited to farming here than on the continent.
Held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, it also attracts a large Irish audience, being just a short walk from the airport, and there were a good number of exhibitors with equipment suitable for Ireland and the UK.
Although most of the companies attending were happy with the turnout and the footfall on their stands, there was still an underlying feeling of caution.
LAMMA as a shop window
While it is always tempting to head straight for the big ticket items, their appeal is limited to only big-ticket farming, leaving plenty more practical machines to be considered by the more modest growers.
However, tractors always attract a lot of attention and Massey Ferguson was making a bold statement in its market heartland, while New Holland also put on a strong show with the emphasis being on the CR11 combine and Precision Land Management systems.
Another company with an impressive display was Kioti tractors. It is no longer just a supplier of compacts, having a 140hp machine on the stand.
All the budget tractor manufacturers shaking off their ‘small is beautiful’ image and are rapidly moving up the powerscale.
Not quite so well known is that Kioti makes UTVs, and these too come at a sensible price, £15,000 for the basic model with a 24.9hp diesel engine, another tenth of a horsepower and it would fall foul of the EU emissions regulations, adding greatly to the price.
The main obstacle to purchase cited by all manufactures is the interest rate, so it is no surprise that many are now offering interest-free credit with Kverneland, sold as Vicon in the UK, being one company eager to entice buyers.
While we might no longer see the Vicon name in Ireland, Shelbourne Reynolds is becoming more familiar, for its hedge trimmers at least.
What is not so widely appreciated is that it also produces tub mixers and muck spreaders, both of which were present.
Last year Kaweco of Holland invited Agriland along to a demonstration of its slurry tankers.
It was mentioned at the time that the company also produces a pair of loaders, a range which it will be hoping to expand. Both loaders were bought to LAMMA 2024.
Kaweco offers a range of engine sizes and other options, but the open station, although easy to access, might deter customers in less clement parts of the world.
Stocks, long known for their dual wheels, have also been selling fan jet seeders for some time and its patience is being vindicated now that cover crops are becoming a large part of tillage farming.
Rather than just a bolt on attachment for slug pellets, these tools are fast becoming essential items for both farmers and OEMs as attachments to cultivation equipment running immediately behind the combine.
Despite all the new equipment there was still the occasional acknowledgement of past times and the most eye catching example was a Unimog from the mid 1980s.
Altogether, LAMMA once again put on an event that brought a good deal of what is new and, more importantly, relevant, to UK and Irish agriculture.
