AgriLand paid a visit to Co. Cork to catch up with Paschal Twomey at a recent Jim Power Agri Sales event – just outside Killeagh.
Front and centre at the event – essentially a ‘field demo day’ – were the latest Deutz-Fahr tractors coupled, in the main, to Amazone ploughs, cultivators and drills.
In this video (below – shot by AgriLand’s own Kevin Farrell), Paschal explained: “We’re working here in Killeagh in east Cork.
“In north-east Cork and west Waterford, you would’ve always seen a very strong presence of Deutz-Fahr tractors and still – to this day – there’s still a very strong presence.
“You’ll still see some of the older models working – some of the DX Commander [tractors]; some of the Agrostar [models]. Deutz-Fahr was probably the first manufacturer to come out with a high-visibility, sloping bonnet. That’s still present in today’s tractors.”
He added: “Here at Jim Power Agri [Sales], we’ve been a Deutz-Fahr dealer since 2010; we’re well known for it in the area.
“We’re also known for some other brands; we’re probably best known for the Krone franchise [most notably BiG M mowers and BiG X foragers] and, of course, Amazone as well.”
Paschal explained that the business – Jim Power Agri Sales – started out in 2008. He said: “Jim Power, himself, has a rich history with Farmhand and SDF products. Jim worked for Farmhand for seven years and then he worked for a dealer.”
He also talked about how the dealership’s customer base has evolved over recent years – citing a noticeable increase in dairy farming.
Turning his thoughts back to tractors, Paschal commented: “It’s probably fair to say that Deutz-Fahr – as a brand – had probably lost a bit of popularity in the area over the years, when there maybe wasn’t such a good dealer network. Now that’s changed; we’re pushing the brand on harder.
“We’re probably talking to a lot more customers with other brands of tractors – looking to trade in. The range [of Deutz-Fahr tractors] is brilliant; they’re as well-specced as any other make on the market.
“Today [at the time of filming], we had a large number of customers here at our event. Some of them are Deutz-Fahr users; more of them have been Deutz-Fahr users.”
He concluded: “It’s amazing; the users in the past are always looking over their shoulder to see what the product has to offer now.
“They could be pleasantly surprised if they were to re-visit their Deutz-Fahr days!”
