Farmers and exhibitors converged on Newark Showground in their thousands for the tenth Midlands Machinery Show last week. 

Many attendees had returned from the London rally earlier in the week keen to discuss what the budget would mean for their future business investments with fellow farmers and the trade.  

More than 220 exhibitors set up stands across the site offering machinery demonstrations and professional advice, as well as showcasing new products. 

New products and propositions 

For some exhibitors, the event was an opportunity to display new products for the first time. 

Chandlers and B&B Tractors took the opportunity to debut the Valtra S416. 

The 420hp range-topper on the Chandlers stand was fitted with twin-track reverse drive complete with 180-degree seat swivel – a feature popular with those running chippers and mulchers as well as silage clamp raking in livestock or AD enterprises.  

Made in Finland, the 8.4-litre engine is coupled with an AgCo Vario CVT transmission and was launched at Agritechnica last year. 

Valtra Dealer Principal at Chandlers, Shane Lowe, said: “The technology options are fully customisable through Valtra’s Unlimited Studio, including automatic levelling for linkage-mounted fertiliser spreaders and automatic headland turn modes.”

Mzuri brought its new Razorback 57 hedgecutter with a unique hitch system designed for more stability.

Available with a 1.2m or 1.5m head, the Razorback 57 has a ‘tensegrity-style’ hitch which means the hedgecutter is suspended in a state of equilibrium. 

“The hedgecutter is no longer acting to twist and lift the tractor link arms which is a common trait of standard 3-point-linkage hitches,” said Mzuri Territory Sales Manager Josh Allen.   

Budget talking points 

The ongoing fallout from Labour’s budget was a hot topic of conversation across the showground. 

Held just 24 hours after the London protest against the budget, exhibitors acknowledged the challenging environment and said it would take time for confidence to return.

Lincoln-based JRH Water Management designs and installs rainwater harvesting systems across all farm types. 

Engineer Nathan Jorden said: “Prior to this uncertainty we were seeing good levels of growth, particularly in the livestock sector where cost savings and other benefits of storing rainwater for livestock were being seen. 

“Various capital grants are available towards project funding which will be even more important going forward. 

“Farmers will be looking closely at the return on their investments and rainwater harvesting has a favourable proposition because of the savings that are made on mains water and chemical bills.” 

Brown & Co said it had noticed a shift in farmer behaviour over the past 12 months as a reaction to the squeezed farm incomes, but said that getting professional, tailored advice was more important than ever when planning for the future. 

The firm’s Agricultural Business Consultant James Valentine said: “There will be many businesses who have buried their heads in the sand about their future and now is the time to take stock, talk to experts and think about the appropriate structure going forward.” 

Land Agent Kirsten Wright added that more clients were selling assets as part of a restructure of their overall farm business. She said Brown & Co had auctioned 7,000 lots in 2024 alone. 

Renewable energy consultancy KMM said businesses will be looking at every expenditure and looking to save money.  

“Big users of energy in arable and livestock enterprises are often not on the most competitive tariff or utilising the space they have for solar panels,” said company Director Kieren Myler. 

“Despite the obvious challenges around investment, finance is still available for energy projects which can have a huge beneficial impact on a farm over a 30-year period, whether that’s a simple rooftop solar project or a larger ground-mounted array.” 

A plan for water 

The NFU Midlands Environment Conference ‘Water: Under Pressure’ took place on the first day of the show, discussing the challenges landowners face in maintaining a ready supply of one of their key resources in the future.

Dr Georgina Key from Severn Trent outlined how population growth, climate change and extreme weather are expected to put more pressure on water provision in the future.

Paul Carrott from Dyson Farming believes the concept of ‘water in – water out’ is key to farming successfully in the future. However, he revealed that getting projects off the ground can be tricky and therefore working with other farmers is essential.

“Collaboration is going to be key,” he added. “You need to be sitting down with other farmers and talking about what you’re going to do.”

Farmer and agronomist Kate Mayne shared her experiences of encouraging farmer engagement, before the NFU’s Mark Betson issued a warning that abstractors need to start planning for the future now, as the Environment Agency will be able to change licenses from 2028 without paying compensation.

Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society (NNAS) Events and Development Manager, Elizabeth Halsall, said: “The industry has changed so much over the ten years of the Midlands Machinery Show, but it remains a place to do business, see products and make contacts.

“With all that is going on in the industry at the moment, shows which bring people together from across the region are as important as ever.”