For all of us, it was never going to start off a straightforward year. We kept focused on the positives and 2021 brought us exciting opportunities, successes, and plenty of laughs be it over Zooms or as we got back out there.
2021 began with a pre-lockdown delivery of a single-row weeder Spapperi NT Srl weeder. It has therefore been fantastic that weeder sales have continued throughout the last 12 months, and we have got more kit than ever out to fruit and vegetable growers across the UK.
In February, the Silo Crab which we designed and built to collect leftover feed without manual labour was commended in the 2021 British Dairying Cream Awards. The bespoke attachment comprises of a bucket with hydraulically-adjustable side extensions, it is run along a feed passage gathering left-over feed as it goes. It has been used with great success at Metcalfe Farms here in North Yorkshire. We’ve now built a demonstrator to take around the UK for farmers to try.
A spring delivery of Spapperi NT Srl machines from Italy included a couple of exciting firsts for the UK. We imported the first 4-row Inter Plant Weeder, the first Mono Drive Transplanter, first Twin Drive transplanter to plant through mulch film or plastic, plus our first mulch film / plastic layer.
In June our new website was up and running. It now includes an online shop where you can buy a diverse range of products from the Agricision onTrak GPS system, kit for the dairy shed, to livestock weighing equipment.
Along with working hard to develop existing services and ranges we offer; it was a year of getting new products out there. June saw the launch of our new range of Compact Front Boxes, front-mounted to tractors to provide more onboard storage for tools and spares. The range has more recently been extended to include a model for carrying bale wrap, twine and net.
Following Covid lockdowns, it quickly became apparent that digital solutions were key to get the word out there. This year I therefore stepped out in front of the camera on several occasions for LandPower TV. A brand-new farm machinery video streaming service, featuring reviews, interviews and behind the scenes specials, as described by James Rickard, founder of LandPowerTV, “It is basically like Netflix and Amazon Prime for farm machinery”. After my initial nerves about being on camera, I have really enjoyed the interviews. All are available to watch on our YouTube channel.
As someone who enjoys a chat, it was great to get back out there again. In August I had an excellent day at the RABDF Gold Cup open day in Scotland, then another at the UK Dairy Day in Telford. I had some great catch-ups with maximum farming chat and minimal talk of Covid shenanigans.
Autumn brings the end of the PYO pumpkin season, so of late I have been out catching up with weeder customers. Concerns about the ensuing labour shortage following Brexit are of real concern for growers so our focus is on ways our products can help tackle the lack of manpower.
As 2021 ends, the goal for the new year ahead is to keep up the growth. We look forward to getting 2022 off to a strong start at LAMMA. With a bigger stand than ever, we will be joined by friends from across the Pennines. Hoofcount, the Lancashire-based hoof health specialists will be with us at the NEC in January. The show makes for a busy start to the New Year but then that is how we like it.
As we bid farewell to 2021, we’d like to wish you a very happy Christmas season and New Year!
James Hudson
