INSIDE AGRI-TURF
136 episodes - English - Latest episode: 14 days ago -Inside Agri-Turf speaks to those at the sharp-end of the farm and grass machinery industry which ranges from powerful 500hp farm tractors to lawnmowers for the home, via equipment used in the upkeep of golf courses, cricket and football grounds, parks and open spaces, forests and the care of the countryside.
As new technology and robotics come increasingly on-stream, we will talk to manufacturers, dealers, industry representatives and end-users in order to report on this fast-moving, innovative and essential sector that often flies under the radar of public recognition.
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Episodes
Episode 32: Series One Wrap Up
April 12, 2021 17:00 - 11 minutes - 9.37 MBIn this short episode, Chris Biddle reflects on the background,, the production and the content of Series One of Inside Agri-Turf as it takes a short break - and provides some thoughts on the theme for Series Two which will commence in May 2021
Episode 31: Communicating the 'How's and Why's' with Peter Leech
March 29, 2021 16:00 - 48 minutes - 43.1 MBAfter he was mentioned by two of my recent podcast guests (Jeremy Gibbs Ep 24 and Graham Thompson Ep 26 ) as providing valuable mentoring advice at different stages of their careers, I’m delighted to be joined by Peter Leech for his views on the value of mentoring. Peter spent more than 40 years in senior technical and training roles with John Deere UK – joining the company when the average horsepower of tractors sold was barely more than a present day compact tractor – and he also reflects...
Episode 30: Managing a machinery fleet with Neal Harper, Machinery Manager Glendale Ltd
March 22, 2021 16:00 - 28 minutes - 23.8 MBAs machinery manager for Glendale, a leading management company maintaining substantial areas of green open spaces, forestry and sports facilities, Neal Harper is responsible for the purchase, upkeep and use of over 5000 pieces of equipment and vehicles. In this podcast, he talks to Chris Biddle about his route into the agri-turf machinery industry, of his years working in varied roles for a number of dealers before taking up his present role which has meant switching from being a supplier ...
Episode 29 The Success of Succession with Chris Biddle
March 17, 2021 10:00 - 18 minutes - 20.1 MBIn this episode, Chris Biddle reflects on the people and the quotes that have stood out during the current season of Inside Agri-Turf In particular, he discusses how and why so many sons and daughters have followed parents into the family business, bringing with them new skills. He also picks out the stand-moment when the industry was described in glowing terms - and finally reflects on the perfect mission statement for dealers Time stamps for subjects covered 05:01 The importance of Ps a...
Episode 28: Showtime and golf course pressures post-COVID with Jim Croxton, CEO of BIGGA
March 08, 2021 15:00 - 39 minutes - 37.3 MBWide ranging talk with Jim Croxton, CEO of BIGGA (British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association) with updated news about shows and the management of golf courses post-pandemic. Time stamps of topics covered: 01:25 Festival of Turf 2021 update - and future 11:15 Golf course 'stock' and staff furloughs? 15:50 Club budgets? 18:10 Overplaying and changes to club income models? 22:00 Greens staff well-being during COVID? 25:54 Permanent changes to course management? 28:10 BIGGA r...
Episode 27: Riding the Waves with Erik Hogervorst, President of CLIMMAR and Keith Christian of BAGMA
March 01, 2021 16:00 - 37 minutes - 34 MBErik Hogervorst is President of CLIMMAR, the pan-European trade association representing over 19,000 farm and turfcare machinery sales and service dealers. He is a director of a family owned Dutch dealership with a Kubota franchises and specialist divisions in fork lift trucks and spraying equipment, and has been CLIMMAR President for 6 years. In this wide ranging discussion with Chris Biddle he is accompanied by Keith Christian from BAGMA, the UK's representative on CLIMMAR. They reflect...
Episode 26 Route to the Top with Graham Thompson (US)
February 22, 2021 17:30 - 37 minutes - 34.9 MBGraham Thompson reflects on a career starting as a service technician with an agricultural engineer in Hampshire to his appointment as Director, Tractor Portfolio Development and Strategic Growth Planning for Deere and Co in the US After working on a Hampshire farm, Graham took further education at Sparsholt College and Lackham College and landed a job as a service technician with John Deere dealer Roger Hunt. After three years, he joined John Deere UK branch as a Field Service Manager, mo...
Episode 25 Retail is Detail with Murray Burton
February 15, 2021 14:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBCould this be a year when independents come into their own following the decimation of so many well know store brands? Display and merchandising consultant Murray Burton who has worked with leading brands, national retail chains and specialist lawn and garden machinery dealers is in conversation with Chris Biddle about a new age of retailing. He says that the 'bricks and mortar' department store model (Debenhams, British Home Stores, Woolworths etc) is unlikely to succeed in the future b...
Episode 24 From Tanks to Tractors with Jeremy Gibbs and Will Foster
February 08, 2021 14:00 - 46 minutes - 37.2 MBIn this episode Chris Biddle talks to two people with fascinating accounts on how ex service personnel find fulfilling careers in agriculture after leaving the services. After training at Sparsholt Agricultural College in Hampshire and Harper Adams University, Jeremy Gibbs joined John Deere where he worked in both the agricultural and turf machinery divisions based in the UK and Germany. After several roles in training and product management, he left Deere after almost 10 years and two year...
Episode 23 Brexit across the Irish Sea with Paul Butterly of FGM Claymore
February 01, 2021 15:00 - 24 minutes - 21.4 MBWhen the UK formally left the UK on 1 January 2020, there was a new set of trading challenges for companies, and not least Irish companies with branches on both sides of the Irish Sea. Paul Butterly of FGM Claymore talks to Chris Biddle about the impact on his family-owned company as a buyer and seller of imported products with trading bases in the Ireland and the UK. He also recalls the early 1990's when setting up in the UK and carrying a lawnmower as baggage on Ryanair during the fledg...
Episode 22 Unearthing new talent with Richard Charles of AGCO Corporation
January 25, 2021 14:00 - 36 minutes - 28.3 MBChris Biddle talks to Richard Charles, UK and Ireland Training Manager for the AGCO Corporation about the ongoing challenge of recruiting new, talented employees. Richard considers the agricultural engineering industry to be a 'closed shop' with most new employees being recruited from other companies already in the industry. We should be looking for candidates outside the normal channels he says, and that a unified industry presence at skills or jobs fair would be far more effective than ...
Episode 21 Made in Britain with Austin Jarrett of Allett Ltd
January 18, 2021 16:00 - 28 minutes - 23.2 MB2021 marks the centenary of the first mass produced petrol engine made by Atco. Costing around £20 it was lightweight and brought lawnmowing to the masses. Here, Chris Biddle chats to Austin Jarrett, md of Staffordshire based Allett Ltd who in 2011 bought all the intellectual drawings, plants, equipment and tooling for the Atco range when the factory at Stowmarket closed. Recognising that the British loves their lawns with stripes created by the cylinder or reel, his company has become t...
Episode 20 Charlie Nicklin: from JCB to heading professional engineering body
January 11, 2021 16:00 - 42 minutes - 31.8 MBChris Biddle chats to Charlie Nicklin, the recently appointed CEO of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers. (IAgrE). From a farming family, at the age of 10 Charlie was given a 'little grey Fergie' by his grandfather, which is still part of growing collection. Having gained a degree in engineering at Harper Adams, he subsequently spent ...
Episode 19 Echoes of 2020
December 21, 2020 17:00 - 35 minutes - 31 MBA special end-of-season episode reflecting on an unforgettable year through the eyes and voices of those at the sharp-end of the Agri-Turf industry. We hear about the role of trade associations to provide independent companies with information and 'dos and donts'. There are accounts by dealers of the measures they had to take to drive business remotely and by manufacturers on promoting products. There views on the future of shows, of the lack of diversity in the industry, of issues when de...
Episode 18 with Robin Lennie, retiring MD of Stihl GB
December 14, 2020 17:00 - 30 minutes - 23.5 MBAfter a career spanning 30 years at Stihl GB, the last 14 years as managing director, Robin Lennie retires on 31 December. In the penultimate Inside Agri-Turf episode of 2020, he talks openly and frankly to Chris Biddle about the chemistry between himself and Peter Baker, the MD when he joined the company in 1990 as Finance Director, who needed 'fag-packet' projections rather than complicated financial modelling. He also talks about the challenges of developing friendships amongst dealers...
Episode 17 Unpicking 2020 season with Keith Christian and Martin Rickatson
December 07, 2020 13:00 - 35 minutes - 28.2 MBChris Biddle is joined this week by Keith Christian, Director of BAGMA (British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association) and leading agricultural journalist Martin Rickatson to reflect on the 2020 season for the Agri-Turf industry - and provide some thoughts on the months ahead. The episode was recorded in the midst of the final Brexit talks to decide on the terms of the UK's withdrawal agreement from the EU which comes into force on 31 December 2020. With much of the detail yet to be...
Episode 16: From fear to pride with Chris Gibson of GGM Groundscare
November 30, 2020 13:00 - 28 minutes - 23.3 MBChris Gibson, MD of GGM Groundscare relives a season that veered from optimism through to fear when lockdown was announced in March, and ended with pride in his team for pulling together and navigating a very challenging season. He tells how some initiatives introduced because of Covid restrictions actually improved the business, how his team made calls to customers simply to say 'hello' and how introducing new products because of franchise realignments were difficult 'because of the good j...
Episode 15 Winning dealerships with Bob Clements and Sara Hey (US)
November 23, 2020 17:00 - 31 minutes - 24.9 MBThis episode we go 'across the pond' to catch up with America's leading dealership coaches, Bob Clements and Sara to discuss their new book You're the Problem - and the Solution which provides dealers with advice and tips on how to reclaim their sanity, their life and their dealership. We also talk about the impact of COVID19 on US dealer business this year , the relationship between manufacturer and dealer, and whether manufacturers really understand the psychology of being a dealer, and h...
Episode 14: Dealer Talk. The ATV business with Anthony Deacon
November 16, 2020 13:00 - 27 minutes - 21.5 MBBedfordshire ATV specialist, MKM Agriculture, are unusual in being able to offer the four leading Japanese ATV brands under one roof. Managing Director Anthony tells Chris Biddle how the company gradually built up a 'full house' of the franchises, and how they fit well together. He also discusses the importance of operator training and the benefit of being a qualified EASI (European ATV Safety Institute) instructor. MKM opened a second branch in Suffolk last year and says that winning the...
Episode 13 with Andrew Goodacre, CEO, British Independent Retailers Association
November 09, 2020 13:00 - 33 minutes - 24.5 MBChris Biddle is joined by Andrew Goodacre, Chief Executive of the British Independent Retailers Association (bira) for an an episode recorded the day that England entered a second national lockdown of 2020, a decision which Andrew describes as his greatest disappointment of the year to-date. With so many 'bricks and mortar' retailers having to close for 3 months during the first lockdown, but with a partial recovery underway, he says that many independent retailers were banking on making u...
Episode 12 David Hart, md of Kubota UK on shuffling the dealer pack
November 02, 2020 18:45 - 46 minutes - 35.5 MBA highly topical conversation with David Hart, MD of Kubota UK recorded on a day when two of Kubota's long standing dealers agreed on an uncoupling of key franchises in order to provide greater clarity and focus for their companies in the future. It was a complex and complicated decision agreed between two respected multi-branch dealers. Elsewhere in a wide-ranging interview, David talks about: (09:40) Difference between manufacturers and dealers (15:38) Challenges for dealers of changin...
Episode 11 The future for sales and service dealers - the 'in-betweeners'?
October 26, 2020 18:00 - 23 minutes - 24.8 MBThey are the 'In-Betweeners' , specialist sales and service dealers who are the vital conduit between the manufacturer and the end-user. Almost inevitably their numbers are diminishing as moves by manufacturers to establish multi-branch 'super-dealers' gathers pace. There is often a clash of cultures between the priorities of major corporations with responsibilities to shareholders and family-owned dealerships whose priorities lie closer to home. Are there enough well-resourced dealers to ...
Episode 10: Talking training and education with Peter Arrand, President, BAGMA
September 20, 2020 11:00 - 24 minutes - 19.6 MBChris Biddle in conversation with Peter Arrand, President of BAGMA (British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association) following the formation of the Association's new Training and Education group. We talk about a possible skills gap, whether the industry is talking the right language, the importance of spreading the message into schools and the looming introduction of T-Level qualifications
Episode 9: Is the industry too 'stereotyped'? with Paul Hemingway, President, IAgrE
September 13, 2020 11:00 - 25 minutes - 19.7 MBPaul Hemingway, the current President of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers talks to Chris Biddle about the role of the Institution. He also recalls his more than 30 years in senior management roles at JCB, his concerns about the lack of diversity in the industry, about the attractions of agricultural engineering as a career and how Brexit may result in UK farmers have to face the challenges and ultimate success of their counterparts in New Zealand when subsidies were removed. Best ...
Episode 9: Paul Hemingway, President IAgrE
September 13, 2020 11:00 - 25 minutes - 19.7 MBPaul Hemingway, the current President of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers talks to Chris Biddle about the role of the Institution. He also recalls his more than 30 years in senior management roles at JCB, his concerns about the lack of diversity in the industry, about the attractions of agricultural engineering as a career and how Brexit may result in UK farmers have to face the challenges and ultimate success of their counterparts in New Zealand when subsidies were removed. Best quo...
Episode 8 Talking Known and Unknowns with Les Malin, AEA President
September 06, 2020 11:00 - 36 minutes - 29.4 MBChris Biddle discusses the current state of the agri-turf industry with Les Malin, the current President of the Agricultural Engineers Association. Les heads up the UK arm of a French company, Etesia, selling top of the range turf maintenance machinery and has been the lone person in the office for past months where has been fielding enquiries mainly from machine owners. The wide ranging discussion covers the future prospects for the ag and turfcare industry in the UK, the future of shows ...
Episode 7: Electric tractors, what next?
August 23, 2020 11:00 - 21 minutes - 21.2 MBThe UK's first commercially available fully electric tractor was featured on a recent BBC1 Countryfile programme. In this episode, Chris Biddle features an audio extract of a video on the Farmtrac tractor made by Robert Llewellyn of the Fully Charged Show in conversation with Adam Henson. Chris also talks to Steven Haynes, sales manager of Reesink UK, the UK distributor of Farmtrac about the early response to the TV coverage. To become widely used, electric tractor need to be scaled up, so...
Episode 6: Automatic for the People - the rise of robotic mowers
August 16, 2020 11:00 - 39 minutes - 30.6 MBIn this episode I speak to Ken Brewster, UK Sales and Marketing Director for Husqvarna Group and Lincolnshire garden machinery dealer, Gavin Bird of Green Stripe Garden Machinery about the increasing popularity of robotic mowers. We hear about 'Bob', a robotic mower installed by Gavin at his premises in 2006, and which has so far clocked up almost 35,000 hours of operation over 14 years with minimal maintenance costs. Many robotic mowers are sold in 'clusters' as the most effective sales p...
Episode 5 Social distance farming with Kit Franklin of Hands Free Farm
August 09, 2020 11:30 - 37 minutes - 27.5 MBClaimed as a world's first, a team based at Harper Adams University, have successfully completed the cycle of cultivating, planting and harvesting crops remotely, without human intervention in the field - using the harvested crops to produce gin and pizzas. Chris Biddle is in conversation with one of the team leaders, Kit Franklin of Hands Free Hectare, now expanded to Hands Free Farm about the challenges they faced in the past, and this year when floods and pandemic impacted upon their p...
Episode 4 What goes round: In conversation with David Withers of Iseki UK
August 02, 2020 17:00 - 48 minutes - 35.4 MBDavid Withers rose from working as a demonstrator of turfcare machinery to becoming President of Jacobsen, a global turf machinery brand and based in the United States. Three years after returning to the UK, he is heading his own company distributing the Iseki compact tractor and grass machinery range, and is demonstrating machinery once again through video production as the current pandemic restricts shows and working demonstrations. He talks to Chris about the advantages of single brand r...
Episode 3 Briggs and Stratton re-set
July 24, 2020 10:00 - 18 minutes - 20.3 MBFollowing the news that Briggs and Stratton, the worlds largest small engine maker had filed for Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Act, Chris Biddle looks back at the roots of their possible problems over years, and the likely way forward
Episode 3 Briggs and Stratton re-set: Chris Biddle discusses the legacy and future for the world's biggest small engine maker
July 24, 2020 10:00 - 18 minutes - 20.3 MBFollowing the news that Briggs and Stratton, the worlds largest small engine maker had filed for Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Act, Chris Biddle looks back at the roots of their possible problems over years, and the likely way forward
Episode 2 Collective voice
July 21, 2020 11:00 - 43 minutes - 27.7 MBDuring lock-down, much of the agri-turf machinery industry has been working as normal, thanks to the combined efforts of the industry's two trade associations who were able to provide Government with a collective industry voice on behalf of its members. In this podcast, Chris Biddle talks to Ruth Bailey, CEO and Director General of the British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association (https://my.captivate.fm/www.bagma.com) (BAGMA) about their role in maintaining services to farmers, ...
Episode 2 Collective voice, the role of trade associations with Ruth Bailey (AEA) and Keith Christian (BAGMA)
July 21, 2020 11:00 - 43 minutes - 27.7 MBDuring lock-down, much of the agri-turf machinery industry has been working as normal, thanks to the combined efforts of the industry's two trade associations who were able to provide Government with a collective industry voice on behalf of its members. In this podcast, Chris Biddle talks to Ruth Bailey, CEO and Director General of the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) representing manufacturers and suppliers and Keith Christian, Director of the British Agricultural and Garden Machin...
Inside Agri-Turf Episode 2
July 21, 2020 11:00 - 43 minutes - 27.7 MBDuring lock-down, much of the agri-turf machinery industry has been working as normal, thanks to the combined efforts of the industry's two trade associations who were able to provide Government with a collective industry voice on behalf of its members. In this podcast, Chris Biddle talks to Ruth Bailey, CEO and Director General of the British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association (https://my.captivate.fm/www.bagma.com) (BAGMA) about their role in maintaining services to farmers, ...