The Farmers Mart Apr/May 2016 - Issue 45 | Page 72

Northfield Agricultural Services Ltd
“We took on Fendt when
Agco acquired it in 1997-98. We
do particularly well with them
too and again have a market
share above the national
average. Most Fendts are
160hp upwards and they are
at the forefront of technology,
reliable and hold strong
residual values, which means
the total cost of ownership is
no dearer than less expensive
tractor brands.”
JCB came on board in
2000 and has been arguably
the biggest step Northfield
has made in the past three
decades.
“It’s such a big company
with a great brand identity
and we’ve shifted a lot of their
machines since we started.
We had sold other handlers
previously but getting JCB was
a fantastic addition and has
taken some seasonality out of
our business as handlers are
used every day by all types of

farm. That’s helped us keep
busier in the winter especially in
the service department.”
Other franchises have
either been in place for years
or have been attracted to
the increasingly busy familyoriented company that employs
a team of 14.
“We picked up the slurry
tanker manufacturers Joskin
in 2012. Their products also
have a great deal of different
specifications too, so we
encourage our farmers to take
a visit to the factories of each:
Joskin in Belgium; Massey
Ferguson in France; Vaderstad
in Sweden; Fendt in Germany;
and JCB in pretty much the
majority of Staffordshire it
seems!”
The rest of Northfield’s
machinery range also includes
Vicon sprayers; McConnel
hedgers and toppers; Stewart
Trailers and Krone balers, which
were all on display at their 40th

anniversary open day held in
April. In the area it is known
as the Holderness Smithfield
Machinery Show and although
held bi-annually normally this
was our first for four years in
order that it could be hosted in
line with their celebrations.
One of the areas in which
Richard freely admits they
bided their time a little was