Customer Interview: Norfolk Farm Machinery Club

Norfolk Farm Machinery Club is a well-supported centre of all things farm machinery and a long established community in East Anglia, Jonathan Tunmore, the club’s County Coordinator kindly tells us more about the history of the club and what they offer.

Jonathan Tunmore

It became apparent that after the Second World War, that British farming would become highly mechanised in a very short time, as new equipment became available to help with food production.

With the advent of the new mechanisation on farms, there became a very obvious and necessary need for training. At this time staff were more accustomed to tacking up horses than cranking a starting handle!

The large arable estates of East Anglia were fast to embrace this shift towards mechanisation, given that around 15% of a farms area was used to produce and supply the horses with the feed required for the year and the very obvious time savings associated with the combustion engine as opposed to a horse!

In 1946 the then chairman of the Institution of British Agricultural Engineers, Mr William Newcombe-Baker of Sedgeford and Mr John Cleveland, who at the time was working as a machinery instructor for the Norfolk Agricultural Station both realised that there was a large number of farmers, and machinery operators, who were keenly interested in farm machinery and were already using all manner of machines themselves, but were not sufficiently qualified to become members of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers.

It was decided to call a meeting to launch the Norfolk Farm Machinery Club. The meeting took place in April 1946. The founding members were; Ben Burgess (farmer, Howe), Mr S Eglington (farmer, Shipdam), Alan Garrod (farmer, Great Hockham), Mr Neville Langridge (farmer, Postwick), Mr John Mann (Norfolk Agricultural Station and farmer at Bridgham), Mr William Newcombe-Baker (Institute of British Agricultural Engineers and farmer at Sedgeford), Mr William Parker (farmer, Babingley), Mr J. R. Ware (Institute of British Agricultural Engineers and farm manager at Bridgham) and Mr R. R. Wright.

The main objectives of the club were as follows:

• To encourage study of and contact with the latest types of machinery and plant.
• The giving of lectures and technical instruction to farm machinery operators.
• To hold demonstrations and competitions of farm machinery
• To help in the development and invention of machines and to make recommendations for improvements to the Institute of British Agricultural Engineers

At the first meeting held by the club in Norwich, William Newcombe-Baker agreed to show a film he had recorded on his own farm called ‘A Year on a Mechanised Farm’. The meeting was well attended and another 20 joined, but it was clear that something more attractive was required.

It was decided to hold a row-crop demonstration with the support of trade entries and farmers own designs and to advertise this in the local papers. The first demonstration was held courtesy of Edwin de Grey Seaman at his Fairstead Farm at Gaywood, King’s Lynn.

If we fast forward now to the present day, I’m sure Mr Cleveland would be amazed at the advancements that have occurred over the last 77 years, 12m drills, 500hp tractors, rubber tracks, GPS, autonomous tractors to name but a few.

Tell us about your background and how you got involved?

I was born in Norfolk in 1978 in the heart of Normac country just a few miles from the first demo site on the outskirts of King’s Lynn. I had always known of Normac as I’d attended Easton College and knew Duncan Russell the then County Organiser, so when I saw the ad in Farmers Guide I thought it was something that I would be very keen to put my time towards as farming and mechanisation have always been huge passions of mine.

What does the club offer?

We hold winter meetings across 7 centres throughout Norfolk, key speakers this year are Bill King of Cheffins and Holt Myers, Grandson of the late Fred Myers founder of Levertons and Andrew Ward (YouTube Wardies Waffles) Additionally we have visits to farms, dealers or manufacturers, these typically very well attended, the visit to TNS last season for a talk from Fendt saw 70 members in attendance. Annually we host the farm innovations stand at The Royal Norfolk Show which this year saw some very strong entries. Every second year we also hold the well regarded Normac Demo which is a working demonstration held across 80ha on a selected site in Norfolk, it’s a perfect opportunity to come and see new equipment working in real conditions up close and to quiz sales personnel on its merits. In the non-demo year, we also host a ploughing match in central Norfolk. Additionally, there is the free quarterly magazine “Top Link” that is sent out to members with updates on new technologies and write ups of club visits.

How many members do you have?

250 members across Norfolk, typically farmers, managers, farm workers, contractors and engineers and we are always looking for more of course!! Get in touch with me at: demo@normac.org.uk

How has the club changed over the past 10 years?

The club is almost a victim of its own success of championing advancements in mechanisation leading to reduced numbers of people actually involved in agriculture, we are evolving as a club and looking to attract a younger audience with an updated website in the pipe line and some fresh ideas with a younger team now coming through the committee ranks.

What are your objectives for the years ahead?

To attract more new members, engage with a wider audience across social networks, secure high quality respected speakers.

How has the last year or so impacted your business?

The usual challenges that most clubs faced but we seem to have popped out the other side after COVID relatively unscathed. Our biggest challenges at the moment are engaging with younger potential members.

Who is your inspiration?

Seeing others getting out and enjoying our wonderful industry. Promoting safety with agriculture. My love of the agricultural industry is what gets me out of bed in the morning.

If you could do it all again, what would you do differently?

I would definitely make more time to do an oversees experience, possibly a year in NZ and a year in the US on a harvest team, nothing broadens the mind like travel and being out of your comfort zone.

What are the clubs plans for the future?

To engage with a younger audience, to promote Normac across social networks and raise our profile.

When and how did you begin working with Witham Group?

Through Classic Tractor magazine and our Suffolk Bunch articles. I use your lubricants and coolants in my fleet of classic tractors, Simon Ranshaw your sales consultant provides an excellent hassle free prompt service that’s hard to beat, saves me a lot of hassle and running about.

What is important to you in a supplier?

A contact that answers their phone, prompt service and delivery, honesty in approach, no-nonsense, hassle free and knowledgeable – that’s why I use Witham.