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Christmas all year round with Pellenc

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Christmas all year round with Pellenc: The battery-powered Pellenc Prunion pruning shears have proved to be instrumental in helping one of the UK’s largest Christmas tree growers.

Tayside Forestry has been producing Christmas trees in the heart of the Angus countryside in Scotland for nearly 60 years. The company produces approximately 80,000 Christmas trees each year on 500 acres of prime land and its clients include large retail businesses, wholesalers and garden centres. It also sells directly to the public from the farm throughout December, turning its farm shed into a Christmas tree forest and light show.

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

Adam Robinson is the Farm Manager for Tayside Forestry and oversees the growing and the selling of the Christmas trees. He explained how the centrepiece of every home during the festive period takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

“Nordmann Fir and Fraser Fir are the main crops that we grow, and we have about 1.1 million trees in the ground,” he said. “We will normally take the trees out of the field in their seventh year, but we have to carefully nurture them along the way.

“During the process we let them grow and develop their root system and once they have got to a certain height (approximately thigh level) we will continue shaping the tree to make sure they have that beautiful Christmas tree shape.

“In particular, we carry out bottom handling on the trees,” continued Adam. “The purpose of this is to keep the bottom ten inches of the tree clear of branches so that people can get the Christmas trees into the stands. This is where the Pellenc Prunion comes in.”

The Prunion pruning shears are ideal for growers looking for the most powerful, lightest and most innovative tool on the market. Its grip fits any hand, and its large cutting diameter makes it incredibly comfortable to use. The numerous innovations of this pruning shear make it indispensable for professionals seeking either freedom of movement with the 150P pocket or the possibility to alternate tools with the 250 battery, which allows users to connect two Pellenc tools simultaneously.

Tayside Forestry purchased five Prunions with the 250 batteries from Pellenc distributor Agrovista Amenity and Adam revealed that they have made a huge difference to operations.

“Previously we used to have an air compressor and a lot of hose to do this job, but it was costly and took a very long time – we needed a solution,” he said. “Now, with the Pellenc Prunions we are so much more agile – you don’t have to have an air hose cable following you round or an air compressor.

“The team moves more freely and simply walk around the trees – the job is now completed in a much quicker time. One of the main reasons for purchasing the Prunion is because many of our fields are located on steep hills and it can get to where all the other equipment just cannot.

“There are quite a few settings and operating modes which is really handy. For example, if you are in a field with big branches at the bottom of the tree, you can adjust the settings to open the shears wider; and you can be sensitive on the trigger or aggressive depending on the task. It is a very precise tool.”

Adam estimates that last year the five Pellenc pruning shears were used for somewhere between 167 and 189 hours, and never once did the battery power fail the Tayside Forestry team.

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

“The team can be out in the field cutting with them constantly from 7am-5pm,” continued Adam. “Not one set has ever run out of battery on us – you could easily get two days’ work out of them.

“Originally, they were just purchased for bottom handling, but we have found a lot of other uses for them like clearing old fields, bottom handling very old trees, they can be used alongside marking trees, collecting branches and making Christmas wreaths.”

After working hard throughout the year, Adam sent the Prunions for an annual service at the expert Pelllenc technical centre in Edinburgh.

“I was very impressed with the service and it was all part of the warranty agreement,” he said. “I simply dropped them off locally to Agrovista Amenity and all five Prunions were back within a couple of weeks with new blades and in excellent condition ready to be put to work again.

“I’ve used electrics for quite a number of years for pruning and these are the best set I’ve ever come across,” Adam continued. “They are practical, easy to use, cost effective and function very well. They have proved to be an exceptionally good purchase.”

Pellenc products are exclusively distributed in the UK by Etesia UK.

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.pellencuk.com

You can also follow Pellenc on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @PellencUK for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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Changing the Business of Golf with Fame Tate

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Changing the Business of Golf with Fame Tate: A unique new docuseries telling the remarkable story of one woman’s mission to turnaround a rundown golf club and make it a friendly, accessible and inclusive community venue is now streaming on syngentagolf.com

In a first for the golf industry, the fly-on-the-wall documentary, Changing the Business of Golf, follows former Ladies European Tour professional Fame Tate as she breaks with tradition and aims to transform the course and customer experience at Stanedge Golf Club, Derbyshire.

Changing the Business of Golf with Fame Tate

Changing the Business of Golf with Fame Tate

In the first episode, Fame recalls the life-changing decision to acquire the golf course and how she is turning the club into an open, friendly venue at the heart of her local community.

Meanwhile, as the team prepares for a new season, they are faced with the prospect of preparing the golf course for reopening without their head greenkeeper.

“If you’d said to me one day you’ll own a golf club, I’d have probably sat there are laughed,” says Fame, whose playing career was cut short by injury. “My vision from day one was to break away from the traditional golf club model. It’s about making a place that’s welcoming, affordable, accessible, inclusive.”

Working closely with her greenkeeping team – and revealing how she rolled up her sleeves to get stuck in to groundwork – Fame is investing in a major course upgrade to improve playing conditions.

The series documents day-to-day happenings, including course management work led by head greenkeeper Christian ‘CJ’ Johnson.

“It was a tough task for Fame and everybody involved to get the course back to where it was,” says CJ. “But since then we have really tried to improve it as a team and get it moving forwards.”

Just one year after acquiring the club, Fame faced the potentially catastrophic challenge of the Covid pandemic and enforced lockdown, forcing her and the team to call on their inner reserves of strength and resilience to keep the business afloat.

Will she realise her vision and succeed? The series will follow Fame and her team as she reopens Stanedge Golf Club and takes on the business of golf.

Watch the first episode now on Syngenta Golf: https://www.syngentagolf.com/changing-business-golf

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Hayter partners with Commonwealth War Graves Foundation

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Hayter partners with Commonwealth War Graves Foundation: To mark the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation’s first-ever War Graves Week (21-28 May 2021), premium lawncare brand Hayter has partnered with the Foundation to honour the Commonwealth’s war dead.

The partnership has launched the Best in Bloom competition, which invites people of all ages to create their very own wildflower memorial to remember those who died in the world wars. The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF) will be sending out free packets of wildflower seeds, which have been chosen to reflect the plants that would have grown on the battlefields of the First World War, to all that apply for some.

Hayter partners with Commonwealth War Graves Foundation

Hayter partners with Commonwealth War Graves Foundation

The competition encourages people to plant the seeds now and the patch of wildflowers will be ready by War Graves Week. People can then enter the competition between 21-28 May by sharing their wildflower memorials on Twitter or Instagram using #WarGravesWeek. The winner will be selected by a panel of horticultural experts and they will take home a prize of up to £200 to spend in a garden centre.

Hayter will be supporting CWGF by stocking the seeds across the UK in its network of independent lawn mower dealers.

On the partnership, Craig Hoare, Sales and Marketing Manager for Hayter, said: “Gardening has been a great outlet for many of us during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a country we have come together to thank those who have put others before themselves. This follows in a great British tradition and shows that it’s just as relevant today as it’s always been to remember those who have given their lives for the greater good.”

While the seeds are free, donations to the CWGF are encouraged, as the foundation aims to engage and educate people in telling the stories of the 1.7 million fallen Commonwealth servicemen and women.

For more information on War Graves Week: https://www.cwgc.org/our-war-graves-your-history/war-graves-week/

For information on your local Hayter dealership: https://www.hayter.co.uk/locate-dealer

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A short course with a long lifespan

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A short course with a long lifespan: Edinburgh’s Swanston Golf Club has reinvested in its Templar Course, some thirteen years after it first opened. The 9-hole par 3 course partners the Club’s 18-hole course and its short format is proving more popular than ever, appealing to many who appreciate the ability to play a round in under an hour.

Situated at the foot of the Pentland Hills with wonderful views across Edinburgh, Fife and beyond, Swanston Golf Club was founded in 1927, originally as a ladies-only course. Such was the panoramic beauty and challenging hilly nature of the course, demand from members’ partners meant that it wasn’t long before the Club was opened to all. It now prides itself on inclusivity, with a thriving junior section and a spacious, family-friendly Clubhouse that is open to members and non-members alike.

A short course with a long lifespan

A short course with a long lifespan

Recognising the popularity and further potential of the Templar Course, the Club’s management team re-engaged Huxley Golf in early 2021 to recreate all of its nine tees. As there are no natural grass alternatives, the whole course benefits from reliable artificial tee surfaces which guarantee year-round play.

Thirteen is unlucky for some but not for us it seems!” remarked Club Manager Secretary Mike Robson. “I understand that Huxley Golf worked on the initial installation thirteen years ago, so its testimony to their product and installation skills that Templar has stood the test of time. This is the first occasion that I have had the opportunity to work with Huxley Golf, but I had no hesitation in putting my trust in the company to revamp what is an increasingly popular feature of our Club.

From the longevity and performance of the initial installation, it was clear to me that the quality and playing experience of Huxley Golf surfaces remain unbeatable.”

Huxley Golf’s Hugh Fraser oversaw the project from removing old rotten wood bases to creating brand new playing surfaces using the company’s renowned Premier Tee Turf 2. “We were delighted to be entrusted with reinvigorating this fabulous short course, which will undoubtedly attract an even wider range of people and help the Club develop golf in the Lothian area,” he commented.

At the same time, the Huxley Golf team helped the Club lay a brand new practice tee strip near to the driving range. Measuring some 6ft (1.8m) by 75ft (22.8m), this large all-weather feature marries perfectly with adjoining natural grass to create a facility with season-long playability.

For over half a century, the name Huxley has been synonymous with premium all-weather golf surfaces and products. Endorsed by the UK’s leading golf organisations as well as many legendary golfers and celebrities and their coaching teams, the Hampshire-based company’s artificial golf surfaces are in use all around the world at top-flight courses, resorts, and training academies. For more information visit www.huxleygolf.com.

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Engcon signs agreement with John Deere

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Engcon signs agreement with John Deere: Engcon, the world’s leading tiltrotator manufacturer, and John Deere have entered into a major agreement focusing on the US and Canada markets.

Through this preferred supplier agreement, Engcon’s products will be available to end users through the John Deere and Hitachi excavator dealer network throughout the US and Canada. This collaboration will ensure that customers are able to purchase their John Deere and Hitachi excavators equipped with Engcon’s productivity enhancing products.

Engcon signs agreement with John Deere

Engcon signs agreement with John Deere

Engcon’s mission is to change the world of digging. With Engcon the excavator is turned into a tool carrier changing the way operators dig and enabling new ways to use an excavator. Engcon’s tiltrotator together with an Engcon quick hitch gives operators the ability to change tools without leaving the cabin and use them in new ways that increase the flexibility and efficiency of their excavators. All this ultimately leads to increased productivity and profitability for customers. Engcon is now a preferred supplier of John Deere, which means end users can access Engcon’s smart products from the John Deere and Hitachi excavator dealer network throughout the United States and Canada.

“This journey started in the Nordic countries 30 years ago based on the idea that it was possible to dig and utilise excavators in a better way. At Engcon we are thrilled to increase the pace of this journey together with John Deere, we believe that we will both benefit by making Engcon’s proven solutions available in the US and Canada together with John Deere and Hitachi excavators. However, the real winners in this are the operators and end customers that will be able to work in new ways and be more productive and profitable”, says Krister Blomgren, CEO Engcon.

Thanks to the new collaboration, customers will be able to choose Engcon’s tiltrotators and automatic quick mounting system with EC-Oil, where the driver can connect hydraulic tools without leaving the cab, through authorised John Deere and Hitachi dealers in the USA and Canada.

“At John Deere, we have always been focused on providing products and technology that enable our customers to optimise efficiency and uptime on the job site. Through this agreement with Engcon, customers are further equipped to benefit from enhanced jobsite performance and ultimately profitability”, says David Thorne, senior vice president, sales & marketing, John Deere Construction & Forestry.

This agreement makes it possible for customers to benefit from easier and quicker access to Engcon’s products through their local John Deere and Hitachi excavator dealers. This marks a milestone in making the tiltrotator concept more accepted and known globally, particularly in the US and Canada where Engcon is expecting an increased rate of growth in the coming years.

Facts:

  • Through authorised John Deere and Hitachi excavator dealers in the US and Canada customers will be able to select Engcon’s tiltrotators for the John Deere excavator range from 26G to 345G and the Hitachi excavator range from ZX26 through ZX345.
  • Engcon’s EC-Oil automatic quick hitches will also be available through authorised John Deere and Hitachi excavator dealers for the John Deere 75G to the 380G excavators and Hitachi ZX75 to the ZX380 excavators where the operator can connect hydraulic tools without leaving the cab, Engcon’s standard locking control QSC and the proportional DC2 control system.

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