Few people have had greater influence on agriculture than Henry George “Harry” Ferguson. Raised on a family farm in County Down, Northern Ireland, at the end of the 19th century, Harry developed the hydraulic three-point hitch system for attaching ploughs and other implements to tractors, an innovative system that became the global industry standard. Harry’s innovation is used around the world, including in the Massey Ferguson tractors manufactured today that bear his name.
Farming for the Future
This love of the land and passion for innovation has been passed down to the current generation of agricultural businesses in Northern Ireland, which is one of the four regions of the UK.
Farming is the biggest industry in Northern Ireland—with 75% of land used for agriculture—and the region is a global leader in equipment manufacturing, technology and academic research in the field. This combination of expertise means Northern Ireland farms with the future in mind, developing innovative, reliable farming equipment and agri-tech that can help increase profits, manage land, boost yields and safeguard food quality.
Northern Ireland companies are bringing this success to the global agricultural industry, with a host of machinery and equipment manufacturers and agricultural tech companies all carrying on the Ferguson tradition.
Modern Machinery
Kingspan is a multi-billion-dollar industry player, with offices and manufacturing facilities across the globe. Northern Ireland is where they manufacture tanks like the TruckMaster, a high-quality portable fuel storage and dispensing system specifically designed for the safe transport of diesel fuel. With four capacities and the ability to be stored on the back of a truck, it allows users to transfer and refuel remotely on-site. Their accompanying smart monitoring system provides real-time data for full visibility and control of assets, tracking consumption and alerting to sudden drops.
Fleming Agri has been producing agricultural machinery for more than 150 years and currently exports over 100 product lines to more than 20 countries worldwide. The company’s motto is “Simplicity is our strength,” appealing to farmers who want efficient, hard-wearing equipment without any fuss. Throughout its history, the company has remained committed to providing customers around the world with products and service that align with its values of quality, strength and value for money. Products include aerators, bale handling equipment, grass toppers, harrows, land rollers, shear grabs, trailers and slurry tankers.
SlurryKat exports 140 products to 20 countries, including tankers and dribble bars for precision slurry spreading that meets environmental regulations. They’ve developed a vertical folding dribble bar which can be tanker-mounted or used on an existing umbilical system. Dribble bar application leads to lower ammonia losses, better nitrogen efficiency, and higher crop yields than splash plate or injection spreading. It also results in significant savings on fertilizer, less environmental pollution, and reduced plant leaf contamination.
UPU Industries manufactures bale netting for crop protection. Founded in Northern Ireland, the company exports to over 30 countries and has a manufacturing base in Kansas City. Their Farmer’s brand specializes in big bale solutions, including net wrapping, pallet netting and baler twine for hay, straw, stalks and silage baling. Using innovative production techniques, their net wrap is perfectly flat across the whole roll of netting. Field testing has demonstrated this guarantees a tighter bale with over-the-edge cover to ensure the most efficient storage and transportation of round bales. UPU also manufactures specifically engineered pallet netting used in the transportation of products that need to breathe – vegetables or other materials that need to be held in place by a strong and flexible netting that will not fail.
CK International’s trash balers and compactors are trusted by the likes of Amazon, Coca-Cola and IKEA, but they have found increasing demand for their equipment to compact high volumes of hemp. Their fully automatic machines provide simple loading and can streamline baling to increase efficiency and profitability.
Creative Composites is one of the UK’s most advanced composites manufacturers, producing external components and light-weighting solutions for world-leading OEMs such as JCB, Terex and Hyster Yale. As the design of agricultural machinery evolves, the company is able to produce complex, curved and heavy-duty composite componentry, both external and structural, to improve the efficiency and durability of the agri machines of the future. With high-volume production on the UK’s largest compression mold presses, Creative Composite’s in-house design and tech expertise offers unique end-to-end service for clients from new product development, through to manufacturing, trim, paint, full assembly and servicing.
Blaney Group has a number of engineering divisions with almost 30 years of experience creating products for agriculture, ground care, construction, fabrication, gear systems, and motors. Their Quad-X division manufactures over 140 attachments for quads and UTVs, suited for the agricultural industry, landscapers, amenities, small acreage holders, and the equestrian market. This includes mowers, sprayers, trailers, fertilizer spreaders, menage graders, sweepers, rollers, harrows and salt spreaders. In particular, Blaney pioneered ATV weed control equipment. Their Wipeout herbicide applicator was the world’s first intelligent weed control system – it treats only the weeds, giving faster kill rates while achieving up to 97% less chemical usage. The company’s Blaney Agri division produces similarly advanced solutions for larger-scale use on tractors, particularly for grassland management, weed control, feeding, bedding and hedge-cutting.
Quadcrate was developed as a creative solution to a transport problem on the founders’ farm in Northern Ireland. Using an ATV meant they could travel across soft ground heavier vehicles couldn’t access, however they wanted to make the ATV/Quad more versatile for managing farm tasks. Quadcrate developed a range of attachments made to perform multiple jobs, from unrolling sheep wire to transporting smaller livestock, making the operator more productive and efficient. Quadcrate can carry loads of more than 130 pounds spread evenly across the bike and are effective on hilly terrain. They are easy to install, simple to operate, and compatible with most ATVs.
Advanced Agri-Tech
Unitas Software’s Poultry Manager drives efficiency with its supply chain software for eggs and poultry: streamlining egg packers and poultry integrators by connecting farms, automating tasks, managing results, forecasting, and complying with industry operating standards. Integrating data from across the supply chain in real time improves decisions as instant alerts and dashboard visibility highlight areas requiring attention. The software is trusted by leading egg producers in the US and Europe, including Kreher’s Farm Fresh Eggs in New York, Vital Farms in Austin, and Organic Valley in Wisconsin.
CropSafe provides on-demand satellite insights and predictions on crop health with alerts sent to your smartphone. Their machine learning algorithm provides critical information to farmers: everything from oncoming storms to the spread of possible contamination and disease – currently responsible for losses of more than $6.8 billion globally in crops like wheat, barley and potatoes. The technology removes delays associated with drones and aircraft and is far more cost-effective.
Cattle Eye is the world’s first autonomous livestock video monitoring AI platform, with hands-free monitoring of cow welfare and performance. Their technology can provide early detection of lameness, helping treat livestock more effectively and lessening antibiotics use. Cattle Eye doesn’t require collars, pedometers or tags, and results are delivered to a smartphone. The increased efficiency can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30% per gallon of milk produced.
Machine Eye develops safety technology for tractors, plant and large mobile machines, saving lives and limbs on farms. They use the latest in deep learning AI techniques to identify humans in real-time, analyze and predict their movement, and understand their likely interaction with a machine to prevent accidents involving human-machine collisions. Their technology supports the development of autonomous farm vehicles, with the retrofit of existing tractors and machinery towards autonomous capabilities.
Northern Ireland to North America
Agricultural heritage combines with technology and engineering excellence in Northern Ireland, creating a flourishing agri industry that influences global farming. Harry Ferguson would no doubt be proud to see the impact of his legacy.
Northern Ireland companies offer innovative, reliable equipment and tech solutions suitable for all types of North American farms, and have the capacity and capability to service the US and Canadian markets. Reap the benefits of our expertise and source your farming solutions from the world leaders.
Look to Northern Ireland for world-class agricultural innovation. Invest Northern Ireland can connect you to the companies with the right products and solutions for your farm. Contact our Trade team in the Americas to discuss your agriculture and farming needs.
