Farm machinery worth £5.6m sold so far this year

Farm machinery to the value of nearly £5.6 million has been sold by regional auctioneer Halls in the first seven months of an exceptionally busy year.

Farm dispersal sales have been held across an area spanning from the West Midlands to mid- and north Wales, while collective farm machinery auctions are held in Shrewsbury and Kidderminster throughout the year.

Bidders unable to attend the auctions can either bid and purchase online through the MartEye platform or leave telephone bids with the auction team at Halls, which has a network of offices across Shropshire, Powys and Worcestershire.

Traditionally, most farm dispersal sales are held in the autumn. But this year Halls has been organising auctions virtually every month as farmers have retired, changed farming policy or passed away.

Buoyant prices

Auctioneer Jonny Dymond, manager of Shrewsbury Auction Centre, says the increased number of dispersal sales and buoyant prices for second hand farm machinery are the result of a combination of factors.

“We have had a tremendous run of sales and, as our good reputation grows by word of mouth in farming circles, we are extending our geographical reach and attracting new clients,” he says.

“At our dispersal sale at Penley, near Wrexham this summer, we sold a 2012 Land Rover Defender Hardtop 90 for £25,500. It was a particularly high spec, low mileage example, but it was still an exceptional price.