Conagri started as a construction equipment dealer and plant hire company, but has made significant strides into the agricultural sector – as seen at the company’s open day
Based just outside of Crediton, Conagri shares its site with AMIA (Agri Market Insight & Access Ltd). This is not just a business deal made from convenience; Conagri’s founder, Andrew Venton, is uncle to AMIA’s Alan Dennis. The two companies specialise in importing and distributing brands that they believe will stand up to the established, premium products available in the UK, offered at a price suited to cost-conscious customers.
Having worked internationally for construction and agricultural manufacturers for much of his career, Andrew established Conagri in 2023 and was quickly appointed the Southwest dealer for Sunward excavation equipment. Andrew followed this up by taking on the Captain Agri Machinery brand – compact Indian-built tractors designed for horticulture and small holdings. This agreement introduced Conagri as a national importer and distributor, with continued efforts to build up a dealer network across the UK.
“Between the range offered by AMIA and our products, we can provide products across construction, landscaping and agriculture, as well as a comprehensive hire fleet,” says Andrew. When asked if there were any issues having two companies offer sometimes competing products to customers, he said no. “Alan and I work together to find the best solution for anyone who comes onto the yard. Our ethos is that there is room for everyone in the industry.”
Getting people in the seat
The hire fleet is the best way to convince a potential customer of the benefits of lesser-known brands, Andrew believes. “You may not have heard of some of the manufacturers we work with; your customers might not have heard of them either, but we are confident that they offer the same quality of work as others on the market, and the work completed is valued the same regardless of the badge on the machine.”
He also believes that as machinery prices continue to increase and margins become tighter, farmers and contractors will look to alternative ways to run their businesses. “One way is to consider different manufacturers,” he says. “However, I do believe that we will start to see a shift to hiring. Your costs are fixed, there’s no need to worry about increasing maintenance costs or depreciation, and your fleet is constantly updating as new machines come to market.”
It’s here that the new McCormick franchise is expected to see big gains. Not only is it already a popular brand in the area, previously looked after by RSM Beares, which will continue to offer and support the manufacturer until August, but by utilising them within the hire fleet, it enables Conagri to complement its other brands – including Samasz mowers – with suitably powered tractors.
“We always said that we weren’t going to take on a tractor brand, because the market was in such a bad place and so much capital is invested in holding machines on site,” Andrew says. “But Argo Tractors (the parent company of McCormick GB) were very easy to deal with and had realistic targets in place that I felt like we could meet.”
Nationwide back-up
While the franchises for companies such as McCormick and Sunward are regional, both Conagri and AMIA have nationwide distribution agreements. Given their focus on the margins of customers, we asked how they handle potential downtime. “Where we have nationwide agreements, we are actively developing a dealer network so that customers can access backup when required. However, there are always areas of the country where this isn’t possible, so we have a team on-site who can travel, and agreements with independent engineers,” Alan says.
Andrew adds that many of the brands offered nationwide are robust, easy-to-maintain machines, and customers are often handy enough to tackle the most common products themselves. “We’re investing in spare parts and trying to prioritise companies with a European base so that larger parts can be shipped quickly.”
Conagri has expanded rapidly over the last three years, filling out the range with a host of brands. In the last year alone, the company has taken on Negri (Italian landscaping equipment), signed an importer deal for the tracked forestry machines from Canadian manufacturer Bron, and reintroduced the Venieri wheeled loader brand to the UK.
Not present at the open day, but available to order from Conagri were products from two European manufacturers focused on silage and grain handling.
EuroBagging
Czech manufacturer EuroBagging offers silage baggers in a range of sizes, including a self-propelled machine and trailed unit for tractors from 100hp. Andrew expects there to be significant interest from contractors for these machines; therefore, it is likely that the larger machines will be the most popular. Interest in silage bagging has grown in recent years, as growers attempt to manage yield and storage.
“Silage bagging doesn’t require planning permission like a larger clamp, and there are some farms where clamp facilities cannot cope with the yield or the size of machinery now,” Andrew says. “They can either look to a contractor offering silage bagging, or face a significant cost to increase capacity on-site.”
Standard equipment across the range includes flexible top stands and remote control, so that the machine can be assembled or disassembled without jumping in and out of the cabin. Most models can be operated without a rear gate, meaning that no cables are exposed to damage.
Various tunnel widths are available for each machine, with the highest capacity units capable of handling throughputs up to 150t/hr, and top specification models come with a camera system to enable the operator to have an overview of the entire operation.
RoMill
Another Czech brand that Conagri has agreed to distribute is RoMill, specifically the M2 trailed grain crimper. It requires 120hp up front and has a 9cu m hopper which can be filled directly in the field, or in the yard, so that the harvesting process is not held back – though RoMill itself says that the M2 can keep up with two harvesters.
According to the company, despite the moderate power requirement, the M2 can handle up to 40t/hr when set up for a coarse crimp, or 30t/hr when a finer finish is required. It uses a 250mm diameter screw conveyor, with pipework to apply additives during the operation. The machine comes with a hoist to handle IBCs, and there is space to hold up to 2,000 litres of additive onboard.
It features an auger so that crimped material can be unloaded directly into another trailer or into a pit.
RoMill states that using the M2 can lead to savings of 40 euros/ton when compared to grain drying. Andrew notes that this could be ideal for contractors looking to diversify their harvesting operations, or larger farms which want a cost-effective way to process their cattle feed.