Later this year, Cheffins will host two dispersal sales on behalf of Velcourt Ltd, following a strategic restructuring of the farm management firm.
In September 2025, Velcourt announced that it would reduce its contracting operations by around 20% across the Cotswolds, Midlands and East Anglia, enabling it to release capital and refocus investment.
This has led to a large amount of machinery becoming available, which will be sold in two auctions: a June one focused on cultivation equipment and one in September for harvest and application equipment.
Nick Shorter, chief executive of The Velcourt Group, said: “We undertook a strategic review across the business and identified the need to release capital from machinery in order to reinvest for the future. Changes to farm support mechanisms, alongside inflationary pressures, have altered the risk profile of some of our contracting and combinable crop agreements.”
“This restructure allows us to reposition the business, reinvesting in areas where we see stronger long-term growth. While we will be ceasing operations on around 6,500 hectares following harvest, we have taken on a further 4,500 hectares. These new operations see different business models and focuses, and we will be looking to maximise these opportunities and use the proceeds of these two auctions to refocus on other parts of our business.”
Highlights from the sales will include:
- 2025 Horsch Avata 6SL drill
- 2022 Vaderstad NZ600 cultivator
- 2022 Horsh Terrano 4mt cultivator,
- 2023 Dalbo 1030 Cambridge rolls
- 2019 JCB 538-60 Agri Pro telescopic loader
- 2024 Amazone AZ-TS 4200Profis Pro fertiliser spreader
- 2016 Horsch Sprinter 8ST drill
Charles Wadsley, director at Cheffins, who is handling the auctions, commented: “This machinery comes from one of the most well-regarded businesses in farming. This is big-scale kit that’s been out doing the job. It comes from the centre of a professional farming operation where reliability and maintenance are a significant part of day-to-day farming. There’s no room in a business like this for substandard equipment, and that really shows in the way the machinery has been presented. It’s a credit to the teams on farm.”
“This is a great opportunity for farmers and contractors to reinvest in their own machinery. Auctions remain one of the most cost-effective ways to secure high-quality machinery and keep businesses moving forward. All of the equipment has been well maintained and is ready to go straight to work, so buyers can bid with confidence.”
The auctions will be operated across five sites in Cirencester, Oxfordshire, Lincolnshire, Nuneaton and North Yorkshire, with individual lot descriptions detailing item locations for inspection and collection. The first will take place between the 4th and 18th of June, with the second running from 10th to the 24th of September.