MFT at the Ernest Doe Show

On February 6th a group of MFT personnel attended the 2007 Doe Show at Ulting, near Maldon in Essex. It was a cold day, but bright and sunny, so it seems we had chosen the right day to attend. The show ran for three days and on the third day it snowed!

The show ground covered a huge area and there was a great deal to see, from gleaming new machines to used and ex-demonstration equipment. Some of MFT's farm workers, such as Kevin, shown here with a New Holland T8040, are especially interested in and knowledgeable about agricultural machinery and so attending the show was a real treat for them. Unfortunately, the price tags on the biggest and best machines were more than a little out of MFT's reach, but that didn't stop us dreaming of what might some day be!

Throughout the day there were demonstrations of ploughs, tractors, chain saws and various other machinery and these were a must for the MFT visitors. One of the most impressive was a demonstration of the Hyundai 140-7 excavator, which showed just how versatile, manoeuvrable and speedy the machine is. Several of us watching wished we could have had a try behind the controls, but the results wouldn't have matched those of the expert driver who put the machine through its paces so skilfully.

We saw a ploughing demonstration using the new New Holland T7000 Series tractors. They certainly made MFT's old Ford tractor look a bit dated.

There were plenty of staff from the various manufacturers on hand, ready to chat to our farm workers, and to give out leaflets and brochures, and in one of the tents free tea, coffee, and hot soup were being dispensed - very welcome on such a cold day!

We had our own expert on hand. Philip, our senior support worker has many years of experience in farming and was ready to explain what the various machines were for and how they worked.

It was not only the gleaming new machines that attracted attention. One of the stars of the show was the famous Doe Triple D, described by the manufacturers as 'a unique tractor '. The Triple D (Doe Dual Drive) was first produced in 1957 to meet the needs of farmers working on the heavy clay soils of East Anglia. Conventional tractors up to that time had only about 50 horse power and were not adequate to the jobs which needed to be done. They lost grip, and while this could be overcome by the use of tractors with crawlers, they were too slow. Doe produced the revolutionary Triple D by harnessing two Fordson tractors together, linked by a turntable such as that used on an articulated lorry. After a few teething difficulties with synchronising the two engines and enabling one driver, seated in the rear tractor, to steer, the Triple D evolved into the machine we see today, giving more than 100 horse power and four-wheel drive.

Although we could not afford to buy any of the agricultural machinery on sale, we did manage to spend some money in one of the tents where scale replicas of the great machines were on sale. Here you see David, one of our farm workers, trying to decide which tractor he will invest in. Sadly, it was only one of the models.

Attendance at shows is just one of the ways MFT works to develop the skills and interests of all its farm workers, and to enhance their quality of life and their contribution to society. We all enjoyed a great day at the Doe Show and look forward to attending the South Suffolk Show in May.