Legacy agricultural machinery brand Farm Trader is under new ownership and set to relaunch with a strong refocus on its niche machinery origins
Farm Trader will be separating off from its current shared position with Deals on Wheels magazine to revert to its origins as a standalone publication.
Farm Trader has been purchased by Machinery Media Ltd, owned by Kiwi farming couple Jaiden and Hannah Drought. This acquisition, which includes Farm Trader’s strong digital platform farmtrader.co.nz and magazine, marks a full circle moment for Jaiden.
Jaiden brings over a decade of experience with Farm Trader as the brand’s core machinery review tester, writer, and video presenter. He has also co-hosted the Australasian machinery show Mighty Machines. Jaiden’s machinery experience includes roles with globally leading brands and as president of TAMA (Tractor and Machinery Association).
Alongside managing their Northland dairy farm, Jaiden and Hannah have four sons who are farm-mad and are showing signs that heavy metal runs in the blood. This shared passion fuels Jaiden and Hannah’s commitment to supporting the agricultural industry.
“I’ve grown up as part of this industry, been involved in it all my life, and am genuinely passionate about it,” says Jaiden. “Farm Trader gives me an opportunity to help connect buyers and sellers and play a role in celebrating and showcasing this industry.
“Remarkably, despite a global decline in print magazines, Farm Trader has continued to grow its readership, bucking the trends for print magazines in general and showing that niche magazines with specialist content still have relevance.
“To build on this, we will take the brand, both digital and print, in a new direction, hosting a number of industry-specific machinery events, putting an increased emphasis on Farm Trader’s strong online Buy/Sell platform, and relaunching the magazine as a quarterly publication with seasonal content.
“We’re aiming to work with brands and dealers to reinvigorate as many facets of the industry as we can. It’s been a challenging few years for machinery and agriculture in general, which is why we’ve committed to hosting a North Island Tractor Showcase event, a machinery demonstration event, and launching a Material Handling Showcase at the South Island Agricultural Fieldays next year.”
Farm Trader’s first quarterly issue, featuring content from its 2024 Tractor Showcase, will be released in the spring issue in September. Farm Trader is sent directly to rural contractors and farmers.
New machinery videos and content will be regularly uploaded onto the high-traffic Farm Trader website, which includes a revamped Buy/Sell functionality, making it the go-to source for up-to-date machinery for sale, industry news, videos, and an archive of over 20 years of machinery reviews.