John Colgan, Kverneland Group Ireland’s demonstrator and one of the farm machinery industry’s best known and highly respected representatives, has decided to retire after more than fifty years in the business. John has been hugely respected in farm machinery in Ireland and abroad. He is known the length and breadth of Ireland for his knowledge and ability to teach others how to get the best from their farm machines. Always patient, always with good humour.
John Colgan began his career with I.A.M, Irish Agricultural Machinery, then based on Dublin’s Naas Road at Fox and Geese, outside Clondalkin, in the 1970’s. He joined the company in January 1977 after being interviewed by Mr I.P. Jones, the founder of I.A.M. He took up a role in service and was involved in servicing Deutz-Fahr tractors and combines, Welger balers and both Taarup and McConnel brands.
By the early 80’s, John was out on the road providing both service and training to dealers and farmers for the full range of farm machines offered by I.A.M. Adding the Kverneland products, brought a different requirement to the distribution and demonstrating of this now much broader range of machinery.
A new company, Kverneland Taarup was set up in Kilkenny, running along-side I.A.M. John’s role in this new structure became largely a teaching and demonstrating one- keeping dealer staff aware of new models and showing them and their customers how the machinery operated.
John has always had the capacity to get to the heart of the issue, to identify the problems. His is blessed with the technical ability to solve them. He soon became a link for Kverneland Group factories in supporting research & development projects and in developing new machines. This link is still very strong to this day and Kverneland factory personnel hold John in very high esteem as a result of the years of feedback which he provided to them. Much of this feedback has been incorporated into the next generations of machines.
John also showed the dedication to move with the times and incorporated into his repertoire new technologies over the years, including the many SMART farming precision features which are now part of today’s product offering. He quietly went about becoming an expert on all machines in the Kverneland, Vicon, Siloking and McConnel ranges.
One day he would be demonstrating an I-plough or U drill, the next day it could be a T3 sprayer or a McConnel Agribuggy and the day after it could be Siloking feeder or a Kveneland 53100MT butterfly mower. The range was vast and the man with the knowledge on all these machines was John.
On a personal note, I am very grateful to John for the help and support given to me over my 40 years of involvement in the farm machinery industry. He provided an unrivalled professional service to I.A.M and Kverneland Group Ireland customers over the past 44 years. For me as a young machinery journalist, John was always helpful and totally obliging, always happy to impart his knowledge in a practical way.
John, a most heartfelt thanks and best wishes for long, healthy and happy retirement with Mag. We wish you and Mag many a good day either golfing or fishing together as you write this next long chapter in your lives together.
