Cheffins is gearing up to host one of the UK’s biggest farm machinery auctions of the year, with over £2 million worth of top-tier kit from Eastern Farms Ltd going under the hammer this September.
Driven by a strategic shift towards regenerative farming and a complete fleet renewal, Charles Leadbetter, owner of Eastern Farms Ltd, has made the decision to release nearly half of the business’s machinery.
The sale, which will take place in Somersham, Cambridgeshire, will include around 200 lots of high-spec, dealer-maintained equipment.
Eastern Farms Ltd manages approximately 6,700 acres of arable and grassland across the county, with land entered into Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.
The business has been trialling direct drilling methods and plans to expand these practices across the enterprise, seeking to reduce establishment costs and bolster long-term viability.
Among the headline lots going under the hammer are several high-value machines, including a 2023 John Deere 9RX 640 tractor, expected to fetch around £300,000, and a 2019 John Deere 9620 RX with an estimate of £180,000.
Also featured is a 2022 John Deere X9 1100 combine harvester, valued at £300,000, and a 2021 JCB 435S loading shovel, estimated at £100,000.
Two John Deere 6R 215 tractors from 2024 and 2022 are set to sell for approximately £130,000 and £90,000 respectively.
Completing the line-up is a 2020 Richard Western GR25 chaser bin, with an estimated value of £40,000.
Explaining the rationale behind the auction, Mr Leadbetter said: “Farming is facing a period of major transition. Between extreme weather patterns, labour challenges, and rising input costs, the direct drilling and low disturbance cultivations approach not only helps protect us against establishment costs but also delivers stronger returns than conventional methods.
He added that the company is “still actively seeking all farm business tenancies and contract farming opportunities,” emphasising that “economies of scale are the way forward for long term sustainability.”
“With strong demand and prices in the second-hand machinery market, now is the right time to streamline our fleet and invest in equipment tailored to the demands of sustainable farming.”
Originally from a farming family in Staffordshire, Mr Leadbetter founded Eastern Farms Ltd with just 291 acres two decades ago. Since then, the business has expanded to become one of the region’s leading farming and agricultural contracting enterprises.
Oliver Godfrey, director and head of machinery sales at Cheffins, said the sale is a major undertaking, and will bring a series of highly desirable tractors, combines and other equipment to the market.
“Charles has been exemplary in how he has cared for his kit, with all of it dealer maintained and kept under cover, and I am sure that the effort he has put into this will be reflected in the prices achieved on the day.
“Second-hand machinery prices have continued to grow, however they still represent a serious financial saving in comparison to buying new, and this sale is an example of how farmers can turn to auctions to purchase the best in class of machinery to support their farming operations."
