Knight Farm Machinery, the Rutland-based manufacturer of self-propelled, trailed and mounted crop sprayers, has appointed Agwood as its dealer for Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The appointment fills one of the few gaps in its UK network, as the company seeks to build upon significant recent growth in demand across its product range.

The agreement with Agwood, which takes effect from July 1, 2023, covers the full line of Knight machinery, which also includes a selection of cultivation equipment. The heart of the product offering, though, is the sprayer range, which is designed to meet the needs of the full span of farming types and sizes, from the largest arable units to smaller specialised and mixed farms. To cater for this wide variety of requirements, the company offers self-propelled and trailed models of 3,500-6,000 litres with booms of up to 40m, plus mounted sprayers of 1,300-1,900 litres with booms of up to 30m. Knight is particularly well-known for its technological innovations, including the MAXImizer fluid control system, 4D Active Boom Control and Vario Select nozzle control.

Founded in 1978 at Swingfield, Dover, by Ian Wood, Agwood expanded over the following decades into a three-branch business, in 2006 becoming a full-line Massey Ferguson dealer with a full set of complementary franchises. In 2022 Agwood Ltd became a division of the Crawfords Group. With a team of 30, the business covers Kent, Surrey and Sussex from branches in east Kent, at Swingfield, near Dover, in west Kent, at Linton, near Maidstone, and at Billingshurst, West Sussex. 

“We’re delighted to have appointed a dealer of the calibre of Agwood to cover this part of south-east England,” says Paul Harrison, overseeing network development at Knight.

“The growth of Agwood and Crawfords over recent years shows their ambition to be a key supplier and supporter of farm businesses in the south-east, matching our own ambition.”

Nunzio Rio, group sales director of Crawfords Group, says the Agwood team is keen to make their first demonstrations and sales in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

“The Knight range complements our other Agwood franchises really well, particularly in terms of the sprayer types, technologies and capacities it offers. We are really pleased to add another strong name to the Agwood franchise list.