JCB expands new Texas factory plans in response to April tariff hike
Since Donald Trump’s import tariff announcement, the world has been on a wild economic ride.
The latest production milestone in the JCB story recently saw its 750,000th backhoe loader, a 3CX, roll off the production line.
The landmark machine was driven off the line at the company’s factory in Rocester, Staffordshire, England – the same location where the first JCB backhoe was manufactured almost 70 years ago.
The company notes that it was in 1953 that company founder, Joseph Cyril Bamford, produced the JCB backhoe loader that, for the first time, combined a front shovel and rear excavator arm on the same machine.
In 1954, the first full year of production, just 35 of the machines were produced. It took more than 20 years for the first 50,000 to be made. JCB now manufactures backhoe loaders in the UK, India, Brazil and the US.
The first backhoe, cleverly named the JCB Mark I, was followed by the Hyddra-Digga in 1956, both in a blue and red livery. Then in 1960 came the heavier, more powerful JCB 4 – introducing the now familiar yellow branding.
The JCB 3 went into production in 1961, followed by the JCB 3C in 1963 and the JCB 3CII in 1967. The latter stayed in production for 13 years.
In 1980, as part of a £24 million investment, the JCB 3CX was launched, which proved to be the real catalyst for growth of backhoe sales and the JCB company.
Fast forward to today, current generation of backhoe loaders include features such as automatic deployment of stabilisers on uneven ground, a Smooth Ride System and the TorqueLock feature that can help reduce on-road fuel consumption by up to 25%.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.