Fendt Vin to Win: The Winner's Story
14th December 2022
There’s been a real buzz in the AGCO team office since we called Alexis Neveu in France to tell him he’d won first prize of a Special Refurb by Fendt for his Vario 720 tractor in the ‘Vin to Win’ competition. To top it off, the call landed on the eve of his 28th birthday, so he’s been given an extra special present this year.
“I was so pleased to get the news from AGCO,” said Alexis. “I’ll be honest with you, at first, I didn’t believe it and thought it must be a fake call. The ‘Vin to Win’ competition was open to Fendt owners across Europe, so out of hundreds of entrants, not only did I win the first prize, but I got the call the day before my birthday. I feel so lucky – it really doesn’t get better than that!”
The winning tractor was manufactured in 2019. Alexis purchased it second-hand with 300 hours on the clock, to work on ‘Le Chouan’ the 110-hectare tenant farm where he and his father grow potatoes and cereal and manage a seed and construction company. Since they bought it, the tractor has been well looked after, with low level technical repairs and maintenance done on the farm, and regular servicing carried out at the local Fendt dealer, Ets Ghestem.
In the three years they’ve owned it, the tractor’s certainly been put through its paces by the Neveu family: sowing seed, dethatching, and harvesting crops. Keeping the Fendt Vario 720, together with the farm’s other two Fendt 716s, more than busy.
Agricultural centre of excellence
Le Chouan which translates as the ‘silent one’ or ‘the owl’, is situated in Moulhard, a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. With the entire area dominated by farming, there’s been an agricultural settlement there since 810, which back then was known as ‘Villa Molevardi’. Moulhard is located on a Roman road which runs from Chartres to Le Mans. Up until the 18th century, this was a main trading thoroughfare known as Caesar's way or Henri IV's way.
The family have farmed at ‘Le Chouan’ since Alexis’ father took it on. “Farming is in my blood – I’ve never known anything else. The best part about it is the freedom to work the land and be out in the fresh air all the time. Until I started working with my dad in 2014, he was on his own, so I think - I hope - he enjoys the company”, says Alexis.
The refurb journey begins
The winning machine has arrived in Germany where it will undergo a full refurb, back to factory condition by team of Fendt technicians. The whole journey will be documented in a series of short videos which we’ll share on our social platforms. These videos will not only tell the exciting refurb story from start to finish, but will offer helpful hints and technical tips showing Fendt owners how to get the best out of their machine, for longer.
The winning machine
We’ll introduce the Fendt team in the first short video, and they can’t wait to get started on the project. With the last maintenance check carried out at 1500 hours, the machine is about to hit the 2000 hours and this regular maintenance will be carried out in Germany before the refurb is complete.
Being a relatively new model, it gives the Fendt experts the perfect opportunity to look at wear & tear items, such as the tyres, paintwork and rubber seals and accessories, and to upgrade the technology on the vehicle, with for example, the addition of cameras on the back of the vehicle. Ensuring all accessories are in the best condition, perfectly aligns with messaging behind the Genuine AGCO Parts offer and the embedded Fendt values of using expert agricultural knowledge and experience to ensure the owner gets maximum benefit from the machine.
“It’s great to pass on such good news and the whole team are very happy for Alexis and his dad,” explained Mirva Korhonen, Marketing Manager, AGCO Parts. “A big team at AGCO Aftersales has worked extremely hard on this competition, so it’s brilliant to see it come to fruition. The agricultural climate across Europe is quite tough right now, so these hardworking tenant farmers could not be more worthy winners of this once in a lifetime prize. To have their tractor updated with latest technology – and for it not to have cost them a single penny – will make such a difference to them and their daily work.”
The Vin to Win competition
Vin to Win ran from March to September 2022, inviting Fendt owners to tell AGCO about their machines in exchange for access to monthly online games and instant prizes - and an opportunity to win a Special Refurb by Fendt.
Want to keep up-to-date with the Vin to Win journey and receive the latest news and offers from AGCO Parts? Sign up to our mailing list here.