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The pioneer of Fendt in Australia
Arriving in the Wimmera region of Victoria in the early 1950s, John Holtkamp was starting a new farming life in Australia.
Originally from Silesia (now Poland) and growing up in Southern Germany, John became a successful farmer and was introduced to the Fendt brand by his brother – still living in Europe – with a simple sentence “Why don’t you get the best tractor available, the Fendt Favorit?”

As Fendt did not distribute to Australia at the time, John saw the opportunity to not only use a Fendt tractor himself, but promote the benefits of the brand to other farmers in his area. He became the first person to import a Fendt tractor into Australia, until a Melbourne based import company took over. This continued until 1994 when Fendt became part of AGCO Australia’s distribution.

Today, John works with a share farmer, running Wimmera Health Grain; of course, still using Fendt tractors!

At the recent Victorian Elmore Field Days, John was presented with a certificate from Fendt, commemorating his services to the Fendt brand, as well as a model of the same Fendt tractor he brought into the country 30 years ago.