Fasterholt Maskinfabrik was founded in 1958 and started as an ordinary blacksmith company. In the 1960s, they started their own production of agricultural machinery, especially tools for tractors. In 1975, the company produced the first Fasterholt irrigation machine. It immediately became very popular, as it took the hard work of moving pipes day and night from the farmers. The machine was a huge success, and the company’s great irrigation adventure began.
Today, fifty years after the first self-moving FM irrigator was produced, the company exclusively produces irrigators. The machines come in different sizes and for every type of farm. Fasterholt is known for delivering machines of the highest quality and for providing sublime service both before, during and after the irrigation season.
Interview with Rikke Kjær Aslak, Managing Director at Fasterholt Maskinfabrik.
What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Rikke Kjær Aslak: We sell our machines mainly across Europe. Denmark is still our largest market, but Sweden, Germany and France are also doing well. It is primarily our self-moving FM irrigators that are popular. The advantages that significantly make them stand out from our competitors, are a long hose and the flexibility to drive in curves.
What’s the news about new products/services?
R.K.A: We are constantly working on developing our FM irrigators. Currently, we are working a lot with precision irrigation. This means that we are developing products that spread the water in the right place, with the optimal amount at the right time. Among other things, we have developed a new controller system, FASTER Rain, which for example simplifies zone irrigation. Leading to easy, differentiated irrigation, whereas giving the field the same amount of water all over becomes obsolete. In addition, we have a good collaboration with Raindancer, which is a product that, among other things, can be used to control the irrigation gun, so that it irrigates around obstacles such as burial mounds, roads or the like.
Another option is to use wings for irrigation. This brings the irrigation closer to the crop, and the irrigation is therefore not affected, to the same extent, by drift due to wind.
What are the ranges of products/services?
R.K.A: Fasterholt Maskinfabrik offers irrigation machines of any size, which goes for both hose reel machines and self-moving irrigation machines. Besides that, the company has spare parts for any type of FM irrigation machine ever produced, and a skilled service department doing everything from the first start-up together with the farmer to winter preparations.
What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
R.K.A: The Danish market is vibrant, and we are selling irrigation machines across the country. Despite a slow start, Germany is now catching up, as the market is waking up again after a busy season. Generally, the export markets are starting a bit later than Denmark, and therefore the smaller activity is as expected.
What can you tell us about market trends?
R.K.A: The farmers are requesting irrigation machines with a longer hose, and some of them are also talking about booms. All in all, equipment that can save man hours and reduce water usage and energy consumption. On top of that, a new EU legislation has made it mandatory to have a two-line brake system mounted on agricultural machinery, including irrigators.
What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
R.K.A: In general, the most innovative products or prototypes in the market for irrigation are pivot systems, systems for precision irrigation and booms. More specifically everything evolves around the eagerness to only use the exact needed amount of water, spread at the exact right spot in the field.
For Fasterholt, precision irrigation is incorporated into the newest, self-developed controller system, FASTER Rain for self-moving irrigators. The purpose of FASTER Rain is to offer a comprehensive upgrade that covers all aspects from correct utilisation of water resources and saving fuel and man hours to better ergonomics for the farmer. FASTER Rain is therefore a ground-breaking field irrigation planning tool, as features such as real-time fleet management, remote start and stop, setting of water volume and zone irrigation, make field irrigation more efficient and easier to manage. Finally, everything is managed through the accompanying app, and changes can be made along the way.
What estimations do you have for the second half of 2025?
R.K.A: The market will probably slow a bit down compared to the first half of 2025, as farmers normally doesn’t worry much about irrigation during the fall and winter.
