Refinement, rather than revolution, was the order of the day at this year's Agritechnica.

Machines, as always, are getting bigger - but they are also getting smaller.

It is becoming ever more apparent that the big names in forage machinery are coming under pressure from later entrants into the market, with products of a quality and sophistication that had hitherto been the preserve of western European countries.

The latest offerings from McHale were a good example of incremental development bringing improvements to forage harvesting.

The Fusion Vario integrated baler can now apply film wrap as well as net. This sounds simple enough but getting film onto a bale in a belt baler is not that easy a task, according to Paul McHale, marketing director for the company.

It took some work by the company's engineers to get right, but he is now happy that the machine is ready for the open market, and believes that it will help overcome the reluctance of Irish farmers to consider variable chamber machines.

The company was also showing its new V6 variable chamber baler, in which many of the baler operations have been automated, making it an easier and less tiring machine to operate in the field.

It is not quite TIM (Tractor Implement Management) ready, that is the next step which requires some further fettling to ensure it will work in all scenarios.

As to future McHale machines, Paul rules nothing in or nothing out. He tells us that the company is constantly looking at what its competitors are up to, and agrees that the advent of continuous baling and lightweight butterfly mowers should not be ignored.

Relief was on hand at Agritechnica from the constant barrage of ever larger balers arriving on the scene in the shape of the Caeb Mountainpress from Italy.

Quietly occupying a small corner of its own this unassuming machine was a power take-off (PTO) powered baler that produces hay bales of 20-25kg, and can process up to 1,500kg of hay an hour.

However, what marks it out is that it is also available as an electrically driven machine suitable for battery powered or hybrid tractors, making it one of the first implements to address this potential market.

The onboard motor is a 5kW 48V unit which can also be powered by a front mounted generator. Another version has its own engine allowing it to be towed by a quad or UTV.

The Polish manufacturer Metal-Fach, imported by Egmont Agri of Co. Cork, is another company with a range of balers which it is now promoting with greater confidence.

On its Agritechnica stand it had the latest M-F Z514R, which looks a substantial machine but is so far untested in Irish conditions.

Price will be its major attraction and if nitrogen inputs are to be limited then grass crops may not be quite so heavy as before, opening the market to balers that were designed in countries with lighter crops.