Hundreds of people from across the UK flocked to the York Auction Centre yesterday when it hosted the first Yorkshire Agricultural Machinery (YAM) Show.

The auction’s site was filled with around 100 exhibitors selling agricultural equipment, including cutting-edge precision farming technology that sees GPS and automatic steering fitted to tractors and sprayers.

Hundreds of customers from across the UK travelled to the show.

Organiser Richard Tasker said they were overwhelmed by the success of the show, which started out as an open day for neighbouring machinery dealers Yorkshire Handlers.

The dealership sells McCormick’s tractors, and when a new model was launched they decided to host an open day but with no space on their own site approached the auction in November.

Soon the plans snowballed into a full machinery show as more and more businesses asked to bring a stall to the event. Mr Tasker said: “It has been like a runaway train.

“We originally aimed for 20 stands, but by Christmas we had 30, which we thought was great.”

Existing farm machinery exhibition LAMMA last year moved south from Newark to Peterborough, meaning many northern farmers who could not travel the extra distance decided to attend YAM instead, he said.

Yorkshire Handlers’ Phil Robinson said: “It’s been brilliant.

“Everybody I have spoken to cannot believe how well it has gone, especially as Richard has organised it in only a few weeks.”

York-based dealership Wilfred Scruton’s were also at the show. Ian Scruton, from the business, said: “There are lots of farmers here, and that’s what we want. We have taken a few orders, and there’s been a generally high level of business.”

The show also attracted companies selling advanced farming systems – including Rillington-based Dempsey Precision Ltd – which sells GPS and autosteer systems for farm machinery.