Over 250 of Great Britain’s champion ploughmen and women will soon be gathering on land near Lincoln to take part in this year’s British National Ploughing Championships & Country Festival which takes place on October 12th & 13th.
Over 200 acres of prime farmland has been provided by Beeswax Dyson Farming on their estate at Nocton, to find who can plough the straightest furrow. These champions will be showing off their skills in the art of ploughing and thousands of visitors are expected to watch them over the two days in their quest to win a British title. The competitors will plough in various categories, from ‘world style’ reversible ploughs through to various vintage tractor ploughing classes and magnificent heavy horses.
Even though there have been many changes in agriculture and the equipment used over the years, the plough has changed little and many farmers have gone back to using the plough as a proven method of reducing weeds. As ploughmen start to take a pride in their work, the popularity of ploughing matches is increasing year on year.
The evolution of the plough can easily be seen this year, all working in one field – from the horse ploughing, with some of these gentle giants decked out in traditional harness, some dressed how the plough-boy would have gone out on a daily basis, reminding us of days gone by when it would have taken a day to plough an acre. At the other end of the scale, today’s equipment will be on show or demonstrated by the machinery dealers and manufacturers; and in between there will be plenty of vintage tractors and machinery on display or being demonstrated and steam ploughing engines, which first took the place of the horse in the 19th century and used by farm contractors. These huge machines are fascinating to watch, pulling their plough by cable between two engines placed at each end of a field.
The British National Ploughing Championships is one of the few traditional events which moves around the country and people travel from far and wide to see or be part of it, with competitors travelling from as far as the north of Scotland and the southern tip of Cornwall. The prizes many are chasing are the equivalent of the ploughing world’s World Cup or Grand Prix! It is the honour of representing their country in different international competitions, including the 2020 World Ploughing Contest, which will be an experience to remember as it will be held in Russia.
An extensive trade area with a wide variety of trade stands, showing everything the farmer needs from tractors, trailers, sprayers, crop storage, fertilisers, pick-ups … the list goes on … and stalls selling everything from tools, clothing, plants and pies to take home for your dinner will be there for visitors to see. So all this, plus country crafts, displays of static vintage tractors and stationary engines, working demonstrations of some unusual tractors, including a 1923 International Harvester Mogul 10-20 and the Doe Triple D, the event promises to be a lot more than just a ploughing match!
Sue Frith, Chief Executive of the organisers, the Society of Ploughmen, said: “This year, the event is promising to be one of the best ones ever! It’s often hard to get the message across that you don’t need to know about or be involved with competition ploughing to come along as there’s something for everyone – some of the older generation can remember the horses or vintage tractors working the fields, farmers enjoy the agricultural stands and demonstrations, everyone can spend time browsing the crafts and shopping stalls, and children just love to be outside and enjoy it all! We feel strongly that it is important that children learn about our farming heritage, so we give under 11s free admission.”
The event will be very easy to find. It will take place on land just 7 miles south-east of Lincoln on the B1188 between Branston and Metheringham.
Further information can be found on www.ploughmen.co.uk or from the Society of Ploughmen on 01302 852469 who have regular competitions on Facebook to win free tickets.
