Kiwi wins world event

In April I attended the 57th World Ploughing Competition which was held near the small tourist and farming town of Methven, close to the base of Mt Hutt ski field in the South Island of NZ.
I was there because for many years my family has been connected with ploughing contests. Several generations in fact, from my mother’s side of the family.
I myself have taken part in ploughing competitions at local district level in NZ. I was also at the last World contest in NZ about 25 years ago. My family has been in farming for many years and my brother still works the family farm just north of Timaru in the South Island.
My next door neighbor in NZ represented NZ several times and I used to work for him.
One day I would like to see a Cook Islander take part. It’s only a matter of time.
The contest proper began on the 17 April 2010. 58 men and 1 woman from 30 countries competed. They were accompanied by their coaches and supporters.
Only winners of area competitions in NZ can enter the World competition.
On the first day each ploughman had 4 hrs in which to plough 3000sq meters or 3 quarters of an acre of stubble ie remnants off harvested grain crop, and was judged on twelve different criteria, which included opening split or start, uniformity, weed control, seed bed, ins and outs, finish, straightness and general appearance. On the second day they ploughed the same area of grassland and were judged on the same criteria.
There were 2 divisions. First was the conventional, which was the standard plough we see in use here which has been the norm since the first cultivation was undertaken with moleboards which dig a trench and turn the furrows over as in turning a taro patch with a shovel The other is the reversible, which does the same thing but supposedly saves time and fuel by having a second set off furrows mounted back to back which is turned upside down by the tractor hydraulics at the end of the run enabling the plougher to return along the same furrow as he just turned .This system allows a paddock to be ploughed from one side to another without any fairings (starts) or finishes which leaves a more level and even seedbed. The reversible plough has only come into use over the last 30years and was developed in Norway.
The weather was almost perfect for the duration of the competition, although the first day started out very cold with wind from the mountains until 11am making all spectators don coats and jackets. As well as the ploughing there were displays of static and working vintage machinery, new tractors and cultivation equipment offered for sale by machinery firms, vintage cars and trucks and an armed forces vintage display along with the usual stalls selling food and drink. The caravan selling Bluff oysters and West Coast whitebait was popular, and the Speights Southern Man tent complete with bar. Naturally, much more land was ploughed, and better and faster, in that tent than by all of the contestants on the field.
At the end of day two, the judges announced the winners of both classes. Bruce Redmond of NZ took the title of world conventional ploughman of the year, this being only the third time in the 57 years of the competition NZ has won, the other times being 1981 in Ireland then again in1982 in Tasmania when NZ not only took the title, but also came runner up. The reversible class was won by the French competitor with NZ coming third.
This success for NZ should help revitalize competition ploughing in rural NZ and attract more young people to learn the skills that our pioneering ancestors perfected and used when cultivating the land before the planting of food crops.
This event was attended by over 30,000 people and videos and more information can be obtained on line by searching NZ plough 2010 on Google.

By Alistair Newbigging

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