On the 1st and 2nd of March, champion ploughmen and women will descend on Nottinghamshire for the European Ploughing Championships.
Held on land at Upper Morton, with permission from Joseph Camm Farms Ltd, the event will incorporate the European Reversible Ploughing Championships and the European Vintage Ploughing Championships.
The Vintage competition will be split into five categories: vintage trailed, hydraulic, classic, classic reversible and vintage reversible ploughs.
Participants from 13 different countries are expected to take part, including operators from France, Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Sweden. Many are bringing their own tractors and implements, while others will borrow equipment from their British counterparts.
Representing England this year are some past and present British Champions. Mick Chappell from Doncaster, South Yorkshire and Will Tupper from Pulborough, East Sussex will compete in the reversible contest.
Lincolnshire’s John Crowder will plough in the vintage trailed class, Jon Cole from Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire will be in the classic class and Richard Ingram from Atherstone, Warwickshire will plough in the vintage mounted class.
Graham Sutton from Nuneaton, Warwickshire and Steve Watkins from Maltby, South Yorkshire will be in the classic reversible class and the vintage reversible class will see Lee Gilbert and John Hornsby taking part, both from Derbyshire.
Visitors will also be able to see demonstrations of horse ploughing, vintage high-cut ploughing and horticultural ploughing. Elsewhere on the site, a 1917 Fowler K5 engine and Guyot balance plough owned by Sir Robert Goodwill, will be paired up with a 1918 J & H McLaren engine owned by Richard Holt from Leicestershire, pulling a three-furrow Guyot balance plough.
The event is organised by the registered charity the Society of Ploughmen. Chief executive, Sue Frith, commented: “We are looking forward to welcoming all our overseas visitors to Retford. Members of our Society will be coming from all over the country to support the Championships and I hope local people will too. It will be a great day out – not only to see the skills and precision of all the champion ploughmen but to appreciate how farming has changed over hundreds of years.”
The site runs alongside the A1 and is reportedly easy to find using the postcode DN22 8HG. For more information go to www.ploughmen.co.uk