Ploughing Champs success
Sean Leslie and Casey Tilson from Middlemarch, with horses Beau and Dough, took out the Rural News Horse Plough award at the Power Farming NZ Ploughing Championships at Horotiu, near Hamilton, on April 13-14.
2014 champion ploughman Ian Woolley, of Blenheim, has again won the Silver Plough, sponsored by Case IH, and will represent New Zealand at the World Ploughing Championships in Denmark this September.
The 60th New Zealand Ploughing Championships were held at Palmerston, East Otago, in April, organised by the East Otago Vintage Committee chaired by Ronald Sheat.
Second was Mark Dillon and third Scott McKenzie.
Woolley’s latest win means he will also represent NZ at the World Championships in UK 2016.
He is now arranging to freight his John Deere tractor, plough and parts to Denmark for this year’s event and will leave his gear there for the 2016 event in the UK.
Winner of the reversible plough class, sponsored by Farmland Fuel, was Malcolm Taylor from Putaruru. Second was Bob Mehrtens and third Ashley Seaton.
Taylor, who has competed at NZ finals for 11 years, has won this class for the last seven. He will represent NZ in Denmark and in the UK in 2016. He has a tractor in the UK stored with a family member, which is set up the same as his NZ tractor.
Winner of the vintage trophy was Paul Houghton of Gordonton, north of Hamilton. Second was John Stalker and third Alastair Rutherford. Houghton previously won in 2012 when the event was held at Cambridge.
Winner of the horse ploughing, sponsored by Rural News Group, was Fred Pilling of Hamilton. Second was Sean Leslie and third were Snow Cleaver and Doc Wilson.
Pilling won this event for the first time in 2014. He was also the winner of the Vern Bishell Trophy for the best presented horse team, including horses, equipment and contestant.
The Wiganwood Trophy was won by Lyle Parnham, the Fairhall trophy by Tryphena Carter and the WG Miller Trophy by Ashley Seaton.
The weather was cool, but fine, and there were trade displays, vintage machinery and craft stalls. Big crowds attended on both days.
Newly elected Federated Farmers meat and wool group chair Richard Dawkins says he will continue the great work done his predecessor Toby Williams.
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
According to DairyNZ's latest Econ Tracker update, there has been a rise in the forecast breakeven milk price for the 2025/26 season.
Despite the rain and a liberal coating of mud, engines roared, and the 50th Fieldays Tractor Pull Competition drew crowds of spectators across the four days of the annual event.
Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.
Six industry organisations, including DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) have signed an agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to prepare the country for a potential foot and mouth outbreak.
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