Blenheim’s Ian Woolley won the CaseIH Silver Plough and Malcolm Taylor from Waikato the reversible section. The pair will go on to represent NZ at the world champs in England next year. Fred Pilling won the horse ploughing section.
Houghton used to transport his tractor and plough to ploughing events on a 20-tonne truck, but when the vehicle registration exemption for lighter loads was wiped the cost became too high. He borrowed a ute and trailer to come south this year.
He and fellow competitors were busy throughout the competition adjusting their plough shares and mouldboards to make sure the furrows were turning nicely. If a tractor breaks down a contestant has up to an hour to fix it or find another.
Among the many things the six judges were looking for were full furrows without holes and weaknesses, with the trash well-covered.
A ploughing championship takes up a lot of land so it isn’t easy finding a venue close enough to a major city or town to draw people through the gate. This year the event was held on 40ha of the Sheat family’s farm.
One of the hosts and organising committee chairman Noel Sheat said dry soil made grass ploughing difficult but the fine weather helped to draw more than 2000 people through the gates. Even it had snowed the ploughing would still have gone ahead.
Sheat has been involved in six major ploughing events, all of which have been held in good weather. He reckons his luck must be due to run out and a reason why he was retiring.
The ploughing championship's Silver Plough Trophy is a replica of the first plough used in NZ by Reverend John Butler at Kerikeri on May 3, 1820.
