In short:
For the first time, Western Australia hosted the National Ploughing Contest.
It saw men and women compete for a spot to represent Australia at a global event.
What’s next?
Scott Loughridge will travel to Prague, Czechia, for next year’s world competition.
You probably won’t see it at the Olympics anytime soon, but the National Ploughing Contest is one of the biggest events of the year in rural Australia.
Held in Western Australia for the first time, farmers came from far and wide to compete over two days on a property in Eastbrook, near Pemberton, more than 300km south of Perth.
Peter Mehrtens had even travelled across the ditch, coming from Canterbury in New Zealand for the “fierce but friendly” contest.
“It’s all about camaraderie: we all look out for each other, but at the end of the day it is an individual competition,” Mr Mehrtens said.
The New Zealander was among 17 competitors who entered the vintage section of the plough, with 14 in the conventional.
“You’re either on the [vintage] or the modern plough with hydraulics and leavers, [but] we’re more the basics in this part.”
How do you win?
It’s not just the title of national plougher that these farmers are chasing because the overall winner also earns the right to compete in the World Contest.
So how exactly does one win first place in a ploughing competition?
Richard Creek, one of the judges for this year’s vintage leg, said there were a number of things judges looked for in a good plough.
“The goal of a ploughing competition is to plough on a grass field or paddock… and the object is to leave that paddock prepared for a seedbed,” he said.
“We look at the opening [and] we look at the ridge. It must be free from weeds, it must be straight. The actual furrows must be even and when it’s finished, it must be not too deep [yet] not too shallow.”
What’s in a name?
Crowned last year’s national champion, Adrian Tilling doesn’t believe his last name — tilling is a synonym for ploughing — helped him with his success.
“I was going to take up Formula One racing, then somebody said you have to take up ploughing — surely,” Mr Tilling said.
“I guess I have achieved quite a lot, I use [Tilling] to my advantage.”
The world championship event that Mr Tilling qualified for will be held next month in Tartu, Estonia.
“I’m very excited. I haven’t ploughed overseas for quite a few years now. So I’m rapt to get back into it.” he said.
At this year’s national contest, Mr Tilling narrowly missed out on back-to-back titles, placing second overall, a single point behind.
It was 25-year-old Victorian farmer, Scott Loughridge, who received the highest scores on both days.
Mr Loughridge is now setting his sights on continuing his success at next year’s World Ploughing Contest in Prague.
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