The Ploughing is a phenomenal success story

AS if we needed any reminding that 2018 will certainly be remembered as a year where the weather caused havoc at the National Ploughing Championships, leading to the belated closure of Wednesday and the addition of Friday to the traditional three-day event.

The success of the National Ploughing Championships is nothing short of spectacular. It has grown from humble beginnings 87 years ago into the largest outdoor event in Europe. The foresight and strong leadership of the National Ploughing Association (NPA) by Anna-May McHugh and her army of volunteers is a credit to the agricultural industry. It is a great example of the enterprise and innovation that exists in rural Ireland.

The result of this exceptional growth is that the event has far outgrown its roots, aptly defined in one publication as follows: “The National Ploughing Championships is now no longer just for ploughing or machinery enthusiasts — the modern event now features something for just about every member of the community. These include a Tented Trade Village, a Food Fair, Craft Village, Livestock, Forestry, Education, Lifestyle, Financial Services, Bio Energy and Agri Service.’”

The heart of the event is still dominated by the large agribusiness stands, but increasingly there are stands and exhibits with little or no connection to agriculture.

Every media outlet has a presence — TV, radio, print and online.

There is wall to wall coverage of the event as a sense of farming and agriculture enters the psyche of the nation.

There are 139,000 farmers with Basic Payment Scheme Applications (BPS) in the country but there were 240,500 people at the ploughing in 2018. Every farmer does not attend, so who does go to the ploughing and why do they attend?

Traffic

Clearly lots of farmers still attend the event. For most it’s an escape from the farm for a single day even if that involves the traditional early start, loading up the car with the children who want a day off school, ensuring there is suitable attire for all weather and setting off in a race to beat the traffic.

For others, it’s a hotel or B&B stay for a few days, to relax, have a few beers and a bit of fun — the non-horsey man’s Listowel.

Farmers are well used to early starts but probably not as patient in traffic as their city cousins. This was exacerbated this year with people cooped up in their cars from early morning waiting for the gates to open on the windy Wednesday, a frustrating day for all.

The first important task of the day after parking the car is to remember precisely where you parked it; otherwise finding it on your return after a long day may prove more than a little embarrassing.

I noticed a number of modern tech savvy farmers taking a picture of the car park number with their smart phones!

For most farmers it’s a family day out and an opportunity to browse the stands and see what takes their fancy.

Others have specific meetings planned with machinery dealers, banks or at the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine stand. The children, on the other hand, get a hold of a strong plastic bag or two early on and proceed to see who can gather the most freebies, readily available on most stands.

Non-farmers

The majority of attendees at the ploughing nowadays are non-farmers. Bus-loads of school children, active retirement groups, tourists and non-farming families from all corners of the country make the journey to see what goes on and what all the fuss is about.