Plough prodigy
In the highly competitive world of ploughing, Bob Mehrtens is outstanding in his field. Megan Sutherland reports.
Champion ploughman Bob Mehrtens has a lot on his platter. An ace of the competitive ploughing world, Mehrtens has carved up the opposition in most fields since he first fell in love with the sport aged 12.
Now 60, the Timaru ploughman is preparing to represent New Zealand next year in Germany at what will be his 10th world championships.
He describes competitive ploughing as an ‘‘intricate art form’’.
‘‘You’ve gotta be consistent, you have to be at the top of your game. You can’t just go out and make a balls of it one day and think you’ll be fine the next.’’
Humans have been ploughing the earth for thousands of years, and it’s still recognised as one of the most important agricultural inventions. The turning of the soil releases fresh nutrients and buries weeds and old crops.
The sport of competitive ploughing was formalised in 1952 when the World Ploughing Organisation was established.
There are two categories: conventional ploughing and reversible. Mehrtens competes in the latter.
Mehrtens said the reversible class basically involves two ploughs instead of one.
‘‘It’s blimmin’ hard to get two ploughs to match up side by side, it is not easy but it can be done, I’ve done it.’’
Under standard rules, each competitor is given three hours to plough half an acre.
They’re judged on the neatness and tidiness of their work and their ability to keep to a straight line.
‘‘If you see a guy who’s wandered off it looks blimmin’ awful.’’
There’s a lot of jargon to get your head around in this game.
Weed control means there’s no grass to be left behind. The opening of the plough line is called a ‘‘split’’.
The ‘‘crown’’ marks the point where the plough actually starts turning over the soil, which continues until the end of the line – known as the ‘‘strike’’.
Mehrtens earned the right to compete at next year’s World
Your plots have got to be neat, straight and tidy. Straightness is very important in the ploughing side of it.
Championships with his victory in April at the national championships in Kirwee, Canterbury – his tenth national title.
The father of four and his wife Raewyn run their own truck and transport company out of Timaru after his career in farming was prematurely curtailed in the 1980s.
‘‘I was a farmer but Roger Douglas put a stop to that,’’ he said, referring to the controversial former finance minister.
But the world of competitive ploughing, and the camaraderie within the farming community, keep drawing him back.
‘‘I just love the rural people and I love all the people involved in it, they are sheep farmers, cropping farmers, deer farmers and on top of that engineers and truck drivers. It’s the people I think are awesome, the rural people.’’
World Ploughing Association chairman Colin Millar said the reversible class was certainly more complicated than conventional ploughing.
‘‘It’s not easy but Bob has mastered it.’’
Mehrtens said the secret to success was a tip he picked up while competing in the 1999 world championships in France.
The advice was to use plastic mould boards instead of the original metal run boards which turn over the soil.
‘‘It’s awesome, they’re the way to go, nothing sticks with them.’’
They were more flexible, could twist over more soil and ‘‘they last and last’’.
When it came to practice, he travelled all over the South Island to compete in the regional championships.
This way he keeps his hand in despite not having a farm.
‘‘I do as many matches or qualifying contests as I can, I probably do more than anyone in New Zealand,’’ he said.
‘‘I find the best practice you can get is under pressure when you’ve other people against you.’’
Despite the rivalry, he enjoys supporting his competitors in a sport he simply loves.
Representatives from 28 countries will compete in Germany, with one competitor in each class, conventional and reversible.
Ian Woolley of Blenheim will be representing New Zealand in the conventional ploughing category.
New Zealand and Australia are the only southern hemisphere nations to compete, with the remainder of the entries coming from North America and Europe.
But Mehrtens isn’t fazed: ‘‘I’ve got as good of a chance as anyone’’.
‘‘Your plots have got to be neat, straight and tidy. Straightness is very important in the ploughing side of it, your furrows have got to be all individual so you can’t see a pattern across your plot.
‘‘It’s reasonably easy to keep straight as long as you concentrate.’’
Bob Mehrtens