Scottish Ploughing Championships 60th anniversary set for a field day at Newmore Farm in Easter Ross with support from Tom and Luke Stoltman
AN Easter Ross agricultural competition starting tomorrow throws the spotlight on ploughing from horse-drawn wonders of yesteryear to the satellite-linked state-of-the-art rigs used today.
The Scottish Ploughing Championships are making a return visit to the Highlands for the 60th anniversary match with the competition taking place this year at Newmore Farm near Invergordon.
It runs on Friday and Saturday (October 25 and 26) and is open to the public, with some remarkable sights to see.
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It promises to be a real spectacle with 113 ploughers competing in 17 different classes taking in everything from horse ploughing to the use of modern day machinery.
The two days of competition will culminate in the winners of the World Style classes becoming the Scottish Champions in both conventional and reversible ploughing. These winners automatically qualify to represent Scotland at the 2025 World Ploughing Championships in the Czech Republic.
Organisers have voiced delight that four pairs of horses will be competing in the horse classes - two from Scotland, one from Wales and one from England. It promises to be an amazing sight and a priceless opportunity to see how we ploughed in years gone by before the invention of the tractor.
Organisers expect a fantastic selection of vintage and classic tractors with vehicles covering all the decades from the 1930s through to the present day and some demonstrator classes using GPS technology.
World’s strongest brothers Luke and Tom Stoltman are also attending to show support “and hopefully will be trying their hand at ploughing”.
Scottish ploughers have had an extremely successful year. Andrew Mitchell Snr, the 2023 Scottish Conventional Champion, was runner-up at the World Championships in Estonia in August and Brian Baxter, the 2023 Scottish Reversible Champion, was the highest placed, first-time competitor at the World Championships.
The nation also had four competitors at the European Vintage and Classic Ploughing Championships in Ireland last month and the team came home with four medals, helping keep Scotland at the forefront of World and European Ploughing.
The Scottish Ploughing Championships is a registered charity which has the aim of promoting the importance of ploughing within agriculture and encouraging young folk to get involved and not only compete at matches but learn to judge so they can use their skills at matches throughout Scotland and beyond.
The championships are organised by a local area committee, assisted along the way by the management committee of the Scottish Ploughing Championships, made up from nominated members of the association who represent areas covering the length and breadth of Scotland. As the match is in Ross-shire, the local area committee comprises of members of both the Black Isle and Easter Ross Ploughing Matches.
Spectators wanting to see some world class ploughing; vintage tractors and ploughs;horse ploughing and state of the art ploughs are invited to head along to Newmore Farm this Saturday and Sunday (October 25 and 26) to visit the Scottish Ploughing Championships. Organisers said: “One thing for sure is you’ll get a very warm welcome! See you there!”
The 60th Anniversary match will be held on October 25 and 26 at Newmore Farm, Invergordon, by kind permission of James and David Jack.
This event is open to spectators, on both days, £10 per adult, £5 concessions (over 65), children free. Gates open 9.30am. See scotplough.co.uk/2024-match/ for more information.
