The Ploughing

The big event for farmers rolled around in September. The National Ploughing Championships ran over the third week of September and, once again, drew record crowds. Click here to have a look back at all the actiion from the three days.

Crowds on day one of the Ploughing.

Tom Donnelly from Wexford, Wicklow, competing in the senior reversible ploughing match at NPA 2016 on day three.

Neven Maguire pulls in a big crowd at his demos at the Irish Farmers Journal stand. Once again he drew huge crowds each day.

Eoin and Grace Curley, Poulaphouca, Wicklow, were at the National Ploughing Championships at Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Photo: Jack Caffrey

At the National Ploughing Championships at Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Photo: Jack Caffrey

Dawn at the National Ploughing Championships. Photo: Ferdia Mooney

Grainne Kelly and Lauren Kelly from Athlone, at the second day of the National Ploughing Championships, Screegan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

Staff of Irish Farmers Journal gather together on the last day of the 2016 National Ploughing Championships at Creggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

Liam Dineen inspecting his furrows at the Ploughing Championship Harvest Show, which was held on the Fleming’s farm in Grenagh, Killarney. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

Tough tillage times

September was when the skies really opened and impacted on the tillage sector most. Clive Wasson visited Jimmy Rankin in Co Donegal to see what the rain had done to his farm.

Young farmers

It was not all doom and gloom in September. The hugely impressive Kevin Moran won the 2016 Young Farmer of the Year.

And finally for September, we profiled a 16-year-old sheep farmer from Co Kildare in My Farming Week. Read more about Emma Jane Ginty and her flock of pedigree Dorset sheep.

A special one and rugby-playing farmer

A real classic photo from our woman on the ground in Kerry. Valerie O’Sullivan risked life and limb to capture this mountain Scotch ewe along the Iveragh Penninsula.

In September, Ireland rugby captain Rory Best spoke to the Irish Farmers Journal about life on the pitch and in the field.

Read more

Click here to see the full series '2016 in photos'.