It’s all systems go at Ratheniska, Stradbally, Co Laois, as the biggest ever National Ploughing Championships opens next week, following weeks of superb weather for the massive buildup. The site is impressive – it is 20% bigger than last year, so there’s going to be a lot to see.

And there are other reasons why the National Ploughing Association (NPA) is in jubilant form. It has just returned from the World Ploughing Championships in France, with the top trophy won by Carlow ploughman Eamonn Tracey, while John Whelan, from Wexford, was third in the reversible class.

Anna May McHugh, the NPA’s legendary managing director, was as enthusiastic as ever at the official launch. She may not have had the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Defence on hand, but she was every bit as proud of the fact that she had the two world ploughing champions at her side.

The scene is now set for what promises to be a hugely positive event; stand numbers are up, the crowds are expected to be bigger than ever. Is this a further hint of a recovering economy?

Farmers will have different issues on their minds. Cattle and milk prices will dominate the chats; there will be no concerns over silage and hay crops, nor panic over the cereal harvest or winter crop-sowing. The ingredients are in place for the best-ever Ploughing.

Call to see us at our impressive stand (number 329, row 23) and we will be delighted to see you. We will show you how fast the Irish Farmers Journal is progressing in providing you with the best farming information, while responding to real rural issues through the pages of Irish Country Living across media platforms. There will be giveaways and livestock demonstrations and, most of all, an opportunity to talk to members of the Irish Farmers Journal team, who keep you in touch with the latest farming news each week in print, online and on mobile.