Last week saw the annual National Ploughing Championships take place in Ratheniska, Co Laois. The Ploughing is the highlight of the entire year for many farmers and one of the last big events before the winter sets in.

This year, due to our excellent performance on the summer show circuit, we were selected to represent the Irish Aberdeen Angus Association by providing our two show calves for their livestock stand. It is a real privilege to be asked to exhibit cattle at the Ploughing and a fantastic way for us to end a brilliant summer season.

The Ploughing is quite different to the summer shows as the cattle arrive on Monday afternoon and stay on site until late on the last day of the event on Thursday. Our cattle have been to many shows during the last few months so they seemed to take it all in their stride, although they probably thought it was unusual that we failed to bring them back home to the fields each evening! Over the few days, the cattle live in the lap of luxury with a straw bedded pen, plenty of hay and almost round the clock attention from the exhibitors and the stand officials.

We arrived on site early each morning and had the two calves washed, blow dried and groomed before the crowds arrived from 8am. The volume of people that descended to the grounds over the three days was quite staggering, particularly on the middle day when a bumper attendance was recorded. Exhibiting cattle on the ploughing is a huge opportunity to promote your stock and meet fellow breeders and potential customers. We were kept busy chatting to everyone who visited the stand and it was lovely to meet people from many different farming backgrounds.

With so much to see and do at the Ploughing Championships, I couldn’t spend all my time on the stand so I visited the other stands in the livestock section and spent quite a bit of time watching the Lely robotic milking demonstration, which always seemed to attract a large crowd. But the ploughing isn’t all about the cattle and the food village was one of the highlights of the day for me. I particularly enjoyed tasting all the wonderful free samples and the huge crowds outside each tent are a testament to the quality of food being produced in Ireland.

This year’s Ploughing was definitely one to remember – record crowds, perfect weather conditions, terrific location and an abundance of trade stands, livestock, fashion shows, food halls and of course, the actual ploughing itself. I really enjoyed my three days there and it was a wonderful experience to exhibit cattle at Ireland’s top agricultural event.

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