A few years ago, I was in the back office of the Irish Farmers Journal tent at the Ploughing when one of the lads said my cousin was outside looking for me.

I didn’t recognise the man but when he introduced himself as Mike O’Kelly – hint, I was Ciara O’Kelly for many years before I got married – the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. Mike’s grandfather and my great-grandfather were brothers and Mike still lives on the farm in Limerick where they grew up. We sat down in the middle of the busy stand and had a great chat – and now I look forward to his visit every year.

That’s the thing about the Ploughing. Yes, we go for the ploughing and the stands and the free stuff. But what keeps people coming back year after year is the chats and the connection. Sometimes it feels like a mini-Christmas. There are people in the industry that I see regularly, but when we meet at the Ploughing, we laugh and say, “sure we survived another year”. And then there are those we haven’t seen since the September before and we catch up on life and family – and the all-important topic of whether the rain will hold off for the three days.

In the Irish Farmers Journal, we put an awful lot of work into our programme of events at the Ploughing, putting on talks that give our readers good information. But sometimes the best discussions are sitting down on a bench, catching up with these readers individually. These are often the conversations that drive the content in the paper over the coming months.

And this year there has been plenty to catch up on. The news stories over the past 12 months made for big headlines – Mercosur and the fact that Brazilian beef and poultry have been banned from entering the EU in recent weeks is something everyone has had an opinion on; there’s the great debate around Bord Bia’s Larry Murrin, and the recent governance review confirming that he remains in the chairman’s seat; and the summer sun made for beautiful days but sleepless nights in some parts of the country, as farmers worried about future fodder shortages.

Sometimes the best discussions are sitting down on a bench, catching up with these readers individually. These are often the conversations that drive the content in the paper over the coming months

A story in last week’s Irish Country Living on the prevalence of drugs in rural Ireland was openly discussed. It’s no longer the taboo subject it once was. Readers have said they know drugs are a problem in their area, but the fact that some agricultural contractors are saying their industry is being used to launder drug money is something they weren’t aware of. The illegal hunting of hares, another story by Jacqueline Hogge released online at farmersjournal.ie earlier in the week and on page 12, also caught readers’ attention, with one woman telling me the issue is “out of control in their area”.

Succession and the future of the farm is always a topic of conversation but how can young farmers compete with the likes of Mark Zuckerberg buying up land in Co Waterford, one father asked me.

As we move into the colder months, money is on people’s minds. Milk prices are challenged and beef prices are back €1/kg on this time last year. Farm incomes are being squeezed, and this is only intensified by announcements that energy prices are on the rise again.

In saying all that, the mood this year has been really positive. Everybody enjoys the chats and meeting up and so far, the weather has been relatively good – all contribute to a good Ploughing.

Happy Ploughing to all those who celebrate.