What's with Europeans and plowing?

[daTeacha]

Around here about the only ones who still plow the fields on a regular basis are the Amish, sometimes using a 6 horse hitch, but usually 4 or 2.
The English farmers favor no-till or conservation tillage to reduce trips over the field, saving fuel and reducing compaction at the same time.
Then there's my neighbor who plows only when planting hay, but uses a huge roller after the actual planting. The thing is about 15 feet wide, 3 feet in diameter, filled with concrete. He says it pushes the rocks back down into the soil.

[mark.r]

Originally Posted by N80

I've seen some strange configurations too. Of course you see these long multi-bottom reversing plows, but on a couple of videos they are also pulling what looks like a disk, or maybe a cultipacker on a long outrigger and at the end of each row, it disconnects and the tractor picks it up when it turns and makes the next pass. They don't even slow down.

I've seen this too and it is still mesmerizing for me. Still can't figure out how it can possibly be working as well as it does.

The RC versions look spot on real too. Mind blowing.

As far as plowing, I always though it was used only when turning virgin soil into an crop land. I thought afterwards you could alway use a disc to prep your fields from there on out. You see how much I know about tilage. I will say the Europeans have some very cool implements. I just gets so confusing though as some are combination disk/cultivators/harrows which makes it tough to determine when, why, where do you use such a tool.

[EastTexFrank]

When I lived over there, there used to be horse drawn plowing contests every summer and those are way cool to watch.

[GilaSlim]

There are probably still a lot of them in the US. My wife's uncle used to participate in one at a living history Museum outside Des Moines. He used a team of Belgians and a single bottom sulky. His family have been farmers in Iowa since the 1840's, and still are. With the current corn prices, they are making a bundle.

GS

[Botabill]

It's not just Europe that has plowing matches. Here in Canada we have a huge international one each year. Two year ago it was here in Peterborough. Like a city of machine nuts suddenly appeared. Brought massive amounts of revenue to our community. There was plowing (as you would expect) but way more. Imagine the construction and rural life style on steroids on display. Anyone on this site would have been in heaven.

[Botabill]

It's not just Europe that has plowing matches. Here in Canada we have a huge international one each year. Two year ago it was here in Peterborough. Like a city of machine nuts suddenly appeared. I forget how many hundred thousands of them. Brought massive amounts of revenue to our community. There was competative plowing (as you would expect) but way more. Imagine the construction and rural life style on steroids on display. Anyone on this site would have been in heaven.

[Farmwithjunk]

Here's a couple links to the best sites I know of for competitive ploughing match coverage.


Events


World Ploughing Organization

Go to WPO site, click on RULES. Now, tax time seems just a little less complicated by comparison.

[ChuckinNH]

There were both horse/oxen drawn, and antique tractor plowing contests early this month near me. One was at a working museum, and the other in a local farm field. Unfortunately, both were on the same day. In the last picture, you can see one of the visitors giving plowing the really old way a try.

[N80]

When I was a kid, there were still folks around here that plowed their gardens with mules. I haven't seen that in years but I suspect there may be a few around.

[ChuckinNH]

Like these?