Bruce Redmond, of Rakaia, is manager of the New Zealand ploughing team, which is competing in the World Ploughing Championships at the Olds College campus in Alberta, Canada. About 60 competitors from more than 30 countries will take part in conventional and reversible ploughing classes. Bruce reports on the lead up to the competition.
Wednesday, June 26
We have arrived safely in Olds College. We have spent half a day putting the plough and hydraulics together and tomorrow we will be ready to start ploughing.
The workshop facilities are excellent, and everything we need is available. The ground is quite wet and sticky after a lot of rain, which caused serious flooding just south in downtown Calgary.
Thursday, June 27
The New Zealand ploughmen are ready to start practice tomorrow, and we have been allocated some stubble practice 15km from Olds, where the Austrian ploughwomen and the Germans have been practising for the past four days.
The weather is expected to be good for the next 10 days, and we are expecting 31degC on Monday.
Mosquitoes are plentiful and big, so we need bug spray.
Olds College is empty of all the students but is getting busy today with the arrival of elderly evacuees from a Calgary rest-home, as well as some participants in a vintage car rally. Soon there will also be a pony club and basketball camp here.
Monday, July 1
(Canada Day) The practice stubble paddock has been wet after the thunderstorm on Sunday night.
It is undulating and there is a lot of grass and weeds, so not a good example of a stubble paddock, with some parts sticky.
Tuesday, July 2
We had 31degC and 85% humidity, so we spent most of the day in the workshop out of the heat, changing the front axle on the tractor and modifying the seat and setting up.
Wednesday, July 3
More countries arriving, including France, the US, Canada and Denmark. They have cut the hay in the grass contest and the practice plots may need to be cut again before the contest. We should be into some grass practice on Saturday.
Wednesday, July 10
A lot more countries have arrived and many have sent tractors and ploughs. Accommodation is good, with four-bedroom, two-bathroom college houses, and the cafeteria has reasonably priced meals.
All contest ploughing and official events are within walking distance. Malcolm and Murray have been practising on grass about 30 years old and in places there is 18 inches (46cm) of grass, which is sticky and many areas are too wet to drive on.
There are frequent gopher holes and mounds making the ploughing quite a challenge.
Thunderstorms and some rain have kept the ground wet and in lower areas ponding has occurred.
The wet is causing some problems getting on to the practice ground.
The workshop facilities are magnificent, with everything we could possibly need and much more.