Moray Ploughing Match Society draws a good crowd
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Several hundred people descended on a farm near Focahbers for this year's big event of the Moray Ploughing Match Society.
The hosts last Saturday were Helen Smith who runs Byres Farm along with her husband Bill.
Helen said: "With the Keith and Turriff shows both being cancelled these past two years, it was great for people to be able to meet up again.
"It was certainly a lot of fun, but very busy with a dance in the evening.
"We had a very sleepy Sunday the day afterwards."
There were over 40 entries in this year's ploughing match, who were divided into five different categories.
The winners were:
- Class 1 – Agrovista cup – I. Macdonald
- Class 2 – Bowlts Chartered Surveyors Trophy – G. Hepburn
- Class 3- Frontier Trophy – S. Alexander
- Class 3 – Classic Trophy, Best classic Rig – G. Mutch
- Class 4- Pentland Landrover Trophy – Wm. McDonald
- Vintage Trailing – Gleaner Oils Trophy – D. Stewart
Several tractor dealerships also jumped at the chance to showcase their products.
Ravenhill from Elgin and Sellars Agriculture from Forres, plus HRN Tractors, Scot JCB and Netherton Tractors were all in attendance.
And all five generously donated pedal tractors.
These toy replica tractors will be ridden by the nursery age kids who go to Muddy Meetups.
This is Byres' weekly group for youngsters where they get to learn about farm life as well as feed the animals.
The fact that Byres Farm grows what are known as 'green cover crops', such as radish and mustard, also helped to attracted a number of people to the event.
Good at assimilating carbon from carbon dioxide within the atmosphere, these crops are actively beneficial for the environment.
Byres Farm was also the venue for the annual ploughing match exactly 90 years ago.
Back in 1931 the winner was William Gordon, a salmon fisher on the River Spey for the Gordon Castle Estate, who doubled up as a farm worker and spent much of every wintertime ploughing.
The medal which William won all those years ago was brought along to this year's ploughing match by Jim Gordon, a relative, who has since inherited it.
Visit www.byresfarm.co.uk for a full list of upcoming events.
More pics from the day:
