Entries to the ‘Machine of the Year’ competition are now being welcomed, with the winner set to be announced at the National Ploughing Championships in September.
The award is open to all machines launched or manufactured since last year’s event in Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
Entries must currently be in manufacture and all machines should have a practical use in agriculture. Entries must also be exhibiting at Ploughing 2018 in order to be eligible for the competition.
Speaking about the “highly anticipated and prestigious ‘Machine of the Year’ competition”, the National Ploughing Association’s (NPA’s) assistant managing director – Anna Marie McHugh – hopes that the competition will be as big a success as last year.
The winner of last year’s ‘Machine of the Year’ competition – the Valtra N174 tractor
“There was great interest with entries of an exceptional standard in last year’s ‘Machine of the Year’ competition and this is to be expected again this year.
The quality of machinery at the ploughing is unparalleled – with ground-breaking displays and cutting-edge technologies worth in excess of €50 million.
“Last year’s winner was the exceptional Valtra N174 tractor, which the judges praised for its ability to have different levels of specifications and the intuitive design of its touch-screen systems.”
This year the National Ploughing Championships – Europe’s largest outdoor event – will return to Screggan on Tuesday, September 18; the event will run until Thursday, September 20.
Over 1,700 exhibitors and almost 300 competitors will take part in this year’s event
The first inter-county ploughing contest took place in 1931 between two men and now – almost 87 years later – the event attracts in excess of 290,000 visitors annually.