World Ploughing Championships Brings Fun, Frolics And Farmers To Ratheniska

Friday, 23 September 2022 14:00

A selection of the interviews, photos and videos recorded at this year's event.

The World and National Ploughing Championships seen around 277,000 attendees over the three days.

Wednesday had the highest ever experienced crowd at 115,500 people.

While the sun was shining the first two days, it did not effect the crowds still eager to attend on the final day.

The flags are raised as the 67th World Ploughing Championship officially opens #Ploughing2022 pic.twitter.com/J30wEVXJJu
— National Ploughing (@NPAIE) September 20, 2022

Midlands 103's Roy Jennings days as an ice-cream man ended in disaster. The Drivetime presenter was trying to break a record for the largest cone:

Farmers in the midlands are being encouraged to bury their underwear, to test soil health.

The Irish Farmer's Journal is behind the campaign, and is asking people to bury cotton underwear four inches in the ground for two months.

Cotton underpants are a source of carbon, and bugs will eat them - if the soil is good.

Ratheniska's Siobhan Walsh is Farming Sustainability Specialist with the Farmers Journal, has been speaking with Will Faulkner on Midlands Today and she explains what you should do if, after two months, they're still intact:

School was out for many of the students in the midlands this week.

Midlands 103's Sinéad Hubble caught up with some young lads from Offaly:

FarmDroid FD20 beat very stiff competition to be announced as the prestigious National Ploughing Championships ‘Machine of the Year’. It is the world’s first fully automatic robot that can take care of both sowing and weed control. The robot enables farmers to reduce the cost of sowing and weed control while doing it CO2 neutral, and pesticide-free. Furthermore, the robot reduces or even eliminates the need for exhausting, manual work.

In the ploughing competition Eamonn Tracey from Carlow won the overall conventional class, while Wexford man John Whelan won the Reversible Ploughing competition. Both men will again represent Ireland at the World Ploughing contest next year.

Congratulations to all the winners from Day 3 of #Ploughing2022 pic.twitter.com/UOdPi3qM7n
— National Ploughing (@NPAIE) September 22, 2022

The coveted 2022 Best Brown Bread Baker title went to Darragh O’Brien from Co Kildare, his bread will be sold in Aldi stores nationwide and he will receive €15,000 for his triumph. It is the first time that a man has won the National Brown Bread Baking Competition, sponsored by Aldi and run in conjunction with the ICA, since its inception in the early 1950s.

Daragh O’Brien is crowned winner of the @Aldi_Ireland National Brown Bread Baking Competition #Ploughing2022 pic.twitter.com/hsxsKcEKti
— National Ploughing (@NPAIE) September 22, 2022

Waterford Hurling Manager Davy Fitzgerald was putting people through the paces for 'Ireland's Fittest Farmer' challenge.

Midlands 103's Will Faulkner and Peter Dunne were challenged to the step up challenge and hang tough.

Listen back to see who was crowned the winner:

Visitor's to Ratheniska were also asked to vote for their favourite hymn.

Midlands 103's Sinéad Hubble even got a song from Bishop Denis Nulty when she met him at the Kildare and Leighlin Diocese stand:

The votes were counted yesterday and 'Our Lady of Knock' claimed the title.

There were loads of new ideas and initiatives at the National Ploughing Championships. One of those is a product called My Gug which takes your food waste and turns it into cooking gas and fertiliser for garden. Midlands 103’s Sinéad Hubble has been finding out how it works from Fiona Kelleher: