Q. I hear some ploughing matches are happening at your place soon?
Yeah, the Waimea Plains Ploughing Match Association on Saturday and Waimea Plains Vintage Tractor Machinery Club on Sunday.
Q. Is your place looking good in the lead-up? Has the weather been playing its part?
Not really at all! It is real wet at the moment, so hopefully it dries up a bit.
Q. Will the matches go ahead rain, hail or shine?
Unless it snows or we have 50mm of rain, which is possible — but it is on free-draining country, so it can handle a bit of moisture.
Q. What will competitors be ploughing?
A paddock we had some lambs grazing some rape [in], so it should be some nice ploughing.
Q. You are representing New Zealand at the World Ploughing Championships in Estonia next year. How are your preparations going?
I’ll try and do as many matches as I can between now and then and get any modifications to the gear done that I need to do, in plenty of time so I can get used to it.
Q. Will you ship a tractor to Estonia?
That’s the plan, to take my own gear.
Q. What sort of tractor?
A 362 Massey Ferguson.
Q. How many World Ploughing Championships have you competed at?
Next year will be my second one.
Q. When was the first one?
I ploughed in France in 2014.
Q. Where did you finish in France?
About the middle of the field.
Q. Have you set yourself any goals for Estonia?
We are going to go out and have a good crack.
Q. Do you have any concerns about how close Estonia is to a war zone?
It is quite concerning. Hopefully it has settled down by then; who knows what is going to happen, but it is a worry when you are that close to that sort of stuff.
