Joan de Bondt, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Local resident, Wayne Clayton, and fellow Australian, Daniel Gladwell, have been selected to represent Australia in the World Ploughing Contest later this year.

The World Ploughing Contest was to have been held in Russia, but for obvious reasons, was cancelled. World Ploughing Organisation general secretary, Anna Marie McHugh, made the announcement in April. “I am delighted to announce that 25 countries from all over the globe from Africa to Australia will be participating in this year’s World Ploughing Contest in Ireland.

“The very best international ploughing competitors and their teams will be battling it out on Irish soil in September to become supreme World Champions,” she said.

Wayne and his wife, Yvonne, moved to the district from the Geelong area about five years ago, and farmed at Murrabit and Wakool before recently purchasing a 20 acre retirement property in Koondrook. Wayne grew up in the Western District as a 5th generation vegetable farmer, and diversified into sheep, cattle and broad acre cropping.

He became involved in ploughing competitively about 40 years ago but stepped away for several years due to family and farming commitments. In recent years, he has rekindled his involvement in competitive ploughing and hones his skills at competitions far and wide.

This will be Wayne’s first appearance in the World Ploughing Contest, but he recently competed in New Zealand where he took out two firsts and a third place. He has also recently competed in Hamilton, Colac and Gippsland to plough in different soil types, and will compete at the Nationals in Tasmania on June 25.

The World Championships are rotated to different countries each year. Some teams transport their ploughs and tractors to the host country, but the sudden change in venue this year has made this logistically impossible for many competing nations. The machinery may need to be hired, but Wayne is hoping that it will be supplied. The local soils and familiar equipment will mean an obvious home advantage for the host country, hence the importance for the competitors to practice their skills in as many different regions and different soil types as possible.

I asked Wayne what the competition entails. “You plough a plot approximately 20 metres by 100 metres with a two-furrow plough. You have three hours in total to plough it. The whole objective is to get it as precise as you can. It’s all about neatness and straightness and being consistent all the way through. Soil types vary everywhere, and it’s about understanding the soil and ploughing with it to get the best out of it,” Wayne explained.

Competitors choose from two types of ploughing: conventional and reverse. Both Wayne and Daniel have opted for conventional ploughing. The event is timed; a gun goes off, and everybody starts and finishes at the same time.

The ploughing championships attract crowds of more than 300,000 over the three days of the event, which also showcases the food, farming and culture of the host country.

After the competition, Wayne and Yvonne will tour France and Italy, and savour the freedom of travel. We wish you all the best, Wayne, and look forward to catching up with you on your return to Koondrook.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 2 June 2022.