58 competitors from around the world are ready to turn soil at the 60th annual World Plowing Championships taking place in Olds this week.

The competitors have arrived and are preparing for the two-day competition, which will take place Friday and Saturday.

Chairman of the Canadian Plowing Organization Lynn McDonald says the Canadian will be ready to go after getting in some solid practice time.

“And we’re going to practice for a whole week, which we’ve never done at a World’s,” says McDonald.  “Usually when we head for a World’s we land there the day and try and get our tractors and everything ready and just plow.  So we’re  going to practice this time, we have two past champions, one guy has made 11 trips to the World and one guy has made 7 trips to the world.  So we think we have two real good competitors this time and we’re looking forward to seeing how it goes.”

This is German plowman Sebastian Murkowski’s second appearance at the worlds, he says he enjoys both the competition and social aspect of the event.

“Oh, it’s being together with other people, other plowmen, chairs, experience and try to keep or try to show people how to plow the right way – to show people how to plow the right  way,” says Murkowski.  You adjust your plow actually so you have to look that you really know how your plow is going and where you can adjust it that it’s doing proper work, so that’s the main thing.”

Murray Redmond from New Zealand is a second generation plowman he says the sport is in his veins.

“I suppose I sort of got addicted to the competition after the first sort of burst, it sort of gets under your skin and quite infuriating if you can’t do what you want to do sort of thing or if the soil doesn’t move the way you want it.  So yeah, it’s a bit on an itch really that I’m, yea. “

The weekend is also full of a number of events including a vintage tractor pull competition, vintage equipment showcase, horse plowing demonstration and a demonstration of the latest farm equipment on the market.

For more on the World Plowing Championships, click here.

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