AN online contest has enabled ploughing enthusiasts from across the globe to compete following the cancellation of hundreds of ploughing matches due to COVID-19.

Support from leading rural insurer NFU Mutual enabled the nation’s ploughing skills to be celebrated through VPlough - a virtual ploughing contest. Over 60 men and women, aged from 15 to over 80, took part by filming their ploughing skills and submitting files online for ploughing experts to judge. Classes included modern reversible ploughs, vintage tractor ploughs, and horse-drawn ploughs.

VPlough was organised by Karen Wheeler from Kent, who has been a ploughing contest enthusiast since her childhood. Her love of ploughing led to Karen serving as the Secretary of one of the ploughing world’s key events – The Weald of Kent Ploughing Match Association for 23 years.

With COVID-19 resulting in ploughing matches being cancelled, Karen and her fellow ploughing enthusiasts came up with the idea of a virtual event – while raising money for all 23 UK & Ireland Air Ambulance Charities.

David Harrison, Sector Lead for Farming and Agriculture at NFU Mutual, said: “We’re delighted that VPlough has helped keep competitive ploughing going. We understand the key part ploughing matches hold in the farming calendar both as a way of celebrating traditional agricultural skills and providing a social forum."

Karen Wheeler said: “We came up with idea of virtual ploughing back in July to try and keep competitive ploughing going despite all events being cancelled. It proved a huge task – and wouldn’t have been possible without NFU Mutual’s financial support.

“It took some time to convince farmers to enter – but eventually they really got behind the idea. It’s been great to watch highly skilled ploughing online and meet up online with entrants from across the UK – and even as far afield as Canada.Now we’ve got the competition organised online we’re going to run VPlough again in 2021 with a longer window for entries and again raise money for air ambulance charities”.