Tractor competitions: It's time to 'get plowed'

Hailer Gruber, left, is veteran plowing competitor.
(Photo by Jerry Nelson, Successful Farming)

Even if some things feel like they're going to heck in a handbasket, fall is a time to celebrate, which includes tractor-plowing competitions. “You never know what you might learn when you attend a notorious event like the Annual Steam Threshing Jamboree held each August at Madison, South Dakota,” reports Jerry Nelson of Successful Farming. “It’s the sort of gathering where the phrase, ‘Let’s get plowed!’ is taken literally.”

The Jamboree hosts the South Dakota State Open Plowing Contest, whose audience, judges and participants draw quite a crowd to this rural town of 6,200. The contest features “elderly tractors slowly pulling antique plows back and forth, flipping over the golden stubble to reveal rich, black soil,” Nelson explains. “The contestants were taking things quite seriously, stopping frequently to make adjustments or to simply eyeball the situation. Tape measures were spooled out, and impromptu midfield conferences were held.”

Nelson met up with Hailey Gruber from Richmond, Minn., population 1,500, to get the dirt on being a tractor plow competitor. Gruber is a junior at South Dakota State University studying mechanical engineering. “She is also a veteran international plowing competitor,” Nelson adds.

An edited snippet of their Q&A is below:

How did you get involved in competitive plowing?
My dad, Gene, grew up on a dairy farm in Spring Hill, Minnesota. His father, Werner, was a champion plowman and made sure that his sons learned the art of competition plowing. I began to ride with Dad on his tractor when I was a little girl. . . .Dad gave me my first tractor when I was seven, and I participated in my first plowing contest when I was ten. Dad was so happy that one of his two daughters was following in his footsteps. Or, in this case, his furrow.

What has been your biggest plowing achievement?
I won the U.S. Plowing Championship in 2017, which qualified me for the 2018 World Ploughing Contest in Hofgut Einsiedel, Germany. I placed sixth in a field of 25 competitors from around the world. I was 16 years old at the time and the only female in the competition.

What do you look for when you judge a moldboard plowing contest?
The first thing we look for is straight furrows. We will also deduct points based on the amount of trash left on the surface. The furrows must be uniform; you shouldn’t be able to tell one pass from another. It’s crucial to leave a straight and shallow dead furrow in the middle of your plot when you’re done.

“Gruber’s wisdom is pay attention to the details, drive straight and true, don’t leave any trash behind, and do your best to maintain an even keel,” Nelson adds. “Sounds like a recipe for a successful plowing contest and a well-lived life.”